What Signage Material Should You Choose?

The short answer: match the material to where the sign lives and how long it must last. At Gigantic Signs in Adelaide we specify corflute for cheap short-term outdoor signs, PVC foamboard for indoor and medium-term panels, aluminium composite for permanent building signage, and acrylic for a premium indoor finish. Printed vinyl covers graphics on glass, walls or vehicles.

We've been making signs in Adelaide for over 30 years, and every panel still comes out of our Kent Town facility, so the advice below isn't theory -- it's what we watch survive the harsh SA sun year after year. If your sign is going on a building and has to last, start with our guide to outdoor building sign types, then use the material breakdown here to choose the substrate underneath it.

Corflute (corrugated plastic)

Corflute is the fluted plastic board you see on real estate boards and election signs. It's the cheapest substrate we print, and for good reason -- it's meant to work hard for a short time and then be recycled.

• Best for -- real estate boards, event signage, election corflutes, directional and pop-up promotions.
• Durability -- roughly three to six months outdoors; the print fades and the 5 mm flutes soften after a full Adelaide summer.
• Indoor or outdoor -- outdoor short-term, and perfectly happy indoors too.
• Cost -- the lowest of any board we offer, which is why it's the go-to for volume and throwaway jobs. Price a corflute sign here.

PVC foamboard

PVC foamboard is a smooth, rigid, lightweight sheet that prints beautifully. It's the workhorse for indoor signage and the sensible step up from corflute when you want something that looks solid rather than temporary.

• Best for -- reception signs, wall-mounted notices, retail POS, menu boards, short-to-medium outdoor panels.
• Durability -- years indoors; roughly one to three years outdoors depending on thickness and exposure.
• Indoor or outdoor -- excellent indoors, capable outdoors for the medium term.
• Cost -- mid-range; more than corflute, far less than metal. Price a foam PVC sign here.

Aluminium composite (ACM/ACP)

Aluminium composite panel -- ACM or ACP -- is two thin skins of aluminium bonded to a solid core. It's the outdoor workhorse: dead flat, rigid, weatherproof and built to sit on a building for the long haul. If a sign has to look sharp for years in full sun, this is what you specify.

• Best for -- shopfront and fascia signs, building panels, permanent directional and wayfinding signage.
• Durability -- commonly seven to ten years outdoors, and it stays flat the whole time.
• Indoor or outdoor -- built for outdoors, equally at home inside for a premium flat panel.
• Cost -- higher up front, but the lowest cost per year of service of any board we make. Price an ACP sign here.

Acrylic

Acrylic is the premium indoor look -- glossy, glass-like and with real visual depth. Mount it off the wall on standoffs, layer it, or light it from behind, and a plain logo suddenly looks like a considered brand statement.

• Best for -- reception and office signs, boardroom logos, upmarket retail, backlit and layered feature panels.
• Durability -- ten years or more indoors in 3 to 10 mm sheet; it holds its gloss and clarity.
• Indoor or outdoor -- primarily indoor, where its depth and backlit options shine.
• Cost -- premium, and it reads that way to anyone who walks in. Price an acrylic sign here.

Printed vinyl and stickers

Not every sign needs a board behind it. Printed vinyl is the graphic itself -- a self-adhesive film that turns any flat surface into signage without adding a panel.

• Best for -- shop windows, wall graphics, vehicle lettering and wraps, floor decals and safety markings.
• Durability -- five to seven years outdoors for quality cast vinyl; longer indoors and away from the sun.
• Indoor or outdoor -- both, provided you match the film grade to the job.
• Cost -- driven by area and complexity rather than a board, so it scales from cheap decals to full wraps.

How to choose

Work through three questions in order and the material picks itself:

• Where does it live? -- Indoor and premium points to acrylic; a building exterior points to aluminium composite; glass or a vehicle points to printed vinyl.
• How long must it last? -- Weeks to months means corflute; a year or two means PVC foamboard; five years and beyond means aluminium composite.
• What's the budget? -- Judge it as cost per year, not sticker price; a cheap board replaced twice a year often costs more than the metal panel you should have started with.

A real Adelaide example

An Adelaide business ordering its first shopfront sign assumed it needed the most expensive material we made, and asked for a fully backlit acrylic feature. Once Gigantic Signs talked through where the sign would sit -- outdoors, on a west-facing fascia taking the full afternoon SA sun -- we steered them to an aluminium composite panel instead. It cost less than the acrylic they'd pictured, it's rated for years of that exposure, and it's still crisp today. Matching material to location saved them money and gave them a better sign.

Frequently asked questions

Which material lasts longest outdoors?

Aluminium composite. It stays flat and holds its finish for roughly seven to ten years in the Adelaide climate, well beyond corflute or foamboard.

What is the cheapest signage material?

Corflute. It's the lowest-cost board we print, which is why it's the standard choice for real estate, events and other short-term outdoor signs.

Which material looks the most premium indoors?

Acrylic. Its depth, gloss and backlit options give a reception or office sign a high-end finish that flat boards can't match.

What material are shop signs made of?

Most shopfront and fascia signs are made from aluminium composite panel (ACM/ACP) -- two thin aluminium skins bonded to a solid core, which stays flat and weatherproof for seven to ten years. Acrylic and illuminated faces are used for premium or backlit shop signs.

Ready to choose your material?

Now that you know which substrate suits your sign, you can price your material instantly and see the numbers for yourself, or contact us and we'll help you match the material to the job. Prefer to browse ready-made options? Our Online Store lists popular signs by material, ready to order. Thirty years of Adelaide signs behind every panel -- done properly, done GIGANTIC.