Board size guide

The right board size depends on what the sign is for, how far away people read it, and any legal limit. This guide covers all three for every size we print, with exact prices.

Quick answer:

A4 and A3 suit doors, gates and indoor notices. A2 suits direction arrows and window signs. A1 is the go-to for For Sale boards and event signs. B1 and A0 suit site boards, commercial property and roadside advertising. Every 5mm Correx or Foamex board is £7 per sq ft: A4 £4.70, A3 £9.40, A2 £18.80, A1 £37.64, A0 £75.34.

Board sizes, prices and uses

Size	Dimensions	Area	Price	Typical uses
A4 Correx · Foamex	210 × 297mm	0.06 m²	£4.70	Door and window notices, opening hours, private parking, desk signs
A3 Correx · Foamex	297 × 420mm	0.12 m²	£9.40	Gate and fence notices, indoor wayfinding, small safety signs, menus
A2 Correx · Foamex	420 × 594mm	0.25 m²	£18.80	Event and car park arrows, shop window signs, site rules boards
B2 Correx · Foamex	500 × 707mm	0.35 m²	£26.64	Notice boards and displays where A2 is too small and A1 too big
A1 Correx · Foamex	594 × 841mm	0.50 m²	£37.64	For Sale and To Let boards, event signs, site entrance signs
B1 Correx · Foamex	707 × 1000mm	0.71 m²	£53.27	Commercial property boards, exhibition panels, fence advertising
A0 Correx · Foamex	841 × 1189mm	1.00 m²	£75.34	Building site boards, roadside and fence advertising, large panels
Custom Correx · Foamex	Any size	–	£7 per sq ft, min £2.99	Fitting an existing frame, hoarding or A-board; odd shapes

Prices are per board, 5mm, printed full colour, with eyelets or drilled holes included, before delivery. Correx and Foamex cost the same.

How much text fits on each board?

Signs are read from a distance, so the reading distance decides the letter size, and the letter size decides how much you can say. A widely used rule is 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance, about 25mm for every 3 metres.

Read from	Minimum letter height	Typical situation
3 metres	25mm	Door, counter, reception
5 metres	42mm	Pavement, car park, corridor
10 metres	83mm	Across a road, front garden from the street
20 metres	167mm	Passing traffic, large sites

In practice, that means roughly this many characters per line on a landscape board (bold lettering, small margins):

Board	Read from 5m (42mm letters)	Read from 10m (83mm letters)
A4	about 10	about 5
A3	about 15	about 7
A2	about 21	about 10
A1	about 30	about 15
A0	about 42	about 21

So a For Sale board read from across the road has room for “FOR SALE”, an agent name and a phone number on an A1, and not much more. An A3 sign on a gate, read from 5 metres, fits two or three short lines. These are estimates; tall, narrow fonts fit more and decorative fonts fit less.

Which size for a For Sale or To Let board?

A1. In England, a residential For Sale or To Let board can be up to 0.5 m² without applying for consent, and A1 is 0.4996 m², the largest standard size that fits. Commercial property boards can be up to 2 m², so B1 or A0 work there. See our sign board rules guide for the details.

Which size for event direction signs?

A2 for most arrows and car park signs: big enough to read from a slow-moving car, small enough to cable-tie to a fence or post. Use A3 for footpaths and indoor routes. Local non-commercial event signs can be up to 0.6 m² and go up 28 days before the event, so A1 is the biggest standard size for the main entrance sign.

Which size for a building site board?

A0 for the main contractor or developer board on the fence: at 1 m² it is well inside the 2 m² limit for a board within 10 metres of a road. A2 or A1 works for site rules and safety information at the gate.

Which size for a shop or office sign?

A4 or A3 for opening hours and door signs, A2 or A1 for reception and wall signs, in Foamex for a smooth finish. If a sign sits in your window, A1 or A0 makes it readable from the far pavement.

What if I need a size that isn’t listed?

Use the custom size Correx or Foamex board, enter your width and height, and the price is calculated instantly at £7 per square foot, minimum £2.99. For example, 600 × 450mm is £20.34 and 1220 × 610mm (4ft × 2ft) is £56.00. Measure the frame or space first and allow for any fixings.

How is the price worked out?

Width × height in square feet × £7. One square metre is 10.76 square feet, so a board costs about £75.35 per square metre. An A1 board is 0.4996 m², which is 5.38 sq ft, and 5.38 × £7 is £37.64. Any board under 0.43 sq ft costs the £2.99 minimum.

Choosing a material? Read Correx vs Foamex.

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5mm Correx and Foamex in every size above, printed in Denton, Manchester, with UK delivery and free local collection.

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Sign Board Sizes and Prices: A4 to A0 Correx and Foamex Boards Explained