Printed and Chipless Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Market Report 2026

The printed and chipless radio frequency identification (rfid) market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $8.24 billion in 2025 to $10.11 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.7%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising demand for retail automation, increasing logistics tracking requirements, cost reduction in supply chain operations, growing adoption of smart packaging, improvements in conductive ink technology.

The printed and chipless radio frequency identification (rfid) market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $22.7 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to expansion of healthcare asset tracking, growth in contactless retail solutions, integration with iot-enabled systems, advances in organic and carbon-based inks, increasing adoption in aviation and transport sectors. Major trends in the forecast period include printed and chipless rfid adoption, flexible and eco-friendly tag development, high-volume low-cost tag manufacturing, integration with packaging and logistics, advanced material-based RFID tags.

The expansion of retail and logistics is expected to drive the growth of the printed and chipless RFID market in the coming years. Retail and logistics involve selling goods to consumers and efficiently managing their movement, storage, and distribution throughout the supply chain. Printed and chipless RFID technology is gaining traction due to its low production cost, making it ideal for large-scale and disposable item applications. These tags enable affordable, real-time tracking of products in retail and logistics, enhancing inventory management and minimizing losses. Their flexible nature also supports streamlined operations and improved supply chain visibility. For example, in April 2025, the House of Commons Library reported that retail sales in Great Britain reached $578.62 billion (£517 billion) in 2024, reflecting a 1.4% increase from 2023. These developments highlight how growth in retail and logistics is contributing to the expansion of the printed and chipless RFID market.

Leading companies in the printed and chipless RFID market are advancing technologies such as laser-induced carbon-based conductive circuit technology to boost tag performance, durability, and scalability while lowering production costs for broader adoption. This technique employs lasers to convert materials into precise, flexible carbon circuits, eliminating the need for metal inks and enabling more sustainable and cost-effective production of electronic components, including RFID tags. For instance, in June 2024, Pulpatronics Limited, a UK-based developer of sustainable RFID tags, introduced chipless, metal-free paper RFID tags. Their innovation uses laser-induced conductive circuits on paper, avoiding the use of metal and silicon, significantly reducing both environmental impact and manufacturing costs. The company’s focus is on developing recyclable, plant-based RFID solutions for eco-friendly inventory tracking.

In April 2023, CCL Industries Inc., a Canada-based specialty packaging and label manufacturing company, acquired eAgile Inc. for $54 million. Through this acquisition, CCL Industries Inc. aims to strengthen its smart label and digital tracking capabilities, expand its technology-driven product portfolio, and increase its footprint in North American and global markets. eAgile Inc. is a US-based technology company specializing in digital labels, track-and-trace solutions, and smart packaging.

Major companies operating in the printed and chipless radio frequency identification (rfid) market are 3M Company, Molex LLC, Stora Enso Oyj, TOPPAN Holdings Inc., DAI Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Avery Dennison Corporation, Zebra Technologies Corporation, Checkpoint Systems Inc., HID Global Corporation, Mühlbauer Holding AG & Co. KG, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PragmatIC Semiconductor Ltd., Alien Technology Corporation, Tageos S.A., Thinfilm Electronics ASA, SATO Holdings Corporation, Vubiq Networks Inc., PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG, Smartrac Technology GmbH, Acreo Swedish ICT AB, KSW Microtec AG.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs have influenced the printed and chipless RFID market by increasing import costs for conductive inks, printing equipment, and advanced substrates, creating supply chain disruptions. The retail, transport, and logistics segments in regions like North America and Europe are particularly affected due to dependency on imported components. While tariffs raise production costs, they have also encouraged local manufacturing and investment in domestic production capabilities, which could strengthen regional supply chains and reduce long-term dependency on imports.b.

The printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) market statistics, including the printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with the printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) market share, detailed printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) market segments, market trends, opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) industry. This printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

Printed and chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) technology employs printed materials or conductive inks to create tags that function without the need for silicon chips. These tags are recognized by their unique electromagnetic responses, which are produced by the specific printed patterns. This technology offers a cost-effective, flexible, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional RFID systems, making it particularly suitable for large-scale implementations.

The primary types of printed and chipless RFID include ink stripes, radar arrays, thin film transistor circuits (TFTC), surface acoustic waves (SAW), and other variations. Ink stripes are printed conductive designs used in chipless RFID systems to encode data and transmit signals cost-effectively, often directly onto packaging or labels. The technology encompasses various approaches such as time-domain, frequency-domain, magnetic-based, acoustic-based, and others, and is applied across diverse sectors including retail, transportation and logistics, aviation, healthcare, and more.North America was the largest region in the printed and chipless RFID market in 2025. The regions covered in the printed and chipless radio frequency identification (rfid) market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the printed and chipless radio frequency identification (rfid) market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The printed and chipless RFID market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as item-level tracking, smart packaging, supply chain monitoring, event management, and document and asset authentication. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The printed and chipless RFID market also includes sales of FID labels and tags, RFID wristbands, RFID-enabled packaging, and chipless RFID tags. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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