Durable Stainless Steel Tags

What Is the Difference Between Engraving and Stamping?

• Metal Engraving is the process of slightly removing very specific parts of metal to create a design through the use of a laser or rotary, providing a more finely-tuned design. Metal Stamping is the process of impressing a shape, design, or text into a piece of metal by hitting or stamping it with a metal stamp, creating a durable, recessed design.

What's the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel tags?

• 304 offers strong general corrosion resistance and is the most common grade for asset and equipment tags. 316 adds molybdenum for superior resistance to chlorides, chemicals, and saltwater — making it the better choice for valve tags, cable tags, and marine or chemical-processing environments.

Can stainless steel tags be engraved, or do they need to be pre-printed?

• Both. Big City Manufacturing supplies blank stainless steel tags for on-site stamping, engraving, or embossing at your facility, plus fully custom tags pre-engraved, etched, stamped, or embossed in-house before shipping — so you can choose the workflow that fits your operation.

How durable are stainless steel tags in outdoor or harsh environments?

• Stainless steel tags resist corrosion, extreme temperatures, and physical wear far better than plastic or aluminum alternatives, making them the preferred choice for valve tags, asset tags, and equipment exposed to weather, chemicals, or frequent washdowns.

Do you offer numbered or sequentially numbered stainless steel tags?

• Yes — stainless steel tags can be ordered blank, custom engraved, or with sequential numbering for asset tracking, valve identification, or inventory management. Numbered tags are commonly used for LDAR programs, equipment audits, and facility-wide asset registries where accurate, permanent identification is required.

What sizes and shapes are available for stainless steel asset and valve tags?

• We manufacture stainless steel tags in custom sizes and shapes, including round, rectangular, and application-specific formats for valve tags, cable tags, and asset tags.

How are stainless steel tags attached to valves, cables, or equipment?

• Stainless steel tags are commonly attached using valve tag wire, S-hooks, or jack chain for secure, tamper-resistant mounting to pipes, valves, cables, and equipment.

We also offer a series of hand-operated and automated machines to purchase for any marking, stamping and embossing requirements you may have for your stainless steel discs, blanks, and tags:

• Portable Marking Kits - these marking tools allow you to add data to your steel tags and plates wherever you may go.
• Manual Stamping Equipment - stamp letters, numbers, and punctuation into your steel tags and nameplates manually with a machine that allows for adjustable impression depth.
• Automated Marking Machines - easy to use marking machines that allow you to meet your marking requirements quickly and efficiently with no training required.
• Metal Embossing Machine - a cost-effective alternative to stamping with a 25% increase in production speeds. Accommodates steel plates with either manual or automatic loading and unloading.

Ready to order stainless steel tags built for your application? Contact Big City Manufacturing today for a custom quote — our team can help you select the right grade, size, and marking method for your industry, from blank stock to fully engraved, numbered, or valve-ready tags.