# MIFARE Ultralight C Cards — 3DES Disposable NFC

URL: https://proudtek.com/products/rfid-cards/mifare-ultralight-c-card/
Source URL: https://proudtek.com/products/rfid-cards/mifare-ultralight-c-card/
Generated: 2026-03-16T01:42:30.697Z
Kind: product
Publisher: Proud Tek Co., Limited
Author: Proud Tek Co., Limited
Credentials: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, RoHS Compliant, CE Marking, REACH Compliant
Image: https://proudtek.com/landing-images/mifare-ultralight-c-card-hero.jpg
Image Alt: Fan of printed RFID cards including transit tickets, a clear card and a wooden card

## Description
NXP MIFARE Ultralight C (MF0ICU2) is the disposable-tier NFC card chip: 192 bytes of user memory, 3DES mutual authentication (112-bit key), ISO/IEC...

## Procurement Snapshot
- Best fit: MIFARE Ultralight C Cards — 3DES Disposable NFC is suitable for RFID or NFC identification, access, and OEM customization projects.
- Key options: Form Factor: Card format compatible with common access-control, ID, or NFC workflows.
- Customization: Confirm artwork, encoding, material, chip, and finish requirements before quoting.
- Quote checklist: Reference MIFARE Ultralight C Cards — 3DES Disposable NFC 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,...

## Key Specs
- Form Factor: Card format compatible with common access-control, ID, or NFC workflows.

## FAQ
- Q: Is Ultralight C secure enough for transit?
  A: Yes — Ultralight C runs 3DES mutual authentication (TDEA per NIST SP 800-67, 112-bit effective key), which has no published practical break. With per-card key diversification per NXP AN11136 the master key never leaves the issuer, so compromising one card reveals nothing about any other card in the batch. That is why Ultralight C is the default for disposable fare. When the credential is reusable or carries stored value, DESFire EV3 with AES-128 is the right answer instead.
- Q: What is the difference between MIFARE Ultralight, Ultralight EV1, and Ultralight C?
  A: Ultralight (MF0ICU1, 64 bytes) and Ultralight EV1 (MF0ULx1, 48-128 bytes) use only a 32-bit password — brute-forceable, acceptable only for static NDEF records like a brochure URL. Ultralight C (MF0ICU2, 192 bytes) adds 3DES mutual authentication with a 112-bit key, making card cloning and replay significantly harder. For any programme with a security requirement — fare, access, ticket, pass — Ultralight C is the Ultralight-family choice.
- Q: Can Ultralight C store monetary value?
  A: For low-value disposable use (single-ride fare, day pass, one-time loyalty claim) — yes. The 3DES-authenticated decrement counter and authenticated user pages support tear-off-style value tracking. For higher-value reusable stored-value (transit purses, campus cashless payment, loyalty wallets), DESFire EV3 with AES-128 and the on-chip transaction MAC is the right tier — its higher per-card cost is absorbed by the reusable lifecycle.
- Q: Can a standard smartphone read Ultralight C cards?
  A: Yes — any NFC-enabled iPhone (XS or later) or modern Android reads public pages and NDEF records without authentication, because Ultralight C is ISO/IEC 14443-3 Type A + NFC Forum Type 2 Tag compliant. The 3DES authentication is used by the reader infrastructure — gates, terminals, turnstiles — to verify the card is genuine before reading authenticated pages. Consumers only tap; the cryptography stays in the reader.
- Q: What MOQ and lead time should we plan around?
  A: MOQ 500 for blank white Ultralight C; 1,000 for custom-printed stock. Lead time is 10-15 business days for custom printed batches and 2-3 business days for blank stock from Proud Tek's factory inventory. Per-card key diversification, UID manifests, NDEF pre-encoding, thin 0.3 mm PET, and paper / Tyvek inlay variants are all available without MOQ uplift.
- Q: Do you supply NXP chip-authenticity certificates with the order?
  A: Yes. Every Proud Tek Ultralight C batch ships with the NXP chip-authenticity certificate and a spot-check 3DES-authentication log confirming the feature is present and responding on every sampled card — specifically to address the documented failure mode where another supplier substituted non-authenticated Ultralight (no "C") into a bulk order.

## Machine Routes
- JSON: https://proudtek.com/machine/products/rfid-cards/mifare-ultralight-c-card.json
- Text: https://proudtek.com/machine/products/rfid-cards/mifare-ultralight-c-card.txt