Metal NFC Card

What a metal NFC card is

A metal NFC card is a business or ID card with a stainless-steel or anodised-aluminium body and an NFC inlay carrying an NXP NTAG chip. Tapped to a phone, it returns a stored link to a website, profile or contact page, exactly as a plastic NFC business card does. What differs is the build: a 13.56 MHz antenna reads weakly or not at all when it lies straight against metal, so the card is made as one construction around the antenna, and the finish and engraving are planned around that area.

Why a metal card needs a ferrite layer or an antenna window

Metal and a 13.56 MHz antenna do not naturally mix. The phone's alternating magnetic field induces eddy currents in nearby metal; those currents set up an opposing field that absorbs power and detunes the antenna, so a plain inlay laminated onto a steel plate reads weakly or not at all (NXP's NFC antenna-design guide AN11755, which covers antennas near metal). There are two accepted ways to build a metal card that still taps. A thin ferrite layer between the antenna and the metal reduces those eddy currents and recovers the read; the same guide says the ferrite must at least cover the whole antenna and that the antenna is tuned with the ferrite in place. Or the body leaves a non-metal window where the inlay sits, so the antenna is not backed by metal. Either way the card reads from the antenna side, not through the metal.

• Ferrite layer: the metal face stays unbroken; the ferrite and the antenna sit behind it under a non-metal back layer, and the card is tapped from that back, so mark it in the artwork.
• Antenna window: a non-metal area in the body over the inlay; the window becomes part of the design, and the card is tapped over it.

Tell us which construction you prefer, and approve a sample of that exact build before the run.

Bodies and finishes

Stainless steel is finished brushed, mirror, or with a matte-black or gold-tone PVD coating; anodised aluminium takes a range of colours and is lighter. A solid steel card is typically around 0.8 mm thick and heavier than a plastic card. The body sets the weight and the feel, not the read: every metal detunes the antenna, so the ferrite layer or the window decides the tap. A metal card can read at a shorter distance than a plastic one, so confirm the read on a sample.

A finish is chosen for wear as much as for look. A PVD coating sits hard on the surface and resists marking; a mirror finish shows fingerprints and fine scratches sooner than a brushed one; and an anodised layer holds its colour but can scuff at an edge. Ask to see the finish on the sample, because a screen does not show how a surface catches the light or how it wears in a wallet.

Engraving and printing

Metal cards are usually laser-engraved: the mark is cut into the surface, so it is permanent and reads as a contrasting line against the finish. Colour is added by UV printing, silk-screen or an infill, and a QR code to the same link can be engraved or printed alongside the NFC area. Variable data such as a name, title or serial number can be engraved per card from your list. Send your artwork and the fields that change between cards, and we confirm what the chosen finish can hold.

• Laser engraving suits logos, text and line art; it cannot reproduce a photograph, which needs a printed layer.
• Silk-screen adds a small number of spot colours; full-colour CMYK is not available directly on bare metal.
• UV printing on metal is possible, but ink adhesion varies with the alloy and finish, so ask for an adhesion sample on your exact body before a run.

Keep the antenna area clear

A metal card reads through one area: the window over the inlay, or the non-metal side of a ferrite-backed build. Keep that area free of print build-up and deep engraving, because metallic ink, foil or an over-deep laser fill across it can detune the antenna or disturb the ferrite and cost you the read. Mark the tap side so recipients know which face to present, and engrave or print a QR code to the same link for phones that cannot read the tag. Current iPhones and Android phones open the link without an app when the card is held to the top edge of an iPhone or to the antenna area of an Android phone; how a phone reads an NFC card covers older iPhones and phones with NFC switched off.

Chip and encoding

The chip is the same as in a plastic NFC card: usually an NTAG213 or NTAG215 carrying a short link to a profile you host, so the destination can change without re-issuing the card; an NTAG216 when a full contact record must sit on the chip; or NTAG 424 DNA when a back-end must verify each tap, for example on an authenticity or membership card. The NFC cards page compares the chips, and the NFC business card page explains a profile link versus a vCard. For cards across a whole team, see the NFC business card programmes guide. Once encoded, each card is read back, and a data report comes with the order; engraved serial numbers are matched to the chips in a file that lists every card's UID next to its number. The report and the list come in Excel, CSV or XML (encoding service).

Sample the exact build first

A metal card's read behaviour is specific to its body, finish, chip and antenna construction, so a sample of the exact build is worth more than any specification. Order one, tap it on your own iPhone and Android phones, check that it still reads through the phone case you use, and confirm the destination before committing the run. A free sample pack lets you compare bodies and finishes in the hand first.

Ordering

Metal NFC cards are quote-only. Tell us the construction, the body and finish, the chip, the artwork and engraving, and the link or content to encode. We have manufactured RFID and NFC products in our Shenzhen factory since 2008; standard samples are free, customised samples carry a setup fee, and standard products generally have a lead time of 2 to 3 weeks. Printing, numbering and encoding are available for the selected body. Start on the contact form, by email or on WhatsApp, or compare the plastic NFC business card and the other RFID cards.