Magnetic & Non-Adhesive Labeling: When Sticking Is the Wrong Answer

A quiet statistic from our TDS database: of 603 Brady material families, 302 use no adhesive at all. Half of industrial identification holds on mechanically — magnetism, shrink recovery, cable ties — because adhesive is sometimes the wrong tool: too permanent for a slotting plan, too damaging for leased paint, or simply defeated by the surface. Here is the non-stick half of the toolbox, matched to the four situations that call for it.

Figure 1: Clean-peel repositionable stock — engineered to leave, which permanent acrylics are engineered never to do.B-581 class

1. The Four Non-Adhesive Systems

2. Routing by Situation

• Identity changes on a schedule (slotting, kanban, seasonal layouts): Magnetic on ferrous racking; repositionable vinyl elsewhere.
• The surface outranks the label (leases, finished paint, customer property): Repositionable B-581, or tag-and-tie so the surface is never touched.
• The surface defeats adhesives (wet, oily, frosted, hot): Tag-and-tie or mechanical mounts — the oily-metal and freezer guides cover when adhesive can still be rescued.
• No surface exists (cables, hoses, mesh, chain-link): Sleeves before termination; tie-on tags after. Wire-specific sizing in the AWG chart.
• Permanence actually required after all: Back to the adhesive selection guide — mechanical systems trade permanence away by design, and safety-critical identification (nameplates, arc flash, LOTO) should never dangle from a zip tie.