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There are so many different types of adhesive vinyl, and it can be difficult to know which one to use with your crafts. In this article, we will discuss the main categories of adhesive vinyl, the different types, and the different brands.
By the end, you’ll be able to cut through the confusion and select the right vinyl for you and your project.
When I first started crafting with vinyl, I felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer number and brands of adhesive vinyl on the market. The first thing I needed to do was to understand the difference between adhesive vinyl and heat transfer vinyl, or HTV.
What is Adhesive Vinyl?
From a 5,000-foot level, adhesive craft vinyl is a product typically made of polyvinyl chlorine (PVC) or polyurethane (PU) with self-adhesive on the back. PVC-based adhesive vinyl tends to be thicker than PU-based vinyl.
Adhesive vinyl sticks to almost any curvy, flat, or bumpy hard surface (glass, wood, and metal can be difficult sometimes).
Adhesive craft vinyl doesn’t use heat to adhere to its object; it has a glue-like adhesive on the back that keeps it attached to an object’s surface. It has a paper backing called a carrier sheet that is typically a solid white color. The carrier sheet protects the adhesive backing and gives it a bit of structure for storing the vinyl.
We use transfer tape to remove the design from the carrier sheet and place it on an object or surface.
What is Heat Transfer Vinyl?
Heat transfer vinyl (also called HTV or Iron-On) is a vinyl material that uses heat to transfer to a soft surface, such as t-shirts, canvas tote bags, baby clothes, and more. It can also be used on some hard surfaces made of wood and metal.
In this post, we will discuss the different adhesive vinyl types.
Vinyl Categories
There are four categories of adhesive vinyl: permanent, removable, printable (also permanent), and outdoor.
Permanent Vinyl
Permanent adhesive vinyl has a glue-like adhesive on the back, making it perfect for applying custom designs to many hard surfaces. Permanent vinyl has the strongest adhesive of all adhesive vinyl and creates a very strong bond.
There are many different brands of permanent vinyl, and its lifespan can range from three to eight years, depending on the brand.
Permanent vinyl can be difficult to remove and will almost always leave a residue. It can also damage the objects it is attached to when attempting to remove it.
For these reasons, permanent vinyl is mostly used outdoors and on blanks and objects that will likely not be modified.
Permanent vinyl comes in many different types, which we explore below.
Removable Vinyl
Removable vinyl has less adhesive than permanent vinyl, which creates a weaker bond. This allows us to remove the adhesive vinyl with little to no damage to the surface of an object or blank. It typically has a lifespan of about two to three years.
Removable vinyl is typically used indoors and on objects and blanks that will be modified, as it will not withstand outdoor elements for long. Additionally, indoor applications and uses are temporary, making removable vinyl suitable for these applications.
There are fewer brands of removable vinyl than permanent vinyl, which we will explore below.
Printable Vinyl
Printable vinyl is permanent vinyl that can be printed with any design, color pattern, or image on an inkjet or laser printer. It tends to be thinner than conventional adhesive vinyl and comes in varying degrees of water resistance.
Printable vinyl can be customized and used on mugs, tumblers, walls, and more. It’s a great material for making stickers and other colorful decals.
Printable vinyl is not a great option for outdoor use and has a short life span of about one year. You can laminate printable vinyl or add a transparent, waterproof vinyl on top of it to make it more durable and last longer.
Outdoor Vinyl
Outdoor vinyl is the strongest and hardiest type of adhesive vinyl. Several brands carry a specific outdoor type of permanent vinyl, including Oracal. Look for weather-proof and water-resistant permanent vinyl to use outdoors.
You can also use outdoor vinyl indoors, but it usually has the strongest adhesive and can damage surfaces like interior walls when removed.
Transfer Tape
Transfer tape is a sticky material that is used with adhesive vinyl. It is used to transfer vinyl from its carrier sheet onto an object’s surface.
There are several types of transfer tape, including clear tape with lines to help keep the vinyl design level during application and no lines so you can clearly see the object’s surface.
It can be paper-based (like masking tape), and it comes in several different strengths of adhesive from low-tack (least strong) to high-tack (most strong).
You can also use a few items you might have around the house if you run out of transfer tape and need help applying adhesive vinyl to a surface. Find out what works best in my post, 8 Transfer Tape Alternatives for Adhesive Vinyl (2025).
Types of Adhesive Vinyl
There are many different types of adhesive vinyl available for purchase. It comes in different colors and patterns and includes different properties like color-changing, heat-sensing, glow-in-the-dark, and more.
Check out which brands of adhesive vinyl performed the best in my post, The Best Permanent Vinyl for Cricut Projects (2025).
Here are the main types of adhesive vinyl.
Glossy Vinyl
This vinyl has a glossy finish with high shine. This is the most common vinyl type you will come across and can be purchased as permanent and removable vinyl in a wide range of colors. It is used frequently for outdoor projects on hard object surfaces.
Some project examples include wood signs, wreaths, decals, mugs, tumblers, wine glasses, gift bags, party decor, and more.
Matte Vinyl
Matte vinyl has no shine. You will see this kind of vinyl frequently, too. It’s available in a variety of colors and can be found in removable and permanent as well.
The matte finish of this vinyl is popular for home decor projects and wall decals. Removable matte vinyl typically does not damage objects and can be removed easily from walls and other surfaces.
Some project examples include large wall decals, kitchen organization, labels, and other temporary decor and organizational projects.
Glitter Vinyl
Glitter vinyl is usually permanent. It is thicker than regular adhesive vinyl and typically requires strong (high-tack) transfer tape. It looks beautiful on its own, but it can also be layered for added depth and fun.
Use glitter vinyl as the top layer of multi-layer designs only, as other types of vinyl do not stick well to glitter vinyl.
You’ll need a strong (StrongGrip) cutting mat for glitter vinyl. Some projects include custom keychains, custom signs, labels, and more.
Holographic Vinyl
Holographic vinyl is typically permanent. There are several brands available. It can be used for psychedelic-70s themes or little pops of funkiness in layered projects. It adds that extra cool factor to your craft projects that you might be looking for.
Glow-in-the-Dark Vinyl
Glow-in-the-dark vinyl is permanent. Several well-known brands like Siser, Teckwrap Craft, and Cricut carry a version. It is good for nighttime identification, parties, pet leashes and tags, Halloween, and more.
Patterned Vinyl
Both removable and permanent vinyl come in patterns. Brands like Expressions Vinyl and Siser EasyPSV have a variety of patterns that you can use for walls and decals, both indoors and out.
You can layer patterned vinyl with single-color vinyl and make mermaid-themed items, container covers, sentiment decals, sign backgrounds, and more.
Metallic Vinyl
Removable and permanent metallic adhesive vinyl comes in more than just silver and gold. Opt for a range of colors with Expressions Vinyl metallic vinyl.
Etched Glass/Frosted Vinyl
This type of adhesive vinyl comes in white and colorful permanent vinyl and window cling. It is intended to create an “etched glass” look without actually etching it. It’s sometimes called frosted vinyl.
You’ll find it used most frequently on glass, including glass walls, glass doors, conference rooms, and offices. You can also use it on projects like glass blocks, candleholders, monogrammed pint glasses, mirrors, and other glass surfaces.
Find frosted vinyl at Cricut.com.
Chalkboard Vinyl
Chalkboard vinyl is usually removable and can be used for temporary and permanent projects.
Use this vinyl on flat surfaces for projects including blackboard/chalkboard signs, menu boards, decals, refrigerator magnets, labels, and more.
Chalkboard vinyl adheres well to drywall, glass, wood, plastic, metal, and ceramic.
Color-Changing Vinyl
Color-changing vinyl can be activated in three ways:
- Cold
- Heat
- UV light
Color-changing vinyl can be used to create stunning designs. It is frequently used on mugs and tumblers.
There are several brands of color-changing vinyl, including TeckWrap and Cricut.
Other Vinyl Types
Other specialty vinyl types, such as fluorescent, reflective, foil, mosaic, and more, can be found at various online vendors.
Vinyl Brands
There are many popular brands of adhesive vinyl on the market. Below are just a few of the best vinyl brands around.
Grab my FREE Adhesive Vinyl Cheat Sheet for a breakdown of and links to all the popular types and brands of adhesive craft vinyl.
Oracal
Pronounced “OR-uh-cal”.
The most trusted adhesive vinyl comes from Oracal.
Oracal uses a numbering system for its different types of vinyl. Oracal 651 is permanent adhesive vinyl, Oracal 631 is removable adhesive vinyl, and Oracal 751 is a high-performing permanent outdoor vinyl.
Oracal can be purchased from a number of online retailers such as Expressions Vinyl, and Amazon.
Siser
Pronounced “SEE-zer”.
Siser is typically mentioned when discussing the best heat transfer vinyl (HTV) for crafting. But they also make an excellent standard, glossy, permanent vinyl called Siser EasyPSV.
You can get Siser EasyPSV at retailers like Expressions Vinyl and Amazon.
Cricut
Pronounced “cricket”, like the bug.
Cricut has a ton of different adhesive vinyl types. The regular, glossy, permanent vinyl is called Cricut Premium Vinyl. It also comes in removable, matte, fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark, mosaic, foil, glitter, and so many more.
You can even use Cricut Premium Vinyl for car decals. Buy Cricut vinyl at Cricut.com and Amazon.com.
HTVRONT
Pronounced “Ach-tee-VEE-rahnt.” HTVRONT is another popular craft vinyl brand that can be found at HTVRONT.com and Amazon.com.
You can buy it in permanent, glossy, matte, metallic, color-changing, sparkle, and more at HTVRONT.com and Amazon.com.
Teckwrap Craft
Teckwrap Craft vinyl has become very popular over the last few years. They have craft vinyl in all kinds of fun colors and types.
Buy fun collections of vinyl such as holographic, glow-in-the-dark, color-changing, reflective, shimmer, Smart, and more at Teckwrapcraft.com and Amazon.com.
Starcraft
You may have heard of Starcraft vinyl brand from other crafters or at your local shop. It is a very popular adhesive vinyl brand for many people.
You can find Starcraft vinyl at many local retailers.
Off-brands
You’ll find many unknown adhesive vinyl brands on Amazon at great prices. This can be great vinyl to practice with. I wouldn’t sell any crafts made with off-brand vinyl, but you can find some good off-brands for personal projects if you want to save money.
Objects/Blanks
Adhesive vinyl can be used on so many hard surfaces and objects. You can create an object/blank from almost anything made of plastic, metal, glass, wood, etc.
You can find inexpensive objects/blanks from Dollar Tree or Amazon to practice with. Some examples include mugs, plastic bins, wood rounds, boxes, tumblers, and more.
Get inspiration from Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook groups, and Reddit.
Buying Vinyl
You can buy vinyl in retail stores and online shops.
Recommended Online Retailers
- Expressions Vinyl: Siser EasyPSV, Oracal 651, and Oracal 631
- Happy Crafters: Siser EasyPSV
- Cricut: permanent vinyl, removable vinyl, specialty vinyl, and Smart vinyl
- HTVRONT: adhesive vinyl
- Teckwrap Craft: adhesive vinyl and smart vinyl
- Amazon.com
Recommended Local retailers
- Hobby Lobby
- Michaels
- Local vinyl shops
Cost Considerations and More…
🛒 Inexpensive and off-brand vinyl can be a good option for practicing different techniques.
🛒 Purchase vinyl from online vendors for the best deals. Purchase from local retailers in an emergency.
🛒 Consider your cost per square foot when purchasing adhesive vinyl, and create a list of the brands, colors, and types of vinyl that you will need regularly and seasonally.
🛒 Be sure to purchase your commonly used vinyl colors and types beforehand to avoid being caught short. This happened to me around Halloween a few years back, so I started buying holiday colors earlier in the year.
🛒 Be sure to try a variety of different brands when you first start working with adhesive vinyl to find the best option for your personal preference.
Learn more with the following posts:
- The Best Permanent Vinyl for Cricut Projects (2025).
- 8 Transfer Tape Alternatives for Adhesive Vinyl (2025).
- The Different Types of Heat Transfer Vinyl
- The Best Printable Vinyl for Stickers
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I love hearing from you. As always, happy, happy crafting!
Please pin this post if it was helpful for you so others can find it too! Thanks!
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