Safety Sign Board Size and Material Guide
Choosing the right size, base material and finish makes a safety sign easy to read and long lasting. Use this guide, or tell us where the sign will be fixed and we will suggest the right one. We make signs to order in Delhi NCR.
1. Choose the size by viewing distance
A sign must be big enough to read from where people will stand. A common rule from ISO 3864 is that the sign area (in square metres) should be at least the viewing distance squared, divided by 2000. The table works that out for our most common standard sizes. Treat the distances as a guide: poor light, a busy background or text-heavy signs need a bigger size.
| Size | Read from | Good for | Signs offered in this size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 x 4 in (30 x 10 cm) | up to about 7 m | Offices, corridors, store rooms and small workshops. Narrow strip: suits short wording on doors and panels. | 323 signs |
| 18 x 6 in (46 x 15 cm) | up to about 11 m | Workshops, stairways, factory floors and bigger rooms. Narrow strip: suits short wording on doors and panels. | 322 signs |
| 9 x 12 in (23 x 30 cm) | up to about 11 m | Workshops, stairways, factory floors and bigger rooms. | 102 signs |
| 12 x 10.5 in (30 x 27 cm) | up to about 12 m | Workshops, stairways, factory floors and bigger rooms. | 155 signs |
| 11 x 12 in (28 x 30 cm) | up to about 12 m | Workshops, stairways, factory floors and bigger rooms. | 123 signs |
| 12 x 11 in (30 x 28 cm) | up to about 12 m | Workshops, stairways, factory floors and bigger rooms. | 91 signs |
| 12 x 12 in (30 x 30 cm) | up to about 13 m | Workshops, stairways, factory floors and bigger rooms. | 323 signs |
| 24 x 8 in (61 x 20 cm) | up to about 15 m | Large halls, warehouses and loading bays. Narrow strip: suits short wording on doors and panels. | 322 signs |
| 13.5 x 18 in (34 x 46 cm) | up to about 17 m | Large halls, warehouses and loading bays. | 102 signs |
| 18 x 16 in (46 x 41 cm) | up to about 19 m | Large halls, warehouses and loading bays. | 152 signs |
| 18 x 18 in (46 x 46 cm) | up to about 20 m | Large halls, warehouses and loading bays. | 323 signs |
| 24 x 16 in (61 x 41 cm) | up to about 22 m | Large halls, warehouses and loading bays. | 82 signs |
| 18 x 24 in (46 x 61 cm) | up to about 23 m | Large halls, warehouses and loading bays. | 102 signs |
| 24 x 21.5 in (61 x 55 cm) | up to about 25 m | Gates, yards and large open areas. | 116 signs |
| 24 x 24 in (61 x 61 cm) | up to about 27 m | Gates, yards and large open areas. | 347 signs |
Distances are rounded down. If a sign will be fixed high up, or seen at an angle, go one size up.
2. Choose the base material
| Base | Best for |
|---|---|
| Sticker | Self-adhesive print, in auto glow film or vinyl. The lowest-cost option, for flat, clean surfaces. |
| Sunboard | Indoor use and tight budgets. Light and easy to fix on walls, doors and panels. |
| ACP | Outdoor and long-term use. Rigid aluminium composite panel that resists weather. |
| Acrylic | Offices, reception and showrooms. Hard, smooth and neat-looking, for indoor use. |
Sunboard (PVC foam board) is normally an indoor material, and its outdoor life is short in strong sun. For gates, boundary walls and open yards, ACP is the safer choice.
3. Choose the finish
Auto glow (photoluminescent) for fire exit, escape route, assembly point, extinguisher and any sign that must be read in a power cut. Vinyl for normal signs in well-lit areas. More about auto glow signs.
4. Traffic, parking and site road signs
Road and parking boards stay outside and are read from a vehicle, so they are built differently from indoor safety signs.
| Part | Options |
|---|---|
| Base | ACP 3 mm for most boards. Aluminium 2 mm for boards on poles and long outdoor life. Sunboard only for covered parking. |
| Reflective – Engineering grade | Standard retro-reflective sheeting for roadside, yard and gate boards. Suppliers often call it “Type III”. |
| Reflective – High Intensity (HIP) | Brighter prismatic sheeting that usually carries a longer warranty. Suppliers often call it “Type IV”. |
| Vinyl | For parking and site boards seen in daylight or under lights. Reflective is optional on parking boards. |
Suppliers use “Type III” and “Type IV” loosely, so we write the sheeting grade on the quotation and you can compare quotes like for like. Our site and factory road signs are for site and private roads, not copies of the official IRC:67 designs. For a public road or highway, tell us the IRC:67 size and sheeting grade you need. The rate depends on size, quantity, base, sheeting grade and fixing, so we quote once we know your requirement.
Need a size that is not listed?
Custom sizes and wording can be made. Send us the place, distance and quantity. Sign & Display Solutions, F-713, Lado Sarai, New Delhi 110030 · +91 99586 57208 · Request a quote