Wooden Key Tags for Key Cabinets: Codes, Sides and Finishes

Wooden key tags are a durable alternative to plastic key labels for anyone running a key cabinet — lettings agents, property managers, hotels, care homes and holiday-let operators. Ours are 80×20mm, laser-engraved on FSC-certified oak veneered MDF, single or double-sided, untreated or Danish oiled, and the engraving cannot fade or rub off between changeovers.

This guide covers the format choices — sides, finish, what to engrave — and how to order a full cabinet in one go. For the labelling system and key security behind it, see our companion guide to key tags for lettings and estate agents.

Why wood for a key cabinet

Plastic key labels scratch and fade, and handwritten ones get rewritten until they are illegible. A laser-engraved oak tag holds its text permanently, so the same tag stays with the same set of keys through every tenancy or guest changeover. It also looks tidy in a cabinet a client or landlord might see.

What to engrave

Engrave a reference code or key number, not the property address. A lost key with an address on it identifies the door it opens; a code means nothing to the finder, while your register — in your software or a locked file — links code to property. Common patterns are a number per property with a letter per set (14A, 14B), or a branch prefix plus a number.

Single-sided or double-sided?

Single-sided tags carry one line on the front — usually the code. Double-sided tags carry different content on each face: the code on one side and, on the other, the branch name and phone number so an honest finder can return the keys, or a key-safe number, or a return instruction.

Finish

Choose natural untreated oak or a Danish oil finish. Danish oil darkens the grain slightly and adds a light protective coat — worth it on keys handled several times a day.

Ordering for a whole cabinet

Set the quantity in the basket and list each code in the personalisation box, one per line — every tag is engraved individually, so one order can cover a whole portfolio. Bulk discounts apply automatically from 20 of the same product: 10% at 20, 15% at 50, 20% at 100, 25% at 250, 30% at 500 and 35% at 1,000.

Other formats for the same cabinet

• Wooden house key tags — the same 80×20mm size with 35 preset labels (Front Door, Back Door, Garage…) or your own text.
• Spare Key XL keyring and Please Return This Key XL keyring — 200×80mm, for office and contractor sets that must come back.
• Hotel room key fobs — 80×20mm with a room name or number for hotels, B&Bs and holiday lets.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Frequently asked questions

Can each tag carry a different code?
Yes — list each code in the personalisation box, one per line. Every tag is engraved individually, and the discount counts the total quantity of that product.

Should the property address go on the tag?
No. Use a code or number and keep the code-to-property register separately, so a lost key identifies nothing.

What size are the key tags?
80mm wide by 20mm tall, in FSC-certified 4mm oak veneered MDF with a metal split ring.

What is the difference between single and double-sided?
Single-sided has engraving on the front only. Double-sided carries different content on each face — for example the key code on one side and a return phone number on the other.

Do you also make branded keyrings for handovers?
Yes — see our estate agent keyrings buyer's guide for the logo-engraved keyring that leaves with the buyer or tenant.

Also see: personalised wooden key tags, estate agent keyrings and hotel and B&B keyrings.