QR code medallions vs. direct headstone engraving

There are two honest ways to put a scannable code on a grave marker: fix a manufactured medallion or plate to the stone, or cut the code into the granite itself. Both work. They fail differently, they cost differently, and they look very different from three feet away. This guide compares them without pushing you toward either.

How each option is made

• Bonded medallion — a metal or ceramic disc, typically 1.5 to 3 inches, printed or etched with the code and adhered to the face or base of the stone with monument epoxy.
• Photo-anodised aluminium plate (Metalphoto and equivalents) — the image is sealed inside the anodic layer of the metal, not printed on top of it. Rated for decades of outdoor exposure.
• Direct laser or sandblast engraving — the code is cut into the granite by the monument company, usually at the time the stone is made.
• Porcelain or enamel tile — a fired ceramic insert, the same technique used for portrait cameos.

Durability

Engraving lasts as long as the stone, which is the strongest argument for it. But contrast is what a phone camera needs, and a cut code fills with dust, lichen, and rain shadow; many engraved codes stop scanning reliably within a few years unless the recess is colour-filled and the fill is maintained. Photo-anodised plates hold their contrast far longer than paint or print and shrug off UV and freeze-thaw. Printed or powder-coated medallions are the weakest of the group — the finish, not the metal, is what fails. Porcelain is beautiful and holds contrast indefinitely, but it chips on impact and can crack in hard frost.

Cost

• Bonded medallion: roughly $25 to $90 for the plate, plus adhesive. Family-installable in most cemeteries that allow it.
• Photo-anodised plate: roughly $40 to $120 depending on size and quantity, with the best per-unit price on small batches.
• Direct engraving: usually $150 to $400 when added to a new stone, and more as a retrofit because the monument company must bring equipment to the cemetery or lift the marker.
• Porcelain tile: roughly $80 to $250, generally set by the monument company.

Appearance on the stone

A small brushed or dark bronze medallion set low on the base reads as monument hardware and disappears from a distance — most families prefer this. A bright white plate does not age gracefully next to grey granite. Engraving is the most discreet option of all, especially on polished black stone where a frosted code sits almost invisibly until you stand over it, though that same subtlety is exactly what makes it harder for a phone to read in low light.

Cemetery approval

Anything adhered to an existing marker usually needs written permission, and some cemeteries restrict adhesives entirely, requiring mechanical fixing or engraving instead. Ask before you order — our cemetery rules checklist has the exact questions to bring to the office.

Which to choose

1. Ordering a new stone and the monument company supports it: engrave the code, and colour-fill it for contrast.
2. Retrofitting an existing marker: a photo-anodised plate is the best balance of lifespan, cost, and approval odds.
3. Tight budget or a temporary marker while the stone is being made: a standard bonded medallion is fine and can be upgraded later.

Whichever hardware you choose, the link matters more than the metal. We issue a permanent web address that we never recycle, so a plate can be replaced or re-cut in twenty years and the same memorial page still answers the scan.