Livestock Tag Planner
Livestock Tag Planner, this year's colour, letter and quantity
This free planner works out the right year-of-birth colour and letter for your ear tags, helps you plan your tag numbering, and calculates how many tags to order. It covers cattle, sheep and goats, and handles the tricky bit that trips a lot of producers up: cattle NLIS tags don't follow the year colour.
What colour ear tag for 2026?
For 2026, visual and management tags, and sheep and goat NLIS breeder tags, use Orange, with the year letter X. The colour cycle rotates each year and repeats every eight years.
| Year | Colour | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | White | W |
| 2026 | Orange | X |
| 2027 | Light Green | Y |
| 2028 | Purple | Z |
| 2029 | Yellow | A |
| 2030 | Red | B |
Sheep and goat tags
Sheep and goat NLIS breeder tags follow the year rotation, so 2026 breeder tags are Orange with the letter X. Post-breeder (bought-in) sheep and goat NLIS tags are a mandatory Pink and don't use the year colour. Visual and management tags for both follow the year colour.
How many ear tags should I order?
Use the Order Quantity tab. As a starting point, multiply your herd or flock size by your replacement rate, then add a small spare buffer:
- Cattle, replacement rate around 20% is common.
- Sheep and goats, around 25% is typical.
- Buffer, most producers add 5 to 10% spare for damaged, lost or mis-read tags.
They're estimates, adjust the percentages to your own joining, marking and turn-off. Below the results you can download a free PDF of your plan.
Frequently asked questions
What colour are 2026 cattle NLIS tags?
Cattle NLIS tags don't change colour by year. Breeder (bred on-farm) cattle use a permanent White NLIS tag; post-breeder (bought-in) cattle use a permanent Orange NLIS tag. The 2026 Orange year colour applies to visual and management tags and to sheep and goat NLIS breeder tags, not to cattle NLIS.
What is the year letter for?
The year letter is printed alongside your numbering so you can tell the drop year apart at a glance, 2026 is X, 2027 is Y. It appears on visual, management and feedlot tags, and on sheep and goat NLIS breeder tags. Cattle NLIS tags don't carry a year letter.
Does the planner store my herd numbers?
No. The planner runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere while you use it. If you download the PDF and tick the marketing box, your name, email and state are the only details we receive.
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