Which hang tag stock is best for a clothing brand?

Kraft for sustainable, workwear, denim and artisan positioning; silk laminate for contemporary fashion and premium basics; regular 14pt/16pt for everyday retail; suede for luxury lines. All can be strung, eyeleted and reinforced.

Can you print full colour on kraft hang tags?

Yes, but colours go warm and muted on brown stock. For bright colour on kraft, add a white ink underbase or choose Natural or Regular stock instead.

Are silk laminated hang tags recyclable?

The board has recycled content, but the film laminate means most curbside programs will not accept it. If recyclability is a brand promise, choose Kraft or Natural stock.

What is the minimum order for kraft or silk hang tags?

100 tags on either stock, with prices falling steeply at 500, 1,000 and 2,500. Bulk programs from 50,000 tags are quoted individually.

Kraft vs. Silk Laminated Hang Tags for Apparel: Which Stock Fits Your Brand?

Two hang tags sit on the boutique table above. One is 18pt brown kraft with a black print and jute twine on a stack of raw denim. The other is a navy silk laminated tag with gold foil and satin ribbon on a folded linen shirt. Both are 'right' — for different brands, price points and customers. This guide lays out exactly how the two stocks differ so you can pick with confidence, and what to string, eyelet and finish them with once you have.

Brown kraft: the honest, hand-made signal

Our kraft is 18pt, 100% post-consumer recycled, uncoated and unmistakably brown. Ink sinks into the fibre, so black and single-colour prints look stamped rather than printed; white ink pops; full colour goes warm and muted (there is no white point to print against). It is the stock of coffee roasters, candle makers, workwear and denim, skincare with a farm-to-jar story, and anything that wants to say small-batch. It is also the cheapest premium-looking tag we make, and it is fully recyclable with paper strings.

Silk laminate: quiet luxury you can feel

Silk hang tags start as heavy 16pt C2S printed in full CMYK, then both sides get a thin matte film that feels like — well — silk. Colours stay saturated but glare-free, the surface shrugs off fingerprints and scuffs on the rack, and the tag has a soft, dense hand that reads as expensive. Spot UV and foil sit beautifully on it. It is the default for contemporary fashion, premium basics, swimwear, lingerie and any line where the tag will be photographed for e-commerce.

Side by side

	Brown Kraft (18pt)	Silk Laminated (16pt)
Look	Warm brown, natural fibre, rustic	Smooth matte, saturated colour, modern
Print	1–2 colour or white ink shines; full colour goes muted	Full CMYK photo quality; foil and spot UV available
Feel	Toothy, dry, substantial	Soft, dense, fingerprint-resistant
Durability on the rack	Good; edges soften with heavy handling	Excellent; scuff- and moisture-resistant
Sustainability	100% post-consumer recycled, recyclable	Recycled-content board with a plastic film; not curbside recyclable
Best strings	Jute, hemp, bakers twine, waxed leather	Satin ribbon, rat-tail, black poly, waxed leather
Best eyelets	Antique brass, copper, dull black	Nickel, shiny black, brass with gold foil
From (500 tags)	≈ $0.76 / tag	≈ $1.06 / tag
Turnaround	3–5 business days	3–5 business days (+1 for foil)

Match the tag to the price point

A useful rule: the tag should cost about 1–3% of the garment's retail price. A $38 tee can carry a $0.60 kraft or regular tag; a $180 jacket earns a $1.10 silk tag with foil and a leather cord. Over-spending on the tag rarely lifts perceived value; under-spending on a premium garment quietly undermines it. If your line spans both, use the same die-cut shape and logo on kraft for basics and silk for hero pieces — the family resemblance does the work.

Design tips for each stock

Kraft: design in one or two colours, keep type ≥ 7 pt, use white ink for the logo if the brand mark is fine-lined. Avoid large photographic areas.
Kraft: pair with a 3/16" hole and jute or 5-ply hemp; add an antique-brass eyelet if the garment is heavy.
Silk: give the laminate something to show off — a big solid colour field, a foil logo or spot-UV pattern. Keep barcodes and care icons at 100% black for scanning.
Silk: 1/8" hole with satin or black poly for a clean look; a nickel or black eyelet for outerwear and bags.
Both: leave 0.125" bleed, keep text 0.125" inside the trim, and consider a 45° corner clip for a luggage-tag silhouette without a custom die.

Not sure? Order both, small

The cheapest way to decide is to order 100 of each with your real artwork, strung and finished the way you would sell them, and put them on garments. Our Houston floor turns 50+ hang-tag orders a day, so a pair of 100-piece runs ships in the same 3–5 days as a 50,000-tag program — and every order gets a free digital proof first.

Compare kraft and silk hang tags with live pricing →

Which hang tag stock is best for a clothing brand?: Kraft for sustainable, workwear, denim and artisan positioning; silk laminate for contemporary fashion and premium basics; regular 14pt/16pt for everyday retail; suede for luxury lines. All can be strung, eyeleted and reinforced.
Can you print full colour on kraft hang tags?: Yes, but colours go warm and muted on brown stock. For bright colour on kraft, add a white ink underbase or choose Natural or Regular stock instead.
Are silk laminated hang tags recyclable?: The board has recycled content, but the film laminate means most curbside programs will not accept it. If recyclability is a brand promise, choose Kraft or Natural stock.
What is the minimum order for kraft or silk hang tags?: 100 tags on either stock, with prices falling steeply at 500, 1,000 and 2,500. Bulk programs from 50,000 tags are quoted individually.