SubShader tags in ShaderLab reference

Important: The Built-In Render Pipeline is deprecated and will be made obsolete in a future release.
It remains supported, including bug fixes and maintenance, through the full Unity 6.7 LTS lifecycle.
For more information on migration, refer to Migrating from the Built-In Render Pipeline to the Universal Render Pipeline and Render pipeline feature comparison.

This page contains information on using a Tags block in your ShaderLab code to assign tags to a SubShader.

For information on defining SubShader, see ShaderLab: defining a SubShader. For information on how a Shader object works, and the relationship between Shader objects, SubShaders and Passes, see Shader objectsAn instance of the Shader class, a Shader object is container for shader programs and GPU instructions, and information that tells Unity how to use them. Use them with materials to determine the appearance of your scene. More info
See in Glossary.

Render pipeline compatibility

Feature name	Universal Render Pipeline (URP)	High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP)	Custom SRP	Built-in Render Pipeline
ShaderLab: SubShader Tags block	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ShaderLab: RenderPipeline SubShader tag	Yes	Yes	No	No
ShaderLab: Queue SubShader tag	Yes	Yes	Yes Note: in a custom SRP, you can define your own rendering order and choose whether or not to use render queues. For more information, see DrawingSettings and SortingCriteria.	Yes
ShaderLab: RenderType SubShader tag	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ShaderLab: IgnoreProjector SubShader tag	No	No	No	Yes
ShaderLab: ForceNoShadowCasting SubShader tag	Yes	Yes This disables regular shadows, but has no effect on contact shadows.	Yes	Yes
ShaderLab: PreviewType SubShader tag	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Syntax

Signature	Function
Tags { “[name1]” = “[value1]” “[name2]” = “[value2]”}	Applies the given tags to the SubShader. You can define as many tags as you like.

RenderPipeline tag

Signature	Function
“RenderPipeline” = “[name]”	Tells Unity whether this SubShader is compatible with URP or HDRP.

Parameter	Value	Function
[name]	`UniversalPipeline`	This SubShader is compatible with URP only.
	`HDRenderPipeline`	This SubShader is compatible with HDRP only.
	(any other value, or not declared)	This SubShader is not compatible with URP or HDRP.

Queue tag

Signature	Function
“Queue” = “[queue name]”	Use the named render queue.
“Queue” = “[queue name] + [offset]”	Use an unnamed queue, at a given offset from the named queue. An example of when this is useful is in the case of transparent water, which you should draw after opaque objects but before transparent objects.

Signature	Value	Function
[queue name]	Background	Specifies the Background render queue.
	Geometry	Specifies the Geometry render queue.
	AlphaTest	Specifies the AlphaTest render queue.
	Transparent	Specifies the Transparent render queue.
	Overlay	Specifies the Overlay render queue.
[offset]	integer	Specifies the index at which Unity renders the unnamed queue, relative to the named queue.

RenderType tag

Signature	Function
“RenderType” = “[renderType]”	Set the RenderType value for this SubShader.

Signature	Value	Function
[renderType]	String	There are no set values for this parameter. To identify the RenderType value for any SubShader that you want to replace, open its shader source file. The `RenderType` SubShader tags for Unity’s legacy built-in shaders are listed on the shader replacement page. You can also create your own values for your custom SubShaders.

ForceNoShadowCasting tag

Signature	Function
“ForceNoShadowCasting” = “[state]”	Whether to prevent shadow casting (and sometimes receiving) for all geometry that uses this SubShader.

Signature	Value	Function
[state]	True	Unity prevents the geometry in this SubShader from casting shadows. In the Built in Render Pipeline, with the Forward or Legacy Vertex Lit rendering paths, Unity also prevents the geometry in this SubShader from receiving shadows. In HDRP, this does not prevent the geometry from casting contact shadows.
	False	Unity does not prevent the geometry in this SubShader from casting or receiving shadows. This is the default value.

IgnoreProjector tag

This tag is only supported in the Built-In Render Pipeline.

Signature	Function
“IgnoreProjector” = “[state]”	Whether Unity ignores Projectors when rendering this geometry.

Signature	Value	Function
[state]	True	Unity ignores Projectors when rendering this geometry.
	False	Unity does not ignore Projectors when rendering this geometry. This is the default value.

PreviewType tag

The PreviewType SubShader Tag tells the Unity Editor how to display a material that uses this SubShader in the Material Inspector.

Signature	Function
“PreviewType” = “[shape]”	Which shape the Unity Editor uses to display a preview of a material that uses this SubShader.

Signature	Value	Function
[shape]	Sphere	Display the material on a sphere. This is the default value.
	Plane	Display the material on a plane.
	Skybox	Display the material on a skybox.

Additional resources

LOD directive in ShaderLab reference

UsePass directive in ShaderLab reference