Start with the decision, not the material
You have a design file and a quote request. Before you pick a stock, decide three things: how long the tag must survive, what the buyer does with it after purchase, and what your brand is allowed to print on it. A hang tag material guide only helps once those answers are fixed, because the same artwork behaves very differently on 350gsm art card and on 0.5mm PVC.
This hang tag material guide covers the stocks we run most often at our Quanzhou plant, the printing and finishing methods that pair with them, and the cost and compliance trade-offs you should raise with your supplier before sampling.
Paper stocks: the default for most apparel
Paper covers the majority of hang tags because it is cheap, prints sharply and recycles in normal waste streams.
- Art card (coated one or two sides), 250–400gsm. The workhorse. Coated surface holds four-colour offset and digital print well. 300–350gsm is stiff enough for a standard 5mm punched hole without a reinforced eyelet.
- Uncoated kraft, 250–350gsm. Natural brown tone, visible fibre. Good for outdoor, denim and sustainable-positioned lines. Colour prints duller than on coated stock, so keep artwork to one or two spot colours.
- Black card. Solid-dyed through the sheet, so a punched hole shows black rather than white core. Popular for premium and streetwear tags.
- Recycled and FSC-certified board. Ask for the certificate number and the mill name; a generic "eco" claim on the tag is not evidence.
Pair paper with matte or gloss lamination, spot UV, foil stamping or embossing. Lamination adds water resistance but makes the tag harder to recycle, so pick one: durability or a clean disposal story.
Hang tag material guide: PVC, fabric and leather
When paper will not survive, move up.
| Material | Typical thickness | Water resistance | Print method | Relative cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coated art card | 300–350gsm | Low | Offset, digital | $ | Most apparel |
| Kraft board | 250–350gsm | Low | Flexo, digital | $ | Denim, outdoor |
| PVC | 0.3–0.8mm | High | Screen, UV digital | $$ | Swimwear, bags, footwear |
| Woven fabric | 1–2mm | Medium | Jacquard weave |
