Flat metal panels
Aluminum Signs and ACM Panels in Los Angeles
8511 Lankershim Blvd, Sun Valley · Open daily 7 AM–10 PM
Send a photo of the spot. We draw the sign on it at a proposed size. The first mockup and one round of changes are free for business-sign requests, per location. Extra rounds are billed.
What is an aluminum sign?
An aluminum sign is a flat metal panel with graphics on the face. Two materials do most of the work. Solid aluminum sheet is what most street and parking signs are made of: thin, tough and easy to bolt to a post. Aluminum composite material, or ACM, bonds a plastic core between two thin aluminum skins. People often call it Dibond, after one well-known brand. It stays flat and light at sizes where a solid sheet would flex or get heavy.
Both make good outdoor metal signs. They hold a print or vinyl well and don't care about rain. That's why so many metal signs for business around Los Angeles, from a building name on a stucco wall to a suite panel by a gate, start as aluminum composite signs or solid sheet.
Mockup first
From a photo of the spot to a finished panel
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Send a photo
A photo of the wall, post or lot where the sign goes, plus the address, a rough size and how many signs you need.Who You
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See the mockup
We draw the panel on your photo at a proposed size, in your colors and wording, so you can check it reads from where people stand or drive.Who Our shop
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Choose the details
Solid aluminum or ACM, thickness, finish, corners and hole positions. One side or two.Who You
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Print and cut
The panel is UV-printed or covered in vinyl, cut to size and drilled for its hardware in our Sun Valley shop.Who Our shop
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Mount it
A licensed sign-contractor partner mounts the sign and files a permit when one is needed. Your quote lists the installer's CSLB license number.Who Licensed partner
The first mockup and one round of changes are free for business-sign requests, per location. Extra rounds are billed. No payment details.
How the mockup and drawings work
Made in Sun Valley
Panels printed and cut on Lankershim
Aluminum and ACM panels are UV-printed or covered in vinyl, then cut and drilled at Angels Print, 8511 Lankershim Blvd in Sun Valley. Shapes in ACM run on our CNC router. Design and production happen in the same building, a short drive from Burbank, North Hollywood and Van Nuys.
Want to compare materials in person, or bring in a faded sign to match? Stop by any day from 7 AM to 10 PM, and call ahead so the right person is there.
How an aluminum sign is made
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Panel
Solid aluminum sheet for post signs and small wall signs, or ACM for larger panels that have to stay flat. Thickness is matched to the size and to how the sign is held. -
Graphics
Full-color UV print straight onto the panel, printed vinyl under a clear laminate, or cut vinyl letters in solid colors. Reflective vinyl lights up in headlights. -
Shape and holes
Square or rounded corners, or a custom outline. ACM shapes and letters cut right through the panel are routed on our CNC router. Holes go where your hardware needs them. -
Mounting
Screws or rivets into a wall, brackets or U-bolts on a post, through-bolts on a fence, or standoffs that hold the panel off the wall for a finished look.
Solid aluminum, ACM or acrylic?
| Compare | Solid aluminum | Aluminum composite (ACM) | Acrylic panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | One sheet of metal, usually 0.040 to 0.080 in thick for signs. | Two thin aluminum skins bonded to a plastic core, most often about 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. | A solid plastic sheet: clear, frosted, colored or mirror. |
| Large panels | Thin sheet flexes at large sizes, so a big sign needs a heavier gauge or a frame. | Stays flat and rigid at full-sheet sizes, which is why wall panels are usually ACM. | Suits smaller sizes, mounted on standoffs. |
| Edge | Bare metal edge. | The core shows as a thin line at the cut edge. | Polished, glass-like edge. |
| Two-sided on a post | Yes. The usual pick for parking and directional signs. | Yes, for larger two-sided panels. | Rarely used on posts. |
| A natural fit for | Parking, reserved-space and street-style post signs | Wall panels, building names, larger property and contractor signs | Lobby, suite and office signs indoors |
General guidance, not a rule. Standard ACM has a plastic core. For a wall sign over 40 sq ft in the City of LA, the drawings show how the panel and its frame meet the City's materials rule (see the permit note below).
More ways aluminum goes into a sign
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Illustration
Parking and property signs
Reserved spaces, customer parking, drop-off lanes and lot rules, printed on aluminum for posts and walls. See custom parking signs
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Illustration
Wayfinding and directory signs
Suite directories, arrows and building maps. Aluminum and ACM panels work in hallways and on outdoor paths. See wayfinding signs
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Illustration
Monument signs
Low signs at a driveway or entrance. Aluminum skins, routed aluminum faces and cut letters are common builds. See monument signs
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Illustration
Aluminum letters
Cut aluminum letters and logos, brushed or painted, set on studs. A non-lit name for a sunny outside wall. See dimensional letters
Sign-type photos are illustrations, not our projects.
What we need for a quote
Free: 1 mockup + 1 round of changes per location for business-sign requests. Extra rounds are billed. No payment details. No obligation to order.
- A photo of the wall, post or fence where each sign goes
- The address, so we know which city's rules apply
- The size of each sign and how many you need
- The wording, or your logo file (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG if you have one)
- One side or two, and how it mounts: wall, post or fence
- Whether posts are already in the ground
- Your landlord's or HOA's sign rules, if there are any
Replacing worn signs on existing posts? Send a photo of one with a tape measure in the shot. New panels can be drilled to the same hole pattern.
Send photos any time
Email hello@angelssigns.com with your business name in the subject.
LA permit note
When an aluminum sign needs a permit in the City of LA
In the City of Los Angeles, putting up, changing or taking down a sign needs a permit. One exception fits small post signs: a sign of 20 sq ft or less, placed on the ground, no part higher than 6 ft 6 in and with no lighting, power or moving parts, needs no permit as long as such signs stand at least 15 ft apart.
Two more rules shape metal signs. A wall sign over 40 sq ft must be built entirely of metal or another approved noncombustible material; approved plastic is still allowed for its letters and display surface. And a wall sign can't be placed on a fence or a freestanding wall, so a sign planned for a fence is checked against the rules for your address first. When a permit is needed, our licensed sign-contractor partner files it and we prepare the drawings. Your quote lists the installer's CSLB license number.
Information, not an approval. Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena have their own rules. Source: the LADBS Sign Manual (P/BC 2023-078). More in the Los Angeles sign permit guide.
In the City of LA, new, changed, removed and lit signs usually need a permit. A face change alone usually doesn't.
What aluminum signs usually cost
A small suite plate by a door and a 4 × 8 ft building panel are both aluminum signs, so a single price range wouldn't tell you much. HomeAdvisor's national cost guide has no line for aluminum panels. It does say that plastic and aluminum signs cost less than steel ones, that signs printed with UV ink cost more than those printed with solvent ink, and that signs without lighting cost less than lit signs (HomeAdvisor, updated June 2026). That's a national reference, not our price.
With flat panels, the count often matters as much as the size. Ten matching suite or gate signs share one design and one print layout; ten different signs don't. A photo of each spot and a rough list get you a real number.
Send a photo for a real number. The HomeAdvisor guide is a national reference, not our price.
What a complete quote includesAluminum sign questions
Still deciding? Call (818) 806-9006 or text a photo and ask.
Solid aluminum or ACM: which should I choose?
How do aluminum signs hold up outdoors in LA?
Can aluminum signs be double-sided?
Do you make custom laser-cut metal signs?
Does an aluminum sign need a permit in Los Angeles?
Can new panels go on my existing posts?
See your aluminum sign in place
Free: 1 mockup + 1 round of changes per location for business-sign requests. Extra rounds are billed. Or bring your logo to the shop, open daily 7 AM–10 PM.
What to send
- A photo of the spot where the sign goes.
- The size and how many signs you need.
- The wording or your logo file.
Ordering a set for a lot or a building? A rough list of the signs is enough to start.
8511 Lankershim Blvd, Sun Valley, CA 91352Open daily 7 AM to 10 PMGet directions