ABOUT BACKLIT METAL SIGNS
Plan your project around backlit metal signs.
As a professional sign factory, we build custom backlit metal signs to your design: each piece with its own light source and circuit, fabricated to shape with LEDs inside and an opal acrylic back-panel toward the wall, for a soft halo, in stainless steel or aluminum, UL Listed and backed by a 3-year limited warranty.
Once you approve the shop drawings, we start production. Production usually runs about 15 business days, and DHL door-to-door shipping then takes about a week, for a total of about 4 weeks from drawing approval to delivery.
What are backlit metal signs?
Backlit metal signs are custom illuminated signs built from metal, and each separate piece has its own light source and its own circuit, made as a hollow metal sign shell (called a channel in the U.S.), rather than cut from solid metal. The face is laser cut, and the returns (the side walls) are fabricated to your shape and laser welded to the face into one hollow piece. The metal sign shell is open toward the wall, and that opening is closed with an opal acrylic back-panel that lets the light through. The Luxury model mounts flush against the wall by default and can also mount off the wall, while the Common model always mounts off the wall. Whenever a sign mounts off the wall, we supply stainless steel tube spacers. In both models, the low-voltage LEDs inside shine through the back-panel onto the wall, where the light forms a soft halo in the shape of the sign. Unlit, it reads as a crisp metal sign. Lit, the shape is traced on the wall in a soft halo. What sets backlit metal signs apart is the metal itself: the two main choices are stainless steel, 304 by default and marine-grade 316 for coastal or high-salt sites, and aluminum, which runs on the Common model to cut weight on large pieces. The metal you pick shapes the look and the durability, and we walk you through it on the two material pages: stainless steel backlit signs and aluminum backlit signs. Letters, logos, and shapes can all be built as backlit metal signs. The same build makes LED backlit logo signs, LED backlit letters, and, with deeper returns, 3D LED backlit signs.
Common applications and related pages
Metal carries a sense of quality, and lit from behind it also carries a soft halo, so backlit metal signs suit businesses that want to look established and refined: entrances, lobbies, and brand walls. This kind of signage reads as substance from across the room, and the signage still rewards a close look. Here are a few typical industries, and you can see all the industries we serve.
A well-made metal sign gives your brand wall a solid, high-end presence, lit or unlit. Signs do bring customers: in a national survey, 76% of consumers had walked into a store they had never visited before because of its signage (per FedEx Office)1.
What we need for your custom project
- Design file
- A vector file works best. A high-resolution raster or an AI-generated flat image is enough for a quote. Skip software auto-tracing: it loses much of the detail, so send the high-resolution raster as it is.
- Property sign rules
- Before any design work starts, check the sign rules with your landlord or property manager: the allowed size range, any finish or color requirements, light color temperature limits, and the required mounting method. If the property has written sign criteria, send them to us directly, and both the quote and the shop drawings will follow them.
- Sizes
- Stay within the sign size range your property allows, then size the letters to the viewing distance: as a rule of thumb, a letter stays readable up to about 120 times its height, so a 1 in (25 mm) letter reads clearly within about 10 ft (3 m). Whatever the metal, size it for the distance: in a national shopper study, 90.9% agreed sign letters have to be large enough to read from a passing car (per BrandSpark)3.
- Wall
- Send a photo of the wall where the sign will hang. Wall color and texture affect how bright the reflected halo reads (especially on the Common model), so the photo helps us plan the mounting method and advise on the light color temperature.
- Power
- By default, we use Mean Well power supplies. They accept 90 V to 264 V AC input. If the power available at your site is different or unusual, tell us before production, so we can match the right power supply for you.
- Indoor or outdoor
- Describe exactly where the sign will be installed: indoors, outdoors, or on a coastal site, which also steers the metal (304 inland, 316 on the coast). For an outdoor sign in an extreme climate (high heat, heavy rain, cold, or dust), tell us before we lock the production details.
- Finish
- Choose from a full range:
- Mirror polished
- Brushed
- Vibration finish
- Painted or powder-coated color, in gloss, semi-gloss, or matte (tell us the exact color and we color-match to Pantone, RAL, Sherwin-Williams (SW), or Matthews Paint (MP) swatches)
- Plated metal colors (gold, black titanium, copper, and more)
- Special effects such as wood grain, antique, and marble look
- Light color
- White: 3000K warm white, 4000K natural white, or 6000K white
- Red, yellow, blue, or green
- Color-changing: RGB, or RGBW (RGB plus a dedicated white channel)
- Another single color or a specific color temperature: tell us, and we set it up for you.
Light colors are approximate and are not matched to color swatches.
Choosing your model: Luxury or Common
Backlit metal signs come in two models, the Luxury model and the Common model, and they differ in how the halo forms. On the Luxury model the acrylic back-panel is partly exposed outside the metal sign shell, and the light leaves from that exposed edge straight onto the wall, which is why it mounts flush against the wall by default and gives a brighter, wider halo. On the Common model the back-panel sits fully inside the metal sign shell, the halo forms by reflection off the wall, and the sign has to stand off the wall for that to happen. Note that aluminum runs on the Common model. See the point-by-point comparison in Compare below.
Luxury model
- Opal acrylic back-panel partly exposed, with a stronger halo
- Mounts flush against the wall by default, or off the wall on stainless steel tube spacers
- Suits premium storefronts and brand walls
View Luxury Model Common model- Opal acrylic back-panel hidden inside the metal sign shell
- Must mount off the wall, on 13/16 in (20 mm) stainless steel tube spacers by default
- Suits storefronts, large signs, curved walls, and outdoor sites
View Common Model Installation and electrical
Installation
- Installation is arranged on your side: we recommend a professional sign installer, with an electrician making the final electrical connection (you can find both on Yelp or Google Maps). Professional installation gives the sign a longer life, a better look on the wall, and safer, more reliable wiring. The job covers drilling the wall, setting stud bolts, routing wires, placing the power supply, and low-voltage wiring.
- We supply a 1:1 mounting template, the wiring diagram, the installation instructions, and the mounting hardware, such as stud bolts and a Mean Well power supply.
- If the wall can’t take many holes, we can mount all the pieces on a metal backer box at the factory, so the sign goes up as one piece.
- The Common model must mount off the wall for the reflected halo to form, so we include stainless steel tube spacers, 13/16 in (20 mm) long by default, which also hide the studs and wiring. If you want a different off-wall distance, tell us in advance. The Luxury model mounts flush against the wall by default, and when it mounts off the wall, it uses the same stainless steel tube spacers.
Power supply
- The power supply usually sits behind the wall or above the ceiling, in a spot that sheds heat and stays accessible for service.
- For U.S. projects, we plan a 12V DC low-voltage system with a UL Listed Mean Well power supply before production. The wiring must follow our wiring diagram exactly, so each letter’s load matches its power supply, and the sign must never be connected to a supply that does not match the power supply’s input.
Outdoor planning
- 304 stainless steel by default. For a coastal or near-coast site, tell us: the metal sign shells and all the mounting hardware are then made in marine-grade 316 stainless steel.
- Outdoor signs use waterproof LEDs by default. For rainy regions we upgrade them to IP67 and plan drainage holes at the bottom of the metal sign shells, plus edge detailing that keeps the halo outline clean.
Backlit metal signs FAQ notes
- Stainless steel or aluminum: which should I choose?
- Stainless steel (304 by default, 316 for the coast) shows fine detail on small and medium letters and takes the widest finish range, including mirror polish and plating. Aluminum is lighter, so on large pieces it cuts the weight and the load on the wall, and it runs on the Common model. See stainless steel backlit signs and aluminum backlit signs for each.
- What is the difference between 304 and 316 stainless steel?
- 304 is the default and is right for most indoor and inland signs. 316 resists corrosion better than 304 stainless steel, so for coastal or high-salt sites we make the metal sign shells and all the mounting hardware in marine-grade 316.
- What finishes can metal take?
- Stainless steel takes the full range: mirror polished, brushed, vibration finish, painted or powder-coated color, plated metal colors, and special effects such as wood grain, antique, and marble look. Aluminum takes a brushed finish, a vibration finish, or an anodized finish in colors from the color chart, as well as painted or powder-coated color. We color-match to Pantone, RAL, SW, or MP and set it all in the shop drawings.
- Aluminum or stainless steel for a small, close-up sign?
- For a small, close-up sign we usually suggest stainless steel: its material and the way we fabricate it show the finest detail on small and medium letters. Aluminum comes in when the letters get large and cutting weight matters, and it is at its best on large signs viewed from a distance.
- Indoors or outdoors, and which metal for each?
- Both metals work indoors. Outdoors we default to 304 stainless steel and move to marine-grade 316, mounting hardware included, for coastal or high-salt sites. For oversized outdoor pieces we run aluminum on the Common model to cut weight.
Backlit signs for law firms
Backlit signs for hotels
Backlit office signs
Backlit signs for hospitals
