Technical reference

Acrylic materials & finishes

Material choice decides how a display behaves in service; finish decides how it reads on the shop floor. This page sets out both, including the cases where the tougher material is still the wrong answer, and where a span problem cannot be solved by buying thicker sheet.

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Material types

Five sheet materials cover almost every display we make. Three of them are acrylic, one is a copolyester, and one is a different polymer altogether — which is why "is it acrylic?" is rarely the useful question.

Cast acrylic (PMMA)

What it is

Methyl methacrylate monomer is poured between glass plates and polymerised slowly. That cell-cast route produces a higher molecular weight sheet than extrusion, which is why it machines to a clean chip instead of gumming, polishes to a genuinely optical edge, and tolerates stress better.

Right choice when: Optically clear display work, thick sections, machined and polished edges, thermoformed shapes.
Key limitation: Higher cost than extruded; can craze under stress from over-tight fixings or solvent contact.
In practice: The default choice for premium display work. Machines and polishes better than extruded, and holds clarity for many years indoors with UV stabilisation.

Extruded acrylic

What it is

Molten acrylic polymer is pushed continuously through a die and rolled flat. It is faster and cheaper than casting and holds a tighter thickness tolerance, but the lower molecular weight makes it softer, more notch-sensitive, and slower to polish to full clarity.

Right choice when: Flat panels, simple routed parts, budget-sensitive volume runs, light boxes.
Key limitation: Softer surface, more prone to scratching; solvent bonding is less reliable and edges polish to a lower clarity than cast.
In practice: Economical for simple flat geometry where optical perfection is not the point. Not the right choice for deep machined profiles.

Impact-modified acrylic

What it is

Acrylic copolymerised or alloyed with impact modifiers so that it absorbs energy by yielding rather than shattering. It keeps most of the clarity of standard acrylic while gaining several times its impact resistance.

Right choice when: Parts customers handle constantly — tester rows, eyewear fixtures, high-traffic retail units, children-facing displays.
Key limitation: Slightly lower optical clarity than standard cast acrylic.
In practice: Often the correct answer for the parts of a unit that get touched, paired with standard cast acrylic for the parts that are only looked at.

PETG

What it is

Glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate — a copolyester, not an acrylic. The glycol modification suppresses crystallisation, giving a ductile sheet that cold-bends, thermoforms easily, and shrugs off chemicals that attack acrylic.

Right choice when: Chemical resistance, outdoor exposure, parts needing toughness without the brittleness of acrylic.
Key limitation: Soft, scratches easily, and cannot be diamond-polished to the same clarity as acrylic.
In practice: Choose PETG when durability and chemical resistance matter more than a glass-like finish. It is not a drop-in visual substitute.

Polycarbonate

What it is

A different polymer family, based on bisphenol A. It is the toughest transparent sheet in common industrial use — roughly 200 times the impact resistance of glass — and it holds its properties to a far higher temperature than acrylic.

Right choice when: High-impact guards, structural covers, security glazing, machine guards.
Key limitation: Yellows under prolonged UV unless UV-stabilised; more expensive; scratches readily.
In practice: Roughly 200 times more impact resistant than glass. Where a unit must survive deliberate abuse, polycarbonate usually wins over acrylic on durability alone.

Anti-reflective coated acrylic

What it is

Standard cast acrylic carrying a multi-layer anti-reflective coating, or an AR film laminate, on one or both faces. It cuts surface reflection from roughly 8% to about 1% per face, which is the difference between a vitrine you can see into and one that mirrors the room.

Right choice when: Museum vitrines, jewellery cases, any display where reflections obscure the product.
Key limitation: Significant cost premium; coating requires careful handling and cleaning.
In practice: For high-value or conserved objects this is frequently the difference between a vitrine that reads and one that mirrors the room.

Side-by-side comparison

Indicative figures, for orientation only. Properties vary by grade and by supplier, and the sheet manufacturer's datasheet always governs — if your project depends on one of these numbers, tell us and we will confirm it against the actual sheet we would buy.

Indicative comparison of acrylic, impact-modified acrylic, PETG and polycarbonate sheet properties
Material	Density	Optical clarity	Impact behaviour	Continuous service temperature	Relative material cost
Cast acrylic	1.19 g/cm³	Excellent — about 92% light transmission at 3 mm	Low. Brittle; cracks and shatters rather than deforming	70–80 °C continuous	Medium
Extruded acrylic	1.19 g/cm³	Very good, marginally below cast	Low, and more notch-sensitive than cast	65–80 °C continuous; thermoforms at lower temperature	Low
Impact-modified acrylic	1.17–1.20 g/cm³	Good, with a slight haze	High — several times standard acrylic	65–75 °C continuous	Medium–high
PETG	1.27 g/cm³	Good — around 85–87% light transmission	High and ductile; deforms and tears instead of shattering	60–70 °C continuous	Medium
Polycarbonate	1.20 g/cm³	Very good — around 88–90% light transmission	Outstanding; effectively unbreakable in display use	115–120 °C continuous	High

Cost here is material cost per sheet, not the cost of a finished part. In practice machining and finishing dominate: a cheaper sheet that polishes badly, or that has to be replaced after a season in a shop window, is the more expensive decision.

Thickness guidance

Thickness is chosen for stiffness, not strength. Acrylic is usually strong enough long before it is stiff enough, so the question is how far the material has to span without visible deflection — and that is why an unsupported 600 mm shelf can look wrong at 8 mm while a 300 mm riser is perfectly rigid at 5 mm.

Typical acrylic thicknesses and the applications they suit
Thickness	Typical applications
3 mm	Small cosmetic and jewellery fitments, inserts, dust covers, flat signage
5 mm	Countertop display stands carrying light product, small boxes and trays
8 mm	Shelving, medium display stands, cases where the unit must feel substantial
10 mm	Larger freestanding units, load-bearing shelves, structural carcases
15 mm	Heavy-duty and floor-standing units, blocks, thick-edge design features
20 mm	Structural assemblies, large blocks, embedments, architectural features

Span matters more than load

The table below is our starting point for an edge-supported shelf carrying light retail product — cosmetics, eyewear, jewellery. It is indicative, not a structural calculation: the number that decides whether a shelf looks right is its unsupported span and the deflection you are willing to accept, not the weight sitting on it.

Indicative minimum acrylic thickness for edge-supported shelves by unsupported span
Unsupported span	Minimum practical thickness	Engineering note
Up to 250 mm	5 mm	Risers, inserts and small shelves carrying cosmetics, jewellery or eyewear.
250–400 mm	6–8 mm	Countertop tier shelves. 6 mm is workable if the shelf is supported on three sides.
400–600 mm	8–10 mm	Standard display shelving. Brace at mid-span if the shelf carries anything heavier than cosmetics.
600–900 mm	10–15 mm, or brace	Add a centre support or a rear stiffener. Solving this span with thickness alone gets expensive fast.
Over 900 mm	Design in a frame	Use a metal or timber sub-frame, or divide the run into shorter bays. Do not span this with sheet alone.

Three things that surprise buyers

Acrylic creeps: Under a sustained load, acrylic deforms slowly for months rather than springing back. A shelf that measured flat in our inspection bay can bow visibly after a year on a shop floor. We therefore design shelves to a deflection limit with a creep allowance, not to a stress limit — which is why we will sometimes recommend a brace where a thicker sheet would also "work".
Stiffness falls as it warms: Acrylic loses stiffness well before it reaches its softening point. A shelf 100 mm above a hot halogen lamp, or in direct sun through a window, is a different engineering problem from the same shelf in a shaded aisle. Tell us what is near it.
Thicker is not always better: Thickness costs material, freight volume and weight, and on a shelf it is often the least efficient way to gain rigidity. A returned front lip, a rear stiffener or a mid-span support on an 8 mm shelf usually beats going to 12 mm on cost, on appearance and on transit risk.

Not sure which applies to your unit? Send the dimensions and a sketch — a quote request gets you a specific recommendation rather than a table.

Edge finishes

On a display, the edge is what people touch and what catches the light. It is also where most of the labour sits, so specifying the right edge per part — polish where it shows, raw cut where it does not — is the single most effective cost decision on a drawing.

Acrylic edge finishes: appearance, suitable applications and limitations
Edge finish	What it looks like	Where it suits	Trade-off to know about
Diamond polished	Flat, optically clear, glass-like, with a crisp arris	Premium freestanding units, thick shelf and plinth edges, mitred case corners, any edge the customer will look along	Slowest and most expensive edge process, and it needs a well-machined edge before polishing. The arris stays sharp, so we ease it where hands go.
Flame polished	Glossy and slightly rounded, with a soft highlight along the edge	Simple profiles, curved and routed shapes, and budget-sensitive work where clear edges still matter	Heat leaves surface stress behind, which makes crazing more likely later — and it can bubble extruded sheet. It rounds the edge slightly, so it is the wrong choice where a dimension or flatness is critical, or where the edge will be bonded afterwards.
Machine / raw cut	Matte, with visible tooling marks and a uniform frosted appearance	Hidden internal faces, rebates, parts sitting behind a frame, and designs that deliberately want a frosted-looking edge	Cheapest option, and honest about it. The arris is sharp and chips easily, so on handled parts we still ease it. Specifying it where it shows is a false economy, and specifying polish where it is hidden is a real one.
Mitred	A 45° cut so two panels meet with no visible sheet thickness at the corner	Boxes, plinths, frameless cases and cube vitrines — anywhere the corner is the design	Needs accurate cutting and a controlled bond line. A poor mitre is far more visible than a plain butt joint, which is why this is the detail that separates a real acrylic fabricator from a sheet supplier.
Bevelled	A chamfer — typically 2–10 mm — running along the edge, polished or left matte	Making thick material read thinner at the top face, giving a comfortable grip, and catching light as a deliberate highlight line	A design feature rather than a necessity, and it costs a machining step. "Bevelled" alone means nothing on a drawing: the bevel width and the finish must both be specified.

Diamond and flame polishing are both done by hand on complex geometry. That is why edge finish is one of the last operations in a fabrication shop to be automated, and one of the first things a buyer notices on delivery.

Surface finishes

Surface finish is how you control where the eye goes. Clear puts the product first; frosted and satin let the fixture recede; opal spreads light from inside; mirrored and anti-reflective solve two specific problems that no other finish can.

Acrylic surface finishes: how each is produced, where it suits and its limitations
Surface finish	How it is produced	Where it suits	Trade-off to know about
Clear	Supplied polished on both faces; the sheet needs no treatment	The default for display work, cases, trays and any unit where the product must be seen without interference	Shows fingerprints, dust and the fine scratches of everyday handling, and reflects spotlights directly. Where reflections compete with the product, anti-reflective or frosted is the answer.
Opal / diffused	Pigmented translucent white sheet	Backlit faces, light boxes, illuminated bases and signage — it transmits light evenly while hiding the LED source	Deliberately not see-through, so it is wrong wherever the product or internals must be visible.
Frosted	Chemically etched or bead-blasted to a uniform matte	Bases, dividers, tier separation, backing panels — and anywhere a display should recede so the product reads first	Takes grease and handling marks more visibly than clear sheet and takes more effort to clean evenly. Consider it alongside the edge finish: frosted faces with polished edges is a deliberate, and very readable, combination.
Satin	A fine directional brush or matte texture, shallower than etching	Premium bases, brand panels and large flat surfaces where a soft sheen beats a flat matte	Directional texture means grain direction has to be specified and kept consistent across every part in one assembly, or panels will read differently under the same light.
Mirrored	Metallised reflective coating on the rear face, usually with a protective backing	Bases, back panels and recesses — a mirror floor makes a display look deeper and a unit look larger	The coating sits on the back, so the edge of the sheet shows the coating line and needs framing or a deliberate treatment. Ammonia-based cleaners and abrasives destroy it.
Anti-reflective	Multi-layer AR coating, or an AR film laminate, on one or both faces	Museum vitrines, jewellery and watch cases, and any display of a high-value object under gallery lighting	The largest cost premium of any surface option, and the coating is delicate: it needs a specific, non-abrasive cleaning routine. Cut edges remain uncoated, so edge finish still has to be chosen separately.
Anti-scratch hard coat	A polysiloxane or acrylic-based coating cured onto one or both faces	Surfaces that see repeated contact: tester rows, handles, till areas, counter mats, anything handled daily	It has to be specified before production — it is not something we can reliably add to a finished, complex assembly. Machined and cut edges stay uncoated, and aggressive solvents can attack the coating itself. Coating the whole unit usually costs more than coating the parts that get touched.

Colour and printing

Three marking methods, chosen by volume, colour content and how permanent the mark has to be. Brands with a defined colour standard should send the reference up front — it changes which method we recommend.

Marking methods for acrylic: screen printing, UV digital printing and laser engraving
Method	Best for	Durability
Screen printing	Repeated logos and solid brand colours at volume; colour accuracy against Pantone references.	Highest — the ink is bonded into the surface. The standard for retail branding.
UV digital printing	Short runs, full-colour artwork, gradients and photographic imagery.	Good, but less abrasion-resistant than screen print on high-contact edges.
Laser engraving	Permanent subtle marks — serial numbers, small logos, graduated scales, tactile detail.	Permanent. It is a material change, not a coating, so it cannot wear off.

Pantone matching

Screen printing inks are matched to a Pantone reference or to a physical sample you send, and screen print is the only method that reliably holds a solid brand colour across a large run. UV digital printing is profiled, not mixed, so its gamut is narrower: bright oranges, fluorescents, metallics and very saturated blues generally cannot be hit digitally.

For colour-critical work we print a sample for your written approval before the run starts, and we keep it as the reference for every reorder.

Second-surface printing

Printing on the rear face of clear acrylic, so the sheet itself protects the ink, is standard practice for premium work. Handling cannot wear the graphic, colours read more solidly, and the print gains an apparent depth behind the surface. The artwork is mirrored to compensate, and the printer needs to know that is the intention.

On clear sheet, colour printed without a white backing layer stays translucent. If the brand colour has to be opaque, the white layer is part of the specification — and it should be on the drawing.

One caveat worth stating plainly: sheet colour varies slightly from batch to batch, and more between cast and extruded material of the same nominal colour. For a multi-unit rollout, specify "matched to approved sample" and keep the approved sample. Ask us about it when you request a quote, and we will tell you whether the batch you need is achievable in one run.

Design and care notes

Six facts that answer most of the questions we get after delivery. They are worth reading before the drawing is frozen rather than after the units arrive.

Thermal expansion: Acrylic expands about 0.07 mm per metre per °C — roughly seven times as much as glass and far more than aluminium. A 1 m panel fitted at 20 °C grows about 0.7 mm at 30 °C. Fixing holes therefore need clearance or slotted holes, never a bolt-diameter hole, or the panel will craze at the fixing as it moves.
Stress crazing: The fine hairline cracks that appear around fixings and bonded joints are almost always caused by stress, not by the material: over-tightened fasteners, solvent trapped in a joint, flame polishing followed by solvent bonding, or a part clamped into place. We design joints and mounting points to avoid built-in stress, and anneal heavily machined parts.
Cleaning: Warm water with a drop of mild soap and a clean microfibre cloth. No ammonia-based glass cleaner, no alcohol-based sanitiser, no acetone or ketones, and never a dry wipe — dust on a dry cloth is an abrasive. Anti-static polish is useful on displays that attract dust under lighting.
Protective film: Peel the film within a few weeks of installation. Sunlight and heat bake the adhesive into the surface, and removing it later leaves residue that has to be polished out — the most common avoidable complaint on outdoor or window-facing retail units.
Fixing method: Use shoulder washers, standoffs or a bracket that spreads the load, and never a countersunk metal screw bearing directly on the sheet. Acrylic has no yield, so a fixing that bites into the surface becomes the crack initiation point in service.
Service temperature: Acrylic holds its shape to about 70–80 °C continuously, and its stiffness falls well before that. A shelf directly above a hot lamp, or a unit in a closed vehicle or a sunny window, can sag or distort — tell us the environment and we will specify for it rather than for the drawing alone.

Need a material or finish we have not listed — anti-static sheet, UV-filtering grades, V0 flame-retardant acrylic, coloured or fluorescent cast sheet? We buy to specification and can usually source it. Ask, and if it is the wrong material for your application we will say so rather than quote it.

Tell us the application and we will specify the material

Send the drawing, the environment it will live in and what sits on it. You will get a material and finish recommendation with the reasoning, a price and a lead time — and a straight answer when acrylic is not the right choice.

1Send drawings, files or a photo
2Engineer reviews and quotes
3Sample, approve, produce

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