NFC keyrings, fobs & tags

A keyring gets handled every day, dropped, sat on and put through a wash cycle at least once. That is a harder life than most NFC products are designed for, and it is why cheap printed fobs stop reading after a few months.

We make NFC keyrings, fobs and tags in our Leith workshop from acrylic, hardwood, leather and metal — cut, engraved, assembled and encoded here, with the tag sealed inside rather than stuck to the back.

Round laser-engraved brass token with raised lettering, propped against a live-edge timber slab
A brass token engraved in-house — the same blank format we build metal fobs from.

What we make

  • Acrylic keyrings — clear, frosted, tinted or layered, with engraved or cut-through branding
  • Hardwood and plywood fobs, laser engraved
  • Leather tags and luggage tags with engraved detail
  • Stainless and anodised aluminium fobs, fibre-laser marked
  • Asset and equipment tags with serial numbers or QR plus NFC
  • Hotel, gym, locker and access fobs
Pair of laser-engraved brass plaques laid flat on a pale timber slab, one drilled for fixings
Metal tag blanks — drilled for a split ring or a fixing, marked before assembly.

Sealed, not stuck on

The usual construction is two layers with the tag captured between them, bonded so there is no exposed edge for a thumbnail to lift. On timber and leather we recess the tag into the back face and cap it. Either way the tag is protected from moisture, flexing and the inside of a trouser pocket.

For metal fobs we use on-metal (ferrite-backed) tags as standard. A plain inlay against stainless or aluminium will barely read — the metal detunes the antenna — and it is the single most common reason a metal NFC fob disappoints.

Encoding

  • Same link on every fob, or a different link on each — both are fine, the second needs a list from you
  • URLs, vCards, Wi-Fi credentials, app links or plain text
  • Tags can be locked read-only so the payload can't be overwritten
  • Every fob is read-tested on a phone before packing

Quantities

From a single fob to a few hundred. Setup is most of the cost on a small run, so ten is not much dearer than one and a hundred is a great deal cheaper per unit. Tell us the quantity you're actually likely to want and we'll show you where the price breaks fall.

Related

See also acrylic NFC stands, bespoke NFC housings, stainless steel engraving and leather laser cutting.

Get a quote

Email enquiries@cobblestonecreative.co.uk with your artwork, the link the tag should open and a quantity. Quote back within 24 hours.

Get a quote