Custom Durable Equipment Decals
Branding and instruction that stays put
Custom durable equipment decals printed and converted for the surface they actually land on, whether that is textured, curved, painted, or powder-coated. Material, adhesive, and overlaminate are selected against your service and cleaning conditions rather than a catalog default.
About equipment decals
Equipment decals carry the brand, the model, the operating information, and much of the visual identity of a machine. On heavy equipment they do it while exposed to sunlight, weather, pressure washing, fuel, hydraulic fluid, and whatever the machine works in.
That combination is why a decal that performs well on a delivery van can fail badly on a loader. The artwork is the easy part. The construction — substrate, print method, overlaminate, and adhesive — decides whether it is still doing its job in year eight.
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Heavy equipment branding and model decals
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Machine graphics and striping
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Operating instruction and procedure decals
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Capacity, weight, and specification notices
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Fleet and vehicle identification
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Reflective decals for visibility and safety
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Interior panel and console decals
Decal materials and finishes
Decals can be custom-made from polycarbonate, polyester, or vinyl at any size, with unlimited PMS, standard, or custom colors.
Vinyl — .002″–.030″
3M Controltac™ in clear, white, or sunflower yellow; 3M Scotchcal™ in white, black, red, or white reflective; white matte, black gloss and matte, silver satin aluminum, yellow satin, fluorescent yellow, and clear static cling. Conformable, so it suits curved and riveted surfaces.
Polyester — .002″–.010″
White and yellow gloss, clear matte, bright and matte silver chrome, brushed chrome, writable chrome, and bright gold. UL recognized, dimensionally stable, and the better choice for long outdoor service.
Polycarbonate — .005″–.125″
Clear and velvet finishes including scratch-resistant and UV-resistant grades, plus suede and brushed. Mar resistant, sub-surface printable, and easy to emboss and thermoform.
Reflective
3M Scotchcal™ white reflective, where the decal has to be seen by a headlight rather than read in daylight.
Outdoor durability and service life
Flexible constructions typically give 2–5 years of outdoor exposure. Getting to the top of that range, or beyond it, is a matter of four choices made before the first decal is printed.
Substrate
Polyester over vinyl for anything in long outdoor service. Vinyl conforms better and costs less, but gives up life.
OverlaminateA clear film takes the abrasion, UV, and chemical contact instead of the ink. UV clearcoat is available to prevent fading. See
laminating.
Sub-surface printing
On clear substrates, printing goes on the underside so the material protects the graphics. Nothing abrasive ever touches the ink.
Adhesive
Matched to the surface. This is the most common point of failure on equipment decals, because powder coat, textured plastic, and bare metal all behave differently.
If decals have been lifting at the corners or fading inside two seasons, the fix is usually one of these four rather than a different supplier.
Decal adhesives
Heavy equipment is rarely a flat, clean, high-energy surface, and the adhesive has to account for that.
3M 467MP — 2 mil
High-performance acrylic transfer adhesive for smooth, high-energy surfaces such as bare or anodized metal.
3M 468MP — 5 mil
Thicker build for surfaces that are not perfectly flat, giving the adhesive more to wet out against.
3M 9471PC — 2 mil, low surface energy
For plastics and powder-coated surfaces that resist standard adhesives.
3M 9472LE — 5 mil, low surface energy
The heavy-build low-surface-energy option for textured or lightly contoured areas.
Removable and static cling
Where the decal is temporary, seasonal, or has to come off without residue.
We are an authorized 3M converter. See 3M adhesives for the full range.
Shapes, sizes, and formats
Decals can be digitally cut to your shape specification, at most any size, and shipped in rolls, strips, or individual pieces.
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Through-cut as individual pieces, or kiss-cut on a liner so they peel one at a time
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Rolls wound to your applicator for line application
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Contour-cut shapes following your artwork rather than a rectangle
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Consolidated with a machine’s other decals as a
label set
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Held and released against your build schedule under
stock and release programs
How a decal order runs
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Send your artwork and tell us where it mounts. Our seasoned art department turns artwork into a press-ready proof at no charge, and quotes are free on every order.
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We recommend the construction. Substrate, print method, overlaminate, and adhesive, chosen against the surface and the exposure you describe.
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You approve the proof. Colors, size, and shape signed off before printing.
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Production. Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved, in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. Rush work runs 3–5 business days for an additional fee.
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Delivery or release. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard, or run against a stocking program.
Decal RFQ checklist
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Artwork, with colors identified if you have specific brand targets
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Finished size, and whether a custom contour shape is needed
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What the decal mounts to — material, finish, flat or curved
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What it is exposed to: sun, weather, pressure washing, fuel, hydraulic fluid
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How many years it needs to stay looking right
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Whether you need rolls, strips, individual pieces, or a set
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Quantity and your timing, including the date the line actually needs parts
If you do not have all of that yet, send what you have and call 319-895-8804. Customer service is open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday, and you will always reach someone in person.
Since 1946
Family-owned and operated in Mount Vernon, Iowa
3,000+
OEMs supplied across the U.S. and abroad
25 years
Outdoor exposure, some products guaranteed longer
7–10 days
Typical production after proof approval
$0
Tooling fee on in-house equipment
Why U.S. Nameplate Co.
Why OEMs source custom durable decals from U.S. Nameplate Co.
One partner, one roof
Metal identification and flexible labels are produced under one roof in Mount Vernon, Iowa, so a single supplier covers plates, tags, overlays, decals, and safety labels instead of three.
No tooling fee on in-house equipment
U.S. Nameplate Co. does not charge a tooling fee for any in-house equipment. A one-time charge applies only when a tool has to be created for your order.
You reach a person
Customer service representatives are available 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday. You will always reach someone in person.
Built to outlast the equipment
Metal nameplates are built to withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure, with some products guaranteed for 25 years or more. Safety labels are UL authorized and OSHA compliant, produced in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.
Family-owned since 1946
Supplier of choice to more than 3,000 original equipment manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad, with team members averaging 10+ years of service.
One piece or one million
The 55,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility is equipped to handle orders from a single plate to production volumes, on repeat release schedules.
Request a quote for custom durable decals
We offer free quotes on all custom durable decals orders. Send the drawing, artwork, quantities, application, and timing you have today — our art department turns a blueprint into a press-ready proof, and we will tell you what is still open.
Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved. Rush orders can be produced in 3–5 business days for an additional fee. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard.
Request a Quote or call 319-895-8804 and you will reach someone in person.
