Smart credentials
Encrypted smart card blanks
Encrypted 13.56 MHz smart card blanks for new secure deployments and authorised credential personalisation. An existing secured encrypted card cannot be copied without the access-control operator’s application keys, so all supply is new, blank issuance stock.
For new deployments or authorised credential issuance. Existing secured cards are not copied.
What is an encrypted smart card blank?
An encrypted smart card blank is an unpersonalized 13.56 MHz ISO 14443-4 smart card with AES-128 cryptography, a Common Criteria EAL5+ certified chip platform and 2K, 4K or 8K of multi-application memory. American Key Cards supplies it as blank stock for your system’s authorized personalization — an existing secured encrypted card cannot be copied without the operator’s application keys, so all supply is new issuance, quoted to your deployment.
Overview
About Encrypted blanks
When a new access-control, campus or transit deployment specifies "secure contactless," this is the card it means. The current generation carries AES-128 cryptography, a multi-application file system that lets one card serve door access, payment and transit simultaneously, and the certifications enterprise security reviews expect. This is the credential we recommend when the honest answer to "can our cards be cloned?" needs to be no.
We supply it as blank stock for your system’s authorized personalization — including electronic lock installations commissioned on encrypted chips — and the flip side of real security is stated on every relevant page: as of 2026, an existing secured encrypted card cannot be copied without the operator’s application keys, by us or anyone else. That is the product working correctly.
Technical details
Encrypted smart card blanks specifications
- Frequency
- 13.56 MHz
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 14443-4 Type A, ISO/IEC 7816-4 command set
- Memory options
- 2K, 4K or 8K bytes
- Security
- AES-128 (3DES supported for backward compatibility)
- Certification
- Common Criteria EAL5+ certified chip platform
- Applications
- Multi-application: access, payment, transit on one chip
- UID
- 7-byte UID (random ID option supported)
- Card dimensions
- CR80 ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 — 85.6 × 54 mm, 30 mil / 0.76 mm
- Printing
- Dye-sub direct-to-card printable
- Ordering route
- Blank stock or authorised personalisation only
Available configuration
Choose the form factor after the technology
Where it fits
Common Encrypted blanks applications
New corporate access systems
AES credentials for green-field deployments where security review demands modern cryptography from day one.
Universities & campus cards
One card carrying door access, dining, print and library applications in separate secured files.
Transit & fare systems
The transaction speed and security profile fit closed-loop fare collection and municipal ID programs.
High-security tenants in shared buildings
Suite-level encrypted upgrades layered over a base building’s legacy system via dual-technology cards.
Before you order
How to order Encrypted blanks correctly
- Memory: 2K, 4K or 8K
Single-application door access fits 2K; multi-application campus and payment designs want 4K or 8K. Your application map decides — we help you count.
- Who personalizes the cards
Blank stock gets its applications and keys written by your integrator, card office or issuance bureau. Decide the personalization route before ordering volume.
- Reader compatibility across generations
These chips are backwards-compatible with earlier-generation readers for existing applications, but new features need readers that speak them. We confirm your reader firmware picture first.
Questions we actually get
Encrypted blanks FAQ
Can you clone our existing encrypted cards?
No — and neither can anyone legitimate. AES protection means new credentials come from authorized issuance with the operator’s keys, which is precisely why the platform is worth deploying.
Older readers are installed — will these cards work?
For applications written to earlier feature levels, yes, these chips are backwards-compatible. We verify your reader firmware and application requirements before committing stock.
Blank cards or pre-personalized — which do I need?
If you have an integrator or card office with key custody, blank stock is standard. If you are unsure who holds keys, that conversation comes before any card order — we can walk you through the options.
Is an encrypted card overkill for a small office?
Sometimes, and we will say so. A five-door office with low risk may be better served by simpler credentials; encrypted cards earn their cost where cloning risk, multi-application needs or compliance requirements are real.
Need help identifying the technology?
Send a photo of the credential and the reader model. We'll identify the format before we quote a compatible product.
Lifetime parts & workmanship guarantee on every card