How do I choose the right adhesive for my stickers?

Getting the adhesive right is essential to ensure your labels & stickers don't lift and look bad, giving your brand a bad image.

Luckily, there are only three categories of adhesive to pick from; removable, permanent, and high-tack.

For each adhesive, we have listed suitable materials each will stick on below.

Removable adhesive

(only suitable for very short-term applications)

• Glass
• Paper
• Painted plastic surfaces where you're worried about peeling paint

Permanent adhesive

• Metal
• Glass
• Paint
• Galvanized or powder-coated metal
• Paper
• Leather
• Cardboard
• Wood
• Stone
• Plastic bottles or tubs (ABS, PET/PETE/polyester plastics)
• Fiberglass

 High-tack adhesive

• Low energy plastic (polypropylene and polyethylene) (water bucket, wheelie bin, MX fairings)
• Rubber

As the list above shows, the permanent adhesive will be suitable most of the time. If in doubt, we recommend going permanent or speaking to your supplier. Most will be able to send you a sample to test for minimal cost.

Tip: if you want stickers for handouts or to sell individually, choose a permanent adhesive. It the best all-rounder and won't go ruining anything they're stuck to.

Recommended further reading

• Why do stickers have varying adhesive strengths?
• What is the difference between removable, permanent and high-tack adhesive?
• Why do stickers have varying adhesive strengths?