HID 82137 Premium 30 Mil Hi-Co Magnetic Stripe Card
The HID 82137 is a top-tier 30 mil CR-80 PVC card designed for mission-critical access control deployments where both visual presentation and magnetic stripe reliability matter equally. These cards combine premium print quality with high-coercivity magnetic stripe technology, delivering superior durability and resistance to demagnetization in demanding environments.
Key Features
- 30 Mil CR-80 PVC Construction: The 30 mil thickness provides mechanical rigidity that resists wear, warping, and bending during daily use—critical for cards that move through physical access points thousands of times over their lifespan. CR-80 is the industry standard (3.375" x 2.125"), ensuring compatibility with all standard card readers, printers, and issuance workflows.
- High-Coercivity (HiCo) Magnetic Stripe: The 82137 uses high-coercivity stripe technology (typically 4,000 Oersteds), which provides maximum resistance to demagnetization from external magnetic fields, proximity to other magnetic devices, and incidental exposure in facility environments. This translates to extended card service life and reduced reissuance costs compared to standard low-coercivity (LoCo) cards.
- Enhanced Data Retention: HiCo stripe maintains encoded data integrity over years of use. Executive access cards, secure facility management, and long-tenure employee credentials benefit from this durability—you avoid the support burden and cost of premature card failures.
- Superior Print Quality: Premium PVC base accepts crisp, vibrant full-color dye-sublimation and thermal printing, supporting photo ID, branding, security features, and barcode/QR code integration on a single card face.
- HID Printer Compatibility: The 82137 integrates directly with the full HID card printer lineup, including fargo and Matica systems. No adapter plates, no feed-mechanism modifications—cards drop into standard hoppers and output ready to use.
- Mission-Critical Deployments: Organizations requiring both premium appearance and proven magnetic reliability—corporate headquarters, government facilities, secure laboratories, financial institutions—choose the 82137 to eliminate the risk-cost trade-off between aesthetics and stripe durability.
Magnetic Stripe Standards & Compatibility
The HiCo stripe on the 82137 meets ISO/IEC 7811-2 standards for magnetic card encoding and decoding. This ensures compatibility with legacy and modern access control readers, time-and-attendance systems, and multi-function card platforms that rely on magnetic stripe as a fallback or primary authentication method.
If your deployment requires RFID, smart-chip, or contactless capability in addition to magnetic stripe, consult your access control integrator about HID hybrid card options that layer multiple technologies on a single 82137-class substrate.
Deployment Considerations
Order the 82137 in bulk—card printers operate most cost-effectively on runs of 500 or more units. Issuance workflows should account for card stock inventory, printer maintenance, and operator training. Store unused cards in cool, dry conditions to preserve print receptivity and magnetic stripe performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can the HID 82137 be printed on a standard office color printer?
A: No. The 82137 is designed for dedicated card printers using dye-sublimation, thermal transfer, or inkjet card-printing heads. Attempting to print on a standard desktop printer will damage the printer mechanism and produce unusable cards. Use HID-authorized card issuance equipment.
Q: What is the expected lifespan of the magnetic stripe on the 82137?
A: High-coercivity stripe on a premium PVC card typically remains readable and reliable for 5–7 years under normal facility access conditions. Lifespan depends on environmental factors (temperature extremes, humidity, magnetic exposure) and card usage frequency. Executive IDs and infrequently used credentials may last longer; high-turnover access points may see earlier wear.
Q: Is the HID 82137 compatible with my existing access control system?
A: If your system reads ISO/IEC 7811-2 magnetic stripe cards, yes. The 82137 is a standard CR-80 card; most access control platforms (HID, Salto, Honeywell, etc.) accept it without modification. Verify your reader specification with your integrator.
Q: Can the 82137 be combined with RFID or smart-chip technology?
A: The 82137 itself is magnetic-stripe-only. If you need hybrid authentication (magnetic stripe + RFID + smart card), HID manufactures hybrid cards on the same CR-80 substrate. Consult your card issuance vendor for model recommendations.
Q: What quantities should we order?
A: The 82137 is typically sold in boxes of 500 or 1,000 cards per manufacturer specifications. Smaller quantities may be available through specialty distributor. Order based on your annual issuance rate plus a safety stock buffer for replacement and reissuance.
Q: What certifications or compliance standards apply to the HID 82137?
A: The 82137 complies with ISO/IEC 7811-2 (magnetic stripe encoding) and typical PVC card material standards. No specific government certifications (NDAA, TAA, etc.) apply to blank card stock. Compliance requirements depend on your facility's security classification and procurement policy—consult your compliance officer or integrator.
Ted PerryPerspective based on aggregated IP Security Depot and affiliated engineering team experience.
The HID 82137 sits in a specific, important niche: premium appearance meets magnetic reliability. Too many access control deployments treat cards as commodity items—they buy LoCo cards cheap, watch them fail after a year or two of facility traffic, and absorb the reissuance cost and support headache. The 82137 flips that math. Yes, it costs more upfront, but the high-coercivity stripe resists demagnetization far better, and the 30 mil PVC holds up to daily wear. For executive access, long-tenure credentials, and facilities where card replacement is disruptive or expensive (government, healthcare, finance), the 82137 justifies itself quickly.
Technical Highlights:
- High-Coercivity (HiCo) Magnetic Stripe (4,000 Oersteds typical): Survives proximity to external magnetic fields and facility equipment that would demagnetize standard LoCo cards (300 Oersteds). You see real measurable reduction in stripe failures—expect 5–7 year service life under normal conditions versus 2–3 years on low-grade alternatives.
- 30 Mil Thickness & CR-80 Standard: Rigid enough to resist bending and warping in wallets, card readers, and access control hoppers. The CR-80 footprint (3.375" x 2.125") matches every major card printer and reader—no custom plates, no engineering time wasted.
- ISO/IEC 7811-2 Compliance: Encoding and decoding standards align with installed base of access control systems worldwide. No proprietary quirks, no backward-compatibility surprises.
Deployment Considerations:
- Order in bulk (500+) to hit the cost-per-unit sweet spot and align with typical issuance printer batch sizes. Small orders inflate per-card cost significantly.
- Store unused inventory in cool, dry conditions—heat and humidity degrade PVC print receptivity and can affect stripe performance over time. A climate-controlled card supply cabinet is a worthwhile investment for large issuance programs.
- Do not skimp on printer maintenance. Worn rollers or contaminated printhead surfaces will produce visible defects on the 82137, and poor card feed can stripe the magnetic surface. HID printers require regular cleaning and calibration.
The 82137 is the right call for any organization that issues security credentials as part of a long-term access control program, not a one-off project. Executive ID programs, facility management tenants with multi-year leases, and government contractors operating under secure badge protocols all gain from the durability and reduced lifecycle cost. For high-turnover or temporary credentials, a lower-cost LoCo card may still make sense—but do the math on reissuance frequency before deciding.
