Sign shops need flat, clean metal in the right gauge and the right size, often cut to shape. We source aluminum sheet and plate, stainless, copper and steel for sign makers across Texas, and arrange laser or waterjet cutting for letters and logos from your file.
Why sign shops get poor service from metal distributors
A sign shop's order is usually a few sheets of aluminum, one sheet of stainless and some tube for a frame. To a large distributor that's a small account, so it waits, and the delivery charge can be out of proportion to the order. Cut letters mean finding a separate laser shop, sending files, and waiting on their queue.
Retail online pricing on cut sheet is steep and sheets arrive scratched when they aren't packed flat and interleaved. We quote the sheets and the cut parts together, from one contact, and most quotes come back the same business day.
What sign makers typically buy
Flat sign blanks are aluminum sheet in .040, .063 and .080. .040 suits small wall and parking signs, .063 is the standard for street and road signs, and .080 is for larger panels that need to stay flat in wind. 3003-H14 and 5052-H32 are the usual grades; 5052 is stronger and holds up better outdoors. Thicker aluminum, 1/8" sheet and 1/4" to 1/2" plate, is used for flat-cut dimensional letters and logos.
For letters with a finished metal face, stainless sheet in 304 with a #4 brushed or #8 mirror finish is common, ordered with protective film on the face. Copper sheet is sold by weight per square foot, with 16 oz and 20 oz typical for architectural and letter work; it patinas naturally or can be sealed bright.
Rustic ranch and gate signs, especially in the Hill Country, are often plasma cut from hot rolled steel sheet and left to rust or clear coated. Sign frames and monument posts use aluminum tube and extrusions, which stay light and don't rust.
Sheet size matters as much as gauge. Aluminum sheet is commonly available in 48" x 96", 48" x 120" and 60" x 120", and nesting a panel badly on the wrong size wastes a lot of metal. Tell us the finished panel sizes and we'll quote the sheet size that nests them best, or have the panels sheared to size before delivery.
How we help
- Aluminum, stainless, copper and steel sheet on one quote
- Letters and logos laser cut or waterjet cut from your vector file
- Most quotes answered the same business day
- Delivered across Texas, with sheet sizes and gauges confirmed on the quote