NXP MIFARE Ultralight Series Card

Union Smart manufactures premium NXP MIFARE Ultralight EV1, Nano, AES, and C series NFC smart cards for global B2B enterprises. Operating at 13.56MHz and fully compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 Type A and NFC Forum Type 2 Tag standards, these low-cost NFC cards are the industry's top choice for high-volume, cost-sensitive applications. They are widely deployed as single-use transit tickets, event ticketing RFID passes, anti-counterfeiting tags, and loyalty membership cards. Benefit from our factory-direct OEM/ODM pricing, custom printing, and high-speed bulk encoding with an MOQ starting at 1,000 pcs.

MIFARE Ultralight Series — Low-Cost NFC Smart Cards for Mass Deployment

The MIFARE Ultralight family by NXP Semiconductors is specifically designed to provide a highly cost-effective, disposable, or limited-use contactless solution. Because these chips have smaller memory footprints and streamlined features, they dramatically reduce the cost per card, making them perfect for mass-market rollouts where deploying expensive DESFire or Classic chips would be overkill.

Despite their low cost, they maintain perfect 13.56 MHz NFC compatibility, allowing them to be read instantly by standard RFID readers, transit turnstiles, and consumer smartphones.

MIFARE Ultralight Chip Selection Guide

We supply a full lineup of genuine NXP MIFARE Ultralight silicon to match your exact security and budget requirements:

• MIFARE Ultralight EV1 (48 Bytes / 128 Bytes): The most popular and economical general-purpose model. It features no hardware encryption, making it the perfect blank canvas for disposable NFC cards, smart posters, and single-trip public transport tickets.
• MIFARE Ultralight C: An entry-level security model featuring 3DES encryption. It provides an affordable anti-counterfeiting solution, protecting data against unauthorized cloning while keeping costs low.
• MIFARE Ultralight AES: The high-security lightweight model. It utilizes advanced AES-128 encryption with mutual authentication. Ideal for secure event ticketing and hospitality applications that require strong anti-cloning protection without the cost of a full DESFire chip.
• MIFARE Ultralight Nano: A miniaturized chip designed specifically for ultra-thin cards, paper tickets, and space-constrained wearable NFC tags.

Top B2B Applications for Ultralight Cards

• Public Transport & Transit: Single-use or limited-trip metro, bus, and train tickets (often manufactured as RFID paper tickets or thin PVC cards).
• Event Ticketing: Concerts, festivals, stadiums, and amusement park admission passes.
• Retail & Loyalty: Cost-effective customer loyalty cards and promotional gift cards.
• Brand Protection: Product authentication and anti-counterfeiting NFC tags embedded into packaging.

OEM Customization & Bulk Manufacturing

As a factory-direct B2B manufacturer, we tailor every order to your system's exact specifications:

• Standard Dimensions: ISO CR80 size (85.5 x 54 mm) — custom die-cut shapes and key fobs available.
• Thickness & Materials: Choose standard 0.84 mm PVC, ultra-thin 0.5 mm PVC, or eco-friendly RFID paper tickets, Recycled PVC, and PET.
• RF Interface: 13.56 MHz (HF RFID), ISO/IEC 14443-A and NFC Forum Type 2 Tag compliant.
• Custom Printing: Full-color CMYK offset printing on both sides for vibrant event branding or corporate logos.
• Variable Data & Encoding: Pre-programmed URLs, laser-engraved serial numbering, QR codes, Barcodes, and DOD inkjet printing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Why should I choose MIFARE Ultralight over MIFARE Classic?

The primary advantage is cost. MIFARE Ultralight chips have a much smaller memory capacity and streamlined features, which makes the cost per card significantly lower. If you are issuing single-use event tickets, disposable transit passes, or basic loyalty cards, Ultralight is the most economical choice. If you need a card that will be reused daily for years (like an office door key), MIFARE Classic is better suited.

Q2. Can MIFARE Ultralight cards be read by standard smartphones?

Yes. Because the Ultralight series complies with the NFC Forum Type 2 Tag standard, these cards can be easily read by any modern NFC-enabled smartphone (Android and iOS) without needing specialized access control readers. This makes them excellent for consumer-facing marketing and smart posters.

Q3. Which Ultralight chip offers the best anti-counterfeiting protection?

If you are printing VIP event tickets or high-value transit passes and are worried about cloning, we highly recommend the MIFARE Ultralight AES or Ultralight C. They utilize AES-128 and 3DES encryption respectively, providing robust protection against ticket duplication while remaining highly cost-effective.

Q4. Can you manufacture these as RFID paper tickets instead of plastic?

Yes. Because MIFARE Ultralight is heavily used for disposable transit and event ticketing, we frequently manufacture them using high-quality coated paper or thin PET materials. This drastically reduces shipping weight and unit cost for massive rollouts.

Q5. Do you provide wholesale pricing for millions of tickets?

Absolutely. We are a factory-direct OEM manufacturer. While our MOQ starts at 1,000 pieces, our pricing scales aggressively for large-volume orders (100k to millions of units) for public transit authorities and major event organizers.