I've burned my hands on hot acrylic more times than I care to remember. If you're pricing a custom storefront sign, you've probably seen quotes from $800 to $4,000 for the same wall. That's not a mystery. It's the difference between installed retail and factory ex-works. Let's kill the confusion.
Here's what nobody tells you: most sign budgets fail because buyers compare the wrong numbers. You can't compare a US sign company's installed price to a Chinese factory's FOB price. One includes labor, permits, rent, and insurance. The other is steel, acrylic, and LEDs on a pallet. Know which number you're looking at.
Factory prices from our floor in Lu'an, Anhui, as of today. These are per letter or per sign, not installed.
- Front-lit channel letters: $20–80 per letter
- Back-lit halo letters: $35–120 per letter
- Stainless steel non-lit letters: $15–40 per letter
- 3D fabricated letters: $40–120 per letter
- Aluminum letters: $10–25 per letter
- Acrylic light boxes: $80–250 per square meter
- Neon flex signs: $30–200 per sign
Most storefronts start with
front-lit channel letters. A 14-inch letter in 304 stainless with SMD 2835 LEDs lands around $45–55. That same letter quoted by a US sign shop installed runs $200–700. The gap is real, but it's not all markup. Rent, liability insurance, and a union electrician eat that difference.
If you're after something cleaner,
back-lit halo letters cost more because the light bounces off the wall. It's a different assembly. $35–120 per letter factory direct. Architects love it. Your wallet feels it.
Materials: Where the Money Actually Goes
A two-foot sign in 304 stainless costs one price. Same size in 316 marine grade costs 20–30% more. For a strip mall in Ohio, 304 is enough. For Miami Beach salt air, pay for 316. It'll buy you 15+ years instead of 10+.
Acrylic is the other silent multiplier. UV-resistant acrylic from Mitsubishi or Degussa holds 90–92% light transmittance and lasts 5–8 years outdoors. Domestic acrylic yellows in 1–2 years. The difference is maybe $6 per letter. Pay it. I've watched customers save $6 and redo a $2,000 sign in 18 months.
Aluminum is a different animal. It weighs one-third of steel and won't rust. For large letters over a storefront, it saves on structural backing. 0.040–0.063 inch is standard. If a factory quotes 0.8mm aluminum as "heavy duty," that's thin. Ask for gauge.
Look, I've had contractors ask for the cheapest possible stainless and still demand a 10-year warranty. That's not how metal works. 304 stainless is 18% chromium, 8% nickel. You can't fake those percentages and still call it 304. Ask for the mill certificate if the price looks too good.
LEDs and Power Supplies: Cheap Dies in 18 Months
The ugly truth is a $60 channel letter and a $35 channel letter can look identical on day one. Six months later, cheap LED modules start flickering. Eighteen months later, half the sign is dark. Then the landlord calls, and you're paying for a crane and a rewire.
Use SMD 2835 modules at 100–150 lumens per watt. That's industry standard. Quality modules from Samsung, Osram, or Blueview last 5+ years real world. Cheap no-name modules last 12–18 months. L70 rating of 50,000 hours sounds impressive, but it doesn't mean all modules hit it. Only tested ones do.
Power supply is the other failure point. Our warranty is 2 years on LEDs, 1 year on power supply. That's not a typo. Power supplies die faster because heat and moisture. If a factory offers 5 years on both, ask what brand the driver is and who handles the warranty claim from across the ocean.
I've seen this go wrong: a sign shop in Texas ordered 220V modules to save $3 per letter. The spec sheet looked "universal" until the electrician opened the first letter. They paid $1,100 in rewiring and lost two days. We send dual voltage 110–240V on request. Ask before you sign.
Shipping, Tariffs, and the 30% Customs Bite
Here's what nobody tells you about "factory direct" prices: they don't include shipping or Section 301 tariffs. The product price is one part of your landed cost.
Small signs go express at $30–100. Air freight runs $4–12 per kilogram and takes 10–20 days. Sea freight is $80–200 per cubic meter for LCL or $1,200–3,000 for a full container, but you'll wait 50–70 days. Production at our factory takes 7–15 days no matter the shipping method.
On top of that, US Section 301 tariffs hit most signage at about 30% of declared product value. Not shipping. Your customs broker will classify it by HS code, but budget 30% and you won't get a surprise bill.
Build Your Real Number in 6 Steps
If you're a contractor or business buyer comparing quotes, do this simple math before you email a factory.
1. Count the letters and measure height. A 12-inch letter and an 18-inch letter don't cost the same.
2. Multiply by factory price range. Front-lit $20–80, halo $35–120, stainless non-lit $15–40.
3. Add shipping. Small express $30–100. Bigger air $4–12/kg. Sea if you have 50+ letters.
4. Add tariff. Call it 30% on product
