Signs Sizes and
Letter Heights

We are often asked - What size sign do I need?

It can be quite a task choosing the correct letter height and sign size. If you know the size you want your sign or plaque - its easy - just leave the rest to our designers.

However if you want a particular letter height or have the sign seen from a distance it can be a bit more difficult to choose the appropriate sign size. The starting point would be to know the distance you want the sign to be viewed from

As a rule of thumb - divide the distance you want the sign seen from in metres by 0.4. This gives you the letter height in mm for a sign that most people can read.

Upper Case Letter Size in mm
Distance	Good Eyesight (/.6)	Most people can read (/.4)	Comfortable (/.2)	Large Letters (/.15)
5m	8mm	12mm	25mm	33mm
10m	17mm	25mm	50mm	67mm
15m	25mm	37mm	75mm	100mm
20m	33mm	50mm	100mm	133mm
25m	42mm	62mm	125mm	167mm
30m	50mm	75mm	150mm	200mm
40m	67mm	100mm	200mm	267mm
50m	83mm	125mm	250mm	333mm

Once you have decided on letter height you can work out the sign size. Use the images below or ask our designers to do it for you. Don't forget to add space around the wording for a balanced sign.

These are only guidelines as it can depend on font used.

5mm high lettering

11 upper case letters and spaces to 50mm 15 lower case letters and spaces to 50mm Comfortable Viewing Distance - 1m

Can be used for - laser engraved stainless steel, laser engraved laminate, coloured engraved aluminium, scratch engraved brass - no paint fill, printed vinyl signs, engraved corian,

Too small for - slate & stone signs, wooden signs, cut vinyl lettering, paint filled engraved brass & aluminium, engraved laminate

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10mm high lettering

11 upper case letters and spaces to 100mm 15 lower case letters and spaces to 100mm Comfortable Viewing Distance - 2m Can still be see from 4m

Can be used for - wood, laser engraved stainless steel, laser engraved laminate, paint filled engraved brass & aluminium using fonts without serifs eg arial,  engraved laminate, printed vinyl signs, tactile signs.

Too small for - slate & stone signs, cut vinyl lettering

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15mm high lettering

7 upper case letters to 100mm 11 lower case letters to 100mm Comfortable Viewing Distance - 1.8m Can still be see from 6m

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20mm high lettering

5 upper case letter to 100mm Just under 8 lower case letters to 100mm Comfortable Viewing Distance - 4m Can still be see from 8m

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25mm high lettering

4 upper case letter to 100mm 6 lower case letters to 100mm Comfortable Viewing Distance -5m Can still be see from 10m

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50mm high lettering

6 upper case letters to 300mm 9 lower case letters to 300mm Comfortable Viewing Distance - 10m Can still be see from 20m

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75mm high lettering

4 upper case letters to 300mm 6 lower case letters to 300mm Comfortable Viewing Distance -15m Can still be see from 30m

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100mm high lettering

3 upper case letters to 300mm 4-5 lower case letters to 300mm Comfortable Viewing Distance - 20m Can still be see from 40m

If all this seems too confusing just put the details of your sign onto the Design Your Sign form and ask our designers to work out letter size for you. At the same time the office will work out the cost.

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