Bulk RFID Cards

Why buy RFID cards in bulk direct from the factory

Bulk card buying is mostly about deleting repeated fixed costs. Set-up, plate-making, encoding configuration, QC documentation and freight all happen once per run regardless of quantity, so the more cards behind a single set-up, the less each one carries. A factory also holds one batch to one standard — something a buyer piecing stock together from several distributors never gets. Start with the full RFID card range, or line up the sourcing questions in the wholesale RFID quote reading guide and the RFID RFP template before you ask for tiers.

• 2008Direct card factory since
• 50+Countries shipped to
• 1M+Cards per production run
• 100%Functional-tested

• Per-unit cost drops hard at volume: a card near $0.35 at 500 pieces can run $0.12-$0.18 at 50,000 pieces factory-direct — a swing that funds the whole deployment, though the exact number is always quoted per program.
• One run, one standard: identical chip performance, print registration and lamination across 100,000 cards instead of the mixed-source variation you get stitching together distributor stock.
• Pre-encoding folded into production: UID sequences, NDEF records, sector keys or custom data written on the line at no extra per-card cost for basic encoding on volume orders.
• Consolidated logistics: one production lot, one customs clearance and one receiving event instead of chasing repeat small orders through the year.
• Annual supply agreements lock the deep-tier price and reserve production slots, insulating the program from material-cost swings and peak-season lead-time slips.

Volume tiers and the card families you can run at scale

Almost any card in the catalogue runs at bulk volume; the families below are the ones procurement teams order at five- and six-figure quantities. The ladder is simple — each quantity break lowers the per-card cost — but the figure itself depends on the chip and finish, so we quote per program rather than publish a list you would have to caveat. Browse the parts on the RFID cards pillar.

• 1,000 cards is the bulk floor — below it you are in sample and short-run pricing; above it the volume ladder starts.
• The first major per-card break lands around 10,000 cards; 50K and 100K open deeper tiers; 500K+ and annual commitments earn the best rate — every figure quoted per program.
• Mixed-chip orders share one run at a 500-piece minimum per chip type — for example 5,000 MIFARE Classic 1K and 3,000 MIFARE DESFire cards on one PO, each with its own artwork and encoding.
• Every card runs to a published standard — ISO/IEC 7810 for the ID-1 (CR80) body, ISO/IEC 14443 for 13.56 MHz HF chips like MIFARE Classic and NTAG, and the 125 kHz LF air interface for EM and T5577 parts — so the credential outlives any single reader model.

What moves the per-card price — factory run vs stitched-together stock

Bulk quotes are itemised, and each line reacts to volume differently. Knowing the cost structure lets you trade specification against budget on purpose instead of discovering the drivers after three rounds of quotes — and it is the clearest reason a single factory run beats piecing a large quantity together from distributor shelves.

• Chip family is the biggest single line: a legacy LF or MIFARE Classic chip costs a fraction of a MIFARE DESFire or NTAG 424 DNA, and chip allocation sets the floor at any volume.
• Set-up and tooling amortise over the run: print plates, die-cut tooling and encoding configuration are fixed costs that spread thinner the deeper the order goes.
• Card material moves the baseline: standard PVC is the volume default; PETG, polycarbonate, wood, bamboo and metal bodies each add material and process cost.
• Finishing adds production passes: spot UV, hot-foil stamping, magnetic stripe, embossed numbering and signature panels are each priced per pass.
• Encoding scope: basic UID read and NDEF write is included on volume orders; complex DESFire application setup or multi-sector keys carry a small per-card fee, quoted upfront.
• Packaging variant: bulk poly bag is the volume default; individual sleeves, retail blister or branded boxes add per-unit packing cost.

From free sample to cards delivered at volume — order, QC and logistics

Nobody should commit a six-figure card run to a design they have not held. The path below front-loads the cheap, reversible steps — a free sample pack first, a 100-piece pilot second, and a locked-price production run only once a first article is approved on your own reader. After that, QC and freight are the two levers that decide when the cards land; the air-versus-sea freight trade-off is quoted on every bulk order.

• 1,000Bulk order starts at
• 2-3 daysBlank-card dispatch
• 5-7 daysCustom production
• 25-40%Below small-order rates

1. 1. Free card samples

   Tell us the card, chip and finish; we ship blanks plus a printed proof (FOB Shenzhen, typically 5-10 business days) so your team can test fit, print and read on the actual equipment.

2. 2. Spec & quote

   We confirm chip, artwork, encoding scheme, packaging and the quantity tiers you want priced, then return an itemised quote with an MOQ ladder and both air and sea freight — nothing left implicit before tooling.

3. 3. Pilot & first article

   A 100-piece pilot encoded with your real data, approved on your own reader or lock; the signed first article becomes the reference so unit 1 and unit 100,000 match.

4. 4. Volume run & 100% QC

   Full run at locked pricing on 5-7 day production, every encoded card functional-tested at the line, out-of-spec lots quarantined, 2-3% overage supplied at cost for spares.

5. 5. Pack & deliver

   Poly-bag, sleeve or branded-box packing to spec, then dispatch — express for pilots, air 3-7 days or sea 25-45 days for the balance, with scheduled call-off against blanket orders.

• 100% functional testing: every encoded card is checked for chip response and read performance at the line; failures are rejected and replaced before packing.
• First-piece and in-process control: first-piece QC at line start, then AQL sampling on visual and dimensional attributes, with out-of-spec lots quarantined before the next step.
• Documented test report on the encoded lot ships in the box, with the encoding database where applicable; batches stay traceable by lot for seven years.
• Freight is the other lever on landed cost: express courier 3-5 days for pilots, air 3-7 days at roughly $4-8/kg, sea LCL around $80-250 per cubic meter at 25-45 days, or FCL from roughly $1,500-4,500 for six-figure runs.
• Split-mode on tight schedules: air-ship the urgent 10-20% so issuance starts on time and put the remaining 80-90% on the water, quoted together on FOB Shenzhen / Yantian or DDP terms.

Proof your procurement team can verify

Trust on a first bulk order is not a feeling; it is a set of documents your supplier-qualification team can check independently. Everything below is verifiable before you commit — the certifications page lists each standard and how to confirm it with the registrar, and the factory page documents the plant behind the numbers.

• ✓ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certificates — certificate number and issuing registrar provided on request for independent verification.
• ✓100% functional test on every encoded card, with the functional test report and encoding database delivered alongside the shipment.
• ✓First-article approval on your own reader or lock before the volume run, so a reader mismatch surfaces at pilot stage, not at card 40,000.
• ✓Per-shipment documentation pack: Certificate of Origin, Certificate of Conformity for radio compliance, and RoHS / REACH SVHC / Prop 65 material declarations by SKU.
• ✓Batch traceability by encoding lot with records retained seven years; quality claims within 30 days of receipt resolved by free replacement or proportional refund.
• ✓Open factory audits across two Shenzhen sites by appointment, plus virtual walk-throughs and third-party (SGS, TUV, Intertek) inspection when a program requires it.

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