An indoor directory board and a street-facing fascia can both be made from ACP, but they should not be made from the same ACP thinking. The environment changes what matters. Here is how we help customers spec the two differently, so they stop overpaying indoors and underspecifying outdoors.
Outdoors: the sun sets the rules
Outside, three forces attack a sign: UV radiation, heat cycling and wind load. In the Gulf all three are extreme. That drives the outdoor spec:
- Coating quality first. The face coating is your UV armour. This is not the place to save money. Fading is the number one reason outdoor signs get replaced early.
- Thickness for span. Wind pushes on every square metre. Large fascias and panels over open spans should move up to 4mm.
- Thermal movement. Panels expand in heat. Fixing details need room to move, or faces will bow between screws on the hottest days.
- Edge care. Sealed, tidy edges keep wind-driven dust and moisture out of fixing points.
Indoors: flatness and finish take over
Inside a mall or office, there is no UV assault and no wind. What people notice instead is finish quality at close range. The indoor spec flips:
- 3mm is usually plenty. Shorter spans and zero wind mean 3mm sheets handle almost everything, at lower cost and weight.
- Finish drives perception. Viewers stand a metre away. Brushed and mirror faces earn their premium here.
- Print quality shows. Directory boards and branded interiors sit at reading distance, so a clean printing face matters. Our UV printable sheets are made for it.
- Weight still helps. Light panels mount on walls with simpler fixings and less drama for the fit-out team.
The mistakes we see
Overspending indoors: putting outdoor-grade 4mm on every interior job burns budget with no visible benefit. Underspecifying outdoors: sending an interior-grade sheet to face the summer sun, which looks fine at handover and faded at the one-year mark. Both mistakes come from treating ACP as one product instead of a family.
Quick reference
- Street fascia or pylon: 4mm, premium coating
- Covered entrance or canopy sign: 3mm or 4mm by size
- Mall or office wayfinding: 3mm, matte face
- Interior brand wall or reception: 3mm, brushed or mirror face
- Printed display and exhibitions: 3mm UV printable
Not sure which side of the line your job falls on? Covered outdoor areas and shaded facades are the genuinely tricky ones. Send the details to our team via the contact page and we will spec it with you.