How to Choose the Right Material for Asset Tags

ByLexicraft

Walk through any plant room or depot and you’ll see it straight away: some asset tags crisp for years, others fade, curl or disappear entirely. That’s rarely down to luck – it’s material choice. Asset tags support traceability, maintenance and compliance, and when the material doesn’t suit the environment, you don’t just lose a label; you lose control. Here’s how to choose the right material and keep tags performing for the long term.

Start with the job, not the catalogue

It’s tempting to begin with a favourite material or a standard part number. A better starting point is to ask: what does this tag need to survive?
For industrial asset tags, consider:

  • Location: indoor, outdoor, coastal, trackside, plant room, cab interior.
  • Temperature: constant, fluctuating, extremes, hot spots.
  • Contact: tools, boots, steam, jet washing, cleaning chemicals.
  • Fixing method: adhesive, rivets, screws, cable ties.
  • Required life: five years? Ten? Life of the asset?

Once those basics are clear, material selection becomes much easier – and you avoid over-specifying in some areas while under-specifying in others.

Aluminium asset tags: when metal makes sense

Aluminium is a long-standing favourite for industrial asset tags, especially where durability and traceability must be guaranteed over a long service life. It remains stable around engines, in plant rooms, on trackside equipment and in exposed outdoor positions where synthetic materials can soften, fade or fail. Its inherent strength also makes it a smart choice for assets that are likely to be bumped, kicked or scuffed during routine work.

Things to watch with aluminium

Although durable, aluminium can still dent or scratch. In most cases the data remains intact, but surface blemishes may matter on visible panels or customer-facing equipment. The material is lightweight, but not negligible, so tight spaces and compact control panels may need checks for thickness, clearances and mounting points.

Fixing also needs consideration. Aluminum tags are commonly attached with rivets, screws, or high-performance adhesive, and the best method depends on the substrate and what’s practical during installation. Ensuring the fixing approach is compatible with the equipment helps avoid complications on site.

Polyester and other films: lighter, thinner, more flexible

Polyester (PET) and similar high-performance films are widely used for industrial asset tags, especially on electronics, control panels and equipment where space and weight matter.

Where polyester tags perform well

Tight spaces and low profiles
Polyester tags are extremely thin and conformable. Ideal for crowded panels, small housings and assets where you cannot afford projections.

Clean, indoor environments
Control rooms, test equipment, cabinets and instrument panels are classic use cases where polyester tags offer more than enough durability.

Complex shapes and housings
Being flexible, polyester-based tags can cope with mild curves and textured surfaces when paired with the right adhesive system.

Print flexibility
Polyester constructions work well with a range of print methods, including variable data, barcodes and on-demand printing in some setups.

Limitations to keep in mind

Abrasion and heavy contact
Even with protective laminates, film tags are more vulnerable to aggressive scuffing than metal equivalents. Subsurface print and hard-wearing overlaminates can improve this, but there are limits.

Temperature extremes
High or rapidly cycling temperatures can lead to distortion, shrinkage or adhesive creep if the material isn’t rated correctly for the conditions.

Chemicals and cleaning
Some cleaners, oils and solvents will attack the film or print over time. Chemical resistance must be matched to the real cleaning regime, not the ideal one.

For many industrial asset tags, polyester is the right answer: lighter, thinner, easier to apply and entirely adequate for the duty. The key is to be honest about how the tag will actually be treated in service.

Aluminium vs polyester: which should you choose?

There’s no single winner. The right material depends on the balance of environment, duty and required life. Aluminium comes into its own outdoors, on trackside equipment, in hot locations or anywhere a tag is likely to be scuffed or handled roughly. It also offers excellent long-term traceability and is often preferred where a nameplate-like finish or regulatory confidence is required.

Polyester and similar films, on the other hand, are better fit when space is tight, the environment is clean or the asset doesn’t justify the weight and profile of metal. These films are flexible enough to conform plastics and coated surfaces, work well where access for screws or rivets is limited, and support efficient, high-volume labelling with reliable print quality.
Most organisations end up using both. The key is having clear material-selection rules so decisions are consistent, defensible and easy to apply.

Other factors that affect tag longevity

Material is only one piece of the puzzle. The tag will only perform as intended if it stays attached, so the adhesive or fixing method must suit the surface. Surface energy, contamination and application temperature all influence bond strength, and in some cases a mechanical fixing is the only way to guarantee long-term security.

Print and protection matter just as much. Subsurface print and anodic graphics offer strong resistance to abrasion and UV, while overlaminates help shield information from cleaning and handling. Variable data such as serial numbers and barcodes must remain readable for the full life of the asset.

In regulated environments, clear specifications, construction records and approvals are essential, and any replacements must follow the exact same build to maintain identification and traceability.

A practical way to specify industrial asset tags

Rather than picking materials in isolation, build a simple framework:

1. Categorise your environments
For example: “indoor controlled”, “indoor harsh”, “outdoor sheltered”, “outdoor exposed”.

2. Set default constructions for each category
Aluminium for outdoor exposed assets, polyester for indoor controlled, and so on.

3. Define exceptions
High-temperature areas, chemical exposure, or critical safety assets may justify a higher-spec tag.

4. Work with a specialist supplier
A manufacturer experienced in industrial asset tags can test and refine these constructions, and help you avoid surprises when you roll them out across multiple sites.

Over time, this approach reduces failures, speeds up project specification and gives procurement, engineers and auditors confidence that identification has been thought through properly.

How Lexicraft can help

Lexicraft has been designing and manufacturing durable industrial labels, nameplates and asset tags in the UK for over 50 years. That experience means we’ve seen almost every combination of environment, substrate and fixing method you can imagine.
We support customers by:

  • Reviewing applications and recommending appropriate materials and constructions.
  • Offering aluminium, polyester and other specialist options engineered for extremes.
  • Providing samples for real-world trials before you commit.
  • Supplying clear documentation and traceability for audits and standards.

If you’re unsure whether aluminium or polyester is right for a particular asset, or you’re seeing premature failures with existing tags, we can help you work through the options.

Need industrial asset tags that last longer than the equipment they’re on? Let’s talk.