The best permanent vinyl for Cricut is one that cuts cleanly, weeds easily without sticking to itself, adheres well to transfer tape, and transfers to your object with little effort. Here I compare 8 brands of permanent vinyl for your Cricut to test just that. Some excel while others fall short. Keep reading to find out which ones are which. All prices are current as of November 2023.
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What is Permanent Vinyl?
Permanent vinyl is a stretchy plastic material with an adhesive back that can be applied to smooth and textured surfaces like walls, tiles, metal, wood, glass, and most other surfaces. It is considered an outdoor vinyl that is long-lasting. It has a stronger adhesive than removable and can therefore do damage to indoor walls and some other materials if removed. It can withstand harsher weather, which is why it is called “outdoor” vinyl.
Permanent vinyl comes in glossy and matte, glitter, holographic, patterned, and a number of other types. Learn more about types of vinyl in The Different Types of Adhesive Vinyl for Cricut. In this comparison, I look at 8 different vinyl brands and rate them from highest to lowest based on 4 factors.
The 8 brands I compare in this post are Oracal 651, Oracal 641, Cricut Smart Vinyl, Avery Dennison 750HD, Siser EasyPSV, StyleTech Craft Semi-gloss, StarCraft HD Matte, StarCraft HD Glossy.
I used four criteria to judge, each on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. I then took the average of the four numbers for the overall score for the permanent vinyl. The one with the highest number won the best permanent vinyl competition. The four criteria I used are:
- How well does it weed?
- How well does it adhere to transfer tape?
- How well did it transfer onto wood?
- How does it look?
Update November 2023: I didn’t include popular vinyl such as HTVRONT vinyl and Teckwrap Craft Vinyl for this post because I wanted to test industry-standard brands that are frequently used commercially in professional industries, including crafting. I know that many people buy and enjoy craft vinyl from Amazon, especially from these two brands. I have used, and like, HTVRONT vinyl personally. I also want to try Teckwrap vinyl because it comes in so many types and great colors.
Overall Best Permanent Vinyl for Cricut
- Finish: Matte + Gloss
- Adhesive: Permanent
- Rated Durability: 3–5 Years
- Dishwasher safe up to 80 washes top rack
- Outdoor Performance: 3-6 years
- Available in 57 colors and 2 sizes: 12" sheets and 3ft. rolls
The Best Permanent Vinyl for Cricut competition winner is Siser EasyPSV adhesive vinyl. I was surprised that the winner wasn’t Oracal 651, but Siser EasyPSV came out just a hair better in the comparison. Both are fantastic vinyl and offer different types and colors, so it’s a win-win if you are an Oracal die-hard fan. Consider both for your vinyl needs.
For example, Siser EasyPSV comes in 38 standard colors, 6 holographic, 17 glitter, chalkboard, and glow-in-the-dark vinyl. Oracal 651 comes in 60 standard colors. Oracal 851 is its glitter vinyl, and it comes in 12 colors. Both brands have patterns.
I love Oracal (although I do have Cricut vinyl in my mix), but I will definitely be incorporating Siser EasyPSV into my vinyl inventory because the price point is comparable to Oracal 651 at approximately $1.00 for a 12” sheet. I also like their colors; some of them are lighter and more pastel.
While Oracal 651 is typically easy to weed and looks great, Siser EasyPSV just had an extra easiness to it. The vinyl didn’t stick to itself at all when weeding and attached and detached to and from my weeding tool without any issues. With four quick passes of the scraper, it transferred to the wood just as easily and looked fabulous. It even looked a bit glossier than Oracal 651—but it could have been my lighting.
If someone put two equal colors in front of me and I had to choose a brand for a project, I would select the Siser EasyPSV. Although I do not have any personal or other testing data on longevity, there is brand recognition and reputation between Oracal and Siser, and Siser says it lasts up to 5 years. Learn more about Siser EasyPSV.

Other Vinyl Tested
Oracal 641
- 57 gloss colors
- 17 matte colors, plus gloss transparent + matte transparent
- 3 metallic colors
- Durability: Indoors, indefinite, outdoors up to 3 years
- Transparent clear, water-based, permanent adhesive
- Cricut and Silhouette compatible
- UV-resistant finish
Oracal 641 is Oracal’s indoor permanent vinyl. This vinyl is the counterpart to Oracal 651, which is its outdoor permanent vinyl. It comes in 57 glossy colors and 17 matte colors. By comparison, it was very close to Siser EasyPSV. It is easy to weed, although not quite as easy as Siser EasyPSV. It does stick a bit. It adheres to transfer tape and transfers beautifully. It looks fabulous in the matte finish. Learn more about Oracal 641.

Oracal 651
- Permanent
- Outdoor Durability: 6+ years
- Water Resistant, UV resistant finish
- Compatible with all craft cutters such as: Cricut and Silhouette.
- 60 glossy colors, plus transparent
- 18 matte colors, including matte white and matte black
Oracal 651 is the permanent outdoor vinyl counterpart to Oracal 641. It is considered the standard of vinyl. It comes in 60 beautiful, bright, dark glossy colors and 18 matte colors. It weeds easily, picks up, and transfers well. I experienced a couple of minor glitches, which put it a notch below Oracal 641; it stuck to itself several times and was hard to get clear. Other than that, it performed as expected and came out next to the top.
Oracal 651 always looks beautiful. It has one of the shiniest glosses, and its colors are bright and rich. Learn more about Oracal 651.

Styletech Craft Vinyl
- Semi-gloss permanent vinyl
- Company started in automotive and sign industry
- Small, family-owned business in Florida
- All products made in the USA
- Can be used in all cutting machines such as Cricut and Silhouette, with die cuts, craft punches,
StyleTech Craft permanent vinyl weeded well. It didn’t stick to itself and adhered to the weeding tool. With four swipes of the scraper, the decal burnished right onto the transfer tape. However, when I transferred it onto the wood, some of it was lifting even though it did transfer. Putting the transfer tape back in place with one more burnishing did the trick, though. It may have been a one-off issue, but it didn’t go on as easily as some others. However, it looked alright once it was placed on the wood.
This vinyl would be a good choice when you don’t want a high gloss, but matte is too flat or if you are looking for a low-cost option.

Cricut Smart Vinyl – Permanent
13in x 3ft for Explore and Maker 3
Matless cutting for long cuts up to 12ft
Cricut Smart Vinyl Permanent is a decent vinyl to work with, except in one facet; adherence to transfer tape. You may already know that getting this vinyl to stick to transfer tape is a real trick. You can use heat, or you can use a bend, press, and roll method. I am not fond of either due to the extra work of heating the vinyl and the pickiness of the bending, pressing, and rolling over and over of the carrier sheet.
The thick carrier sheet is required so that it can be cut on a Cricut without a mat. Because of this, there can be difficulty when adhering the vinyl to transfer tape. I gave it a 3 for “okay,” but I would have given it a 1 under any other circumstances.
Weeding Cricut Smart Vinyl isn’t awful, but it could be better. It transferred nicely, however (the dog sacrificed an eye during the transfer tape adherence process), and looked really good on the wood.
One consideration is the price. It’s more expensive than the other vinyl brands and can be a little more difficult to work with. It is on sale frequently at Cricut.com, Michaels, and Joann, which does help with the price point. Also, it’s convenient to buy if you are in a hurry or have an emergency. Unless you prefer matless cutting and/or need to cut in lengths longer than 12″, and your cutting machine supports matless cutting, I recommend choosing a different product.
Edit 14 March 2022: I want to note that this is specific to Cricut Smart Vinyl. This entry is not for Cricut Premium Vinyl. I do like Cricut’s Premium vinyl and would recommend it. It’s popular with Cricut owners, and I would never dissuade anyone from purchasing it. Although I would rate Siser and Oracal higher still, much of my stock is Cricut Premium vinyl and I would be remiss to mention this.

Avery Dennison HP750
- Ideal for crafting, outdoor and indoor use, signage, and graphics
- Can be used with all cutting machines, including Silhouette, Cricut, Graphtec or Roland cutter
Avery Dennison HP750 weeded okay except when it stuck to itself. Getting it unstuck was difficult. In fact, while gently trying to dislodge one piece, it almost ripped the vinyl it was so attached. It excelled, however, in adhering to transfer tape. In fact, it performed the best of all the vinyl. There were no issues transferring to the wood, and it looked fine.
Update 21-July-2022: 143Vinyl has stopped selling Avery Dennison vinyl. I can only find one distributor (RVinyl) that sells it in small quantities and colors, and I don’t have experience with them. If you order from them, please email me and let me know how it goes so I can decide whether to keep them in this post. I would be so grateful.

Starcraft HD Glossy Vinyl – Permanent
- Excellent for crafting, long term graphics, decals, lettering, signs, and more
- Glossy, permanent
- Durability 5-6 years
- StarCraft HD will stick to most any solid surface, especially hard, shiny surfaces such as glass.
The StarCraft glossy permanent vinyl didn’t weed well. Bits that shouldn’t have stuck did stick, and others that should have didn’t. It also stuck to itself frequently. When weeding, it didn’t release from the weeding tool easily. Adherence to the transfer tape was different; it went well with just 4 swipes of the scraper right onto the tape. When transferring to the wood, I needed to burnish twice for removal. It transferred to the wood, but was lifting after removal, so it didn’t transfer well. Replacement of the tape and another burnish helped, but I didn’t think it went on solidly. The look of the vinyl is fine.
I want to recognize that many crafters love and use the StarCraft brand of vinyl, and it is available at many local retailers. It just didn’t do it for me in the testing and comparison, and I feel like there are other craft vinyl brands that are better overall.

Starcraft HD Matte Vinyl – Permanent
Excellent for crafting, long term graphics, decals, lettering, signs, and most any application requiring durability and longevity.
- Indoor and outdoor use for decals on solid surfaces.
- Matte, permanent
- Durability: 5-6 years
- Silicone paper backing
The StarCraft matte permanent vinyl weeded nicely, but the pieces stuck to the tweezers and weeding tool and were difficult to remove into the trash. Adherence to the transfer tape was a problem. I had to burnish multiple times to get several pieces to stick. However, the transfer to the wood went well, and it took nicely with just 4 swipes of the scraper. It looked fine once transferred.

The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for the best permanent vinyl for your Cricut, choose Siser EasyPSV. If your retailer doesn’t have the color you’re looking for, go with Oracal 651 or Oracal 641. If you need a matless option, use Cricut permanent Smart Vinyl, but be aware of the difficulty of adherence to the transfer tape. You can watch a video (or two) to help make the adherence to transfer tape a little easier.
Where To Buy The Best Permanent Vinyl
There are many places online where you can buy craft adhesive vinyl. I don’t recommend buying in retail stores unless you’re in a bind and need something immediately. You’ll end up paying a premium.
It is worth it to purchase your vinyl at online retailers other than Amazon. You’re getting top-rated vinyl, and the increase in delivery time is only a couple of days, if that. The cost per square foot is many times less expensive than Amazon. I recommend the following online places for buying vinyl.
Makers Corner Crafts always appreciates using our affiliate links, but we recognize that many quality online retailers sell adhesive vinyl. If you have a favorite retailer that’s not listed below, let me know in the comments.
- Happy Crafters for great prices on Siser EasyPSV
- Expressionsvinyl.com for Oracal 651 and Siser EasyPSV
- proworldinc.com for Oracal 641, which can be a bit harder to find
- Cricut and Amazon for Cricut vinyl.
More About Craft Vinyl
If you’re interested in learning about all the different types of adhesive vinyl, take a look at my guide to The Different Types of Adhesive Vinyl for Cricut. I discuss glitter, holographic, flock, and other types of vinyl. You can also learn more about heat transfer vinyl in my guide What are The Different Types of Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)?
If you have any questions or would like me to add information, please let me know in the comments. I love hearing from you! Happy, happy crafting!
Please pin this post if it was helpful for you so others can find it, too! Thanks!
Is it possible to get the cute dog graphic you used for your test?
Hi there. Yes, you can get the dog in Cricut Design Space! From the canvas, click on Images on the left side of the screen. In the search bar, type “#M2CC0F2A1” and press enter. The dog I used for this testing should pop up for you. It’s free with Cricut Access or you can purchase it for a small fee from Cricut.
Let me know if this works for you, or if you need additional assistance. Thanks so much for commenting!