Sign Materials Guide: Coroplast, PVC, ACM, Metal and Acrylic

How Much Does Each Sign Material Cost?

The starting prices in the table above are for the smallest size each product page sells, printed on one side, so they are not the same size from row to row. Compare materials at your exact size on each product page before you decide, because a small sign in one material and a large sign in another is not a fair comparison.

Price follows size more than material. Within one size, the choice between neighbors such as foam board and PVC usually comes down to water and handling, not budget. Each product page shows the total for every size, side and option before you pay.

Three costs apply the same way to every material. Shipping is a flat $10 per product to any US address. AI image to print makes your existing file print ready for $14.99 per item. Design it for me builds the layout for $29.99 with two revisions, free on an item of $499 or more.

When Should You Choose Coroplast?

Choose coroplast for any sign that goes in the ground on a wire H-stake: real estate, open houses, campaigns, job sites, events and grand openings. It is 4 mm corrugated plastic with hollow flutes that a stake slides into, it handles rain, and it is light enough to carry by the dozen.

Coroplast is also the fastest board to get: yard signs print the next business day after proof approval. A standard 18 x 24 inch sign is $64.99, and the custom coroplast page takes any width and height. Stakes are a separate add-on.

It is a temporary material. Over a long stretch of sun and wind it can bow, so for a sign meant to stand for years, choose metal. Our coroplast vs aluminum comparison covers that choice in detail.

When Is Foam Board or Styrene the Right Material?

Foam board and styrene are right for indoor signs used for days or weeks. Foam board is a 3/16 inch foam core with a paper facing, light and stiff enough for an easel: welcome signs, seating charts, presentation boards. It is sold for indoor use only.

Styrene is thinner and lighter still, a semi rigid plastic printed on one side. It is a low cost rigid sign for short term indoor use: shelf talkers, point of purchase signs, event directions and inserts for drop in sign frames.

When an indoor sign needs to last years on a wall, step up to GatorFoam, a dense board with a wood fiber facing that will not warp. Our foam board, PVC and GatorFoam comparison puts the three side by side.

What Is PVC Used For?

PVC is used for signs that need to be rigid and shrug off water: restroom and kitchen signs, menus screwed to a wall, signs in drop in frames, and safety signs zip tied to a fence for a short project. Our 1/8 inch expanded PVC is lightweight and water resistant, built for long term indoor signs and short term outdoor use.

PVC takes screws well and flexes slightly instead of cracking when bumped. Sizes run from 6 x 24 inches, a good size for a door or a narrow wall, up to 24 x 36 inches. For a sign that stays outdoors year after year, metal is the better choice.

How Do You Pick the Size and Thickness?

Pick the size from the reading distance, then the thickness from the support. A common rule of thumb is about one inch of capital letter height for every ten feet of reading distance, so a sign read from 40 feet away needs capitals of about 4 inches.

For thickness, think about what holds the sign. A stake needs coroplast flutes. An easel needs a stiff board such as foam board or GatorFoam. A post or fence needs metal with holes. A wall can take almost anything, and the room decides the look.

What Should You Check Before You Order?

Check four things before you approve the free digital proof: the material matches indoor or outdoor use, the mount matches the material, every name and number is spelled right, and nothing important sits where a hole, grommet or standoff will go.

1. Indoor or outdoor. Foam board, styrene, GatorFoam and acrylic belong indoors.
2. Mount. Stakes need coroplast; posts need holes in aluminum; hanging boards need grommets.
3. Spelling and numbers. Phone numbers and suite numbers are the details customers act on.
4. Clearance. Keep text clear of every corner that carries hardware.

Picture a small dental practice, Westmarch Family Dental, outfitting a new office: coroplast signs on stakes for the grand opening, an aluminum reserved parking sign on a post, an acrylic logo panel behind the front desk, and foam board welcome signs on easels for the open house. Four materials, each chosen by place and time, and one proof for each.

Start on the custom coroplast sign page or the aluminum sign page, and read how long outdoor signs last by material before you choose for a sign that stays outside.