{
  "url": "https://proudtek.com/products/rfid-cards/mifare-classic-1k-card/",
  "sourceUrl": "https://proudtek.com/products/rfid-cards/mifare-classic-1k-card/",
  "title": "MIFARE Classic 1K Cards — Bulk 13.56 MHz Access",
  "description": "The legacy 13.56 MHz access-control chip is NXP's original ISO/IEC 14443-3 Type A contactless smart card (13.56 MHz, 1 KB EEPROM, 16 sectors × 4...",
  "kind": "product",
  "imageUrl": "https://proudtek.com/landing-images/mifare-classic-1k-card.jpg",
  "imageAlt": "Stack of blank MIFARE Classic 1K 13.56 MHz PVC cards ready for bulk access control and event issuance",
  "imageGallery": [
    {
      "url": "https://proudtek.com/landing-images/mifare-classic-1k-card.jpg",
      "alt": "Stack of blank MIFARE Classic 1K 13.56 MHz PVC cards ready for bulk access control and event issuance"
    }
  ],
  "breadcrumbs": [
    {
      "name": "Home",
      "url": "https://proudtek.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Products",
      "url": "https://proudtek.com/products/all/"
    },
    {
      "name": "MIFARE Classic 1K Cards — Bulk 13.56 MHz Access",
      "url": "https://proudtek.com/products/rfid-cards/mifare-classic-1k-card/"
    }
  ],
  "summary": [],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Is MIFARE Classic 1K still secure enough for building access?",
      "answer": "For a high-value building — data centre, finance, government, any site with a PCI / SOX / HIPAA audit — no. The CRYPTO-1 cipher has been fully broken since 2008 and a Classic card can be cloned in under a minute with a consumer-grade Proxmark or Flipper Zero. For a low-value environment where the cost of cloning a card is lower than the cost of the credential itself — gym, hotel, low-risk office — Classic 1K is still a defensible specification. The decision rule: threat model, not brand preference. If cloning is a realistic threat, migrate to MIFARE Plus SE (AES on your current readers) or DESFire EV3 (AES on new readers)."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can MIFARE Classic 1K cards be cloned?",
      "answer": "Yes, trivially. The CRYPTO-1 stream cipher was cryptographically broken in 2008 by researchers at Radboud University and Ruhr-Universität Bochum, and the attacks (dark-side, nested authentication, MFCUK/MFOC) are now packaged into consumer devices. A modern Flipper Zero or ChameleonMini will recover the sector keys and write a clone card to a writable Classic chip in seconds. If cloning is a risk, specify MIFARE Plus SE or MIFARE DESFire EV3 — both use AES-128 with diversified keys and have no public attack path."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can you print employee photos on MIFARE Classic 1K cards?",
      "answer": "Yes. Proud Tek supports two approaches. Digital printing (Evolis / Matica / Fargo / Zebra) for variable data — employee photo, name, ID number, barcode — where each card is unique. Offset printing for the common design elements (logo, background, text) combined with digital overprinting for the variable data, which is more cost-effective above 2,000 cards. Both methods include overlay lamination to protect the printed surface, and Classic sector keys and data can be written inline with the print pass."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the difference between MIFARE Classic 1K and 4K?",
      "answer": "MIFARE Classic 1K has 1 KB EEPROM organised as 16 sectors × 4 blocks × 16 bytes. MIFARE Classic 4K has 4 KB organised as 32 sectors of 4 blocks plus 8 sectors of 16 blocks — more storage for applications carrying photo, biometric template or larger stored-value records. Both share CRYPTO-1 and the same reader compatibility surface; 1K is the volume leader for basic access and 4K is specified when the card needs to carry more than a few hundred bytes per application."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can we mix Classic 1K and Plus SE cards on the same reader estate?",
      "answer": "Yes. MIFARE Plus SE in Security Level 1 is wire-compatible with Classic 1K on any MIFARE reader, so a phased issuance works naturally. Issue Plus SE cards instead of Classic 1K going forward; existing Classic cards continue to function; once the reader firmware is updated to support Plus SE Security Level 3 (AES-128), new issuances run at AES. This is the lowest-disruption AES-128 migration path for organisations with large Classic reader estates — see the MIFARE Plus SE page for the full phased-upgrade timeline."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the MOQ and lead time for MIFARE Classic 1K cards?",
      "answer": "Blank white cards ship from stock at a 100-piece minimum in 2–3 business days. Custom 4-colour printed cards with overlay lamination require a 200-piece minimum and 10–15 business days from artwork approval. Pre-encoded cards with sector keys, MAD (MIFARE Application Directory) and access-control data loaded in-factory add 2–3 business days. Repeat orders reuse stored artwork and encoding templates for faster turnaround; volume discounts apply at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000-piece tiers."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do Classic 1K cards support NFC tap-to-URL on a smartphone?",
      "answer": "Not natively — the Classic 1K memory layout is not NDEF-compatible and iPhones expose only the UID for Classic over Core NFC. Android can read Classic sector data through the MifareClassic API when the sector keys are known, but that is not a URL-opening consumer experience. For smartphone tap-to-URL you need an NFC Forum Type 2, 4 or 5 tag — NTAG213 / 215 / 216 (Type 2) for simple URLs, or NTAG 424 DNA / MIFARE DESFire EV3 (Type 4) for secure, dynamic URLs."
    }
  ],
  "procurementFields": [
    {
      "label": "Best fit",
      "value": "MIFARE Classic 1K Cards — Bulk 13.56 MHz Access is suitable for RFID or NFC identification, access, and OEM customization projects."
    },
    {
      "label": "Key options",
      "value": "Form Factor: Card format compatible with common access-control, ID, or NFC workflows."
    },
    {
      "label": "Customization",
      "value": "Confirm artwork, encoding, material, chip, and finish requirements before quoting."
    },
    {
      "label": "Quote checklist",
      "value": "Reference MIFARE Classic 1K Cards — Bulk 13.56 MHz Access in your inquiry so the matching product page stays attached to the quote. Card format compatible with common access-control, ID, or NFC workflows. Share target chip or protocol,..."
    }
  ],
  "collectionGuidanceFields": [],
  "coreGuidanceFields": [],
  "articleGuidanceFields": [],
  "sourceLinks": [],
  "related": [],
  "productSpecs": [
    {
      "name": "Form Factor",
      "value": "Card format compatible with common access-control, ID, or NFC workflows."
    }
  ],
  "machineJsonUrl": "https://proudtek.com/machine/products/rfid-cards/mifare-classic-1k-card.json",
  "machineTextUrl": "https://proudtek.com/machine/products/rfid-cards/mifare-classic-1k-card.txt",
  "author": {
    "name": "Proud Tek Co., Limited"
  },
  "publisher": "Proud Tek Co., Limited",
  "credentials": [
    "ISO 9001:2015",
    "ISO 14001:2015",
    "RoHS Compliant",
    "CE Marking",
    "REACH Compliant"
  ],
  "generatedAt": "2026-03-16T01:42:30.697Z"
}