CUSTOM DOG TAGS 101: HISTORY, SILENCERS, AND HOW THEY'RE MADE
Dog tags are one of those objects almost everyone recognizes and almost no one thinks twice about. The format has barely changed in generations because it does one job well: it holds clear, durable information that survives rough conditions. Here is a plain-English look at where dog tags came from, what they are made of, and what that little rubber ring on the chain actually does.
A SHORT HISTORY
Dog tags trace back to the Civil War, when soldiers who were afraid of ending up in an unmarked grave made their own identification out of paper slips, coins, and engraved metal bought from vendors who traveled with the army. The idea became official in 1906, when the U.S. Army began issuing stamped metal identification discs, and within a few years they were standard for everyone in service. The basic concept, a small piece of stamped metal you can wear, has stuck around ever since.
WHAT DOG TAGS ARE MADE OF
Early military tags were aluminum. Modern ones are usually stainless steel, which resists rust and holds up to years of wear. The information is pressed into the metal itself rather than printed on the surface, which is the whole point of the design. A stamped tag can get wet, muddy, or scuffed and still be readable, where a printed or surface-engraved label can fade or wear away.
WHAT THE RUBBER SILENCER IS FOR
The small ring that fits around the edge of a tag is called a silencer, and it is made of rubber. It does two things. The first is in the name: it keeps two tags from clinking together, which is exactly why soldiers started slipping rubber rings onto their tags in the first place. The second is comfort. It keeps the bare metal from sitting cold against your skin. Both are good reasons to add one, whether you wear a tag every day or just want it to be a little more pleasant against the skin.
GETTING ONE CUSTOM MADE
A custom dog tag is simply a tag stamped with whatever you want on it. You decide what goes on the tag, line by line, before it is made. At Uncle Sam's in Orem the tags are stamped on-site, so you fill out a dog tag order form with exactly what you want, and the tag is made right there at the store. There is no requirement to order a matched pair. Plenty of people order a single tag, and others add a second as a gift or a backup.
COMMON USES
People use custom dog tags for far more than their original purpose. They show up as ID for camping and backpacking trips where a physical ID matters, gifts for family members who have served, name tags on kids' backpacks and luggage, medical-alert information, and simple keepsakes. Tags for pets are one of the most popular uses of all, and that one has its own guide coming soon.
If you want a tag made to your own wording, you can stop by the store at 1698 S State St in Orem. Visit our custom dog tags page for more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Early dog tags were aluminum. Modern military-style tags are usually stainless steel, chosen because it resists corrosion and stays readable for years. The lettering is stamped into the metal rather than printed on top, so it does not wear off easily.
They are rubber. A silencer is a rubber ring that fits around the edge of the tag.
Two things. It stops two tags from clinking against each other, and it keeps the cold metal from resting directly against bare skin. The noise-reducing use is where the name silencer comes from.
No. You can order a single tag. Some people order just one, and others add a second as a gift or a spare, but a matched pair is not required.
That is up to you. Common choices include a name, a phone number, or a short line of medical or emergency information. Because the tag is custom stamped, you decide what each line says before it is made.
Soldiers improvised identification tags as far back as the Civil War, and the U.S. Army made stamped metal ID discs official in 1906. The basic design has changed very little since.
Yes. A stamped metal tag is a durable, easy-to-read ID option for a dog or cat. A separate guide focused just on pet tags is coming soon.
Stamping presses the characters into the metal, so the information survives water, mud, and years of handling. A printed or lightly surface-engraved tag can fade or scratch off over time.
Yes. At Uncle Sam's in Orem the custom tags are stamped on-site, so the tag is made right there at the store rather than ordered from somewhere else and shipped in.
Uncle Sam's in Orem makes custom dog tags to your wording, stamped on-site. The store is at 1698 S State St, Orem, UT 84097, open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 7pm.
