Folded channel is cheaper for twenty pieces and worse for five hundred. The reasons are wall consistency, the integral lip and straightness — and they show up in assembly time, not in the metal price.
Extruded 6063-T5 channel beats folded sheet on three counts: constant wall thickness, an integral lip that stiffens the open edge, and straightness you can assemble without straightening. Folded channel is cheaper for a one-off and worse for a container of five hundred signs.
| Width (no.) | Panel height it suits | Weight | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60# | up to 600 mm | — | Small warning and regulatory signs, single post |
| 70# / 80# | 600–900 mm | — | Standard direction and information signs |
| 100# | 900–1500 mm | — | Large direction signs, two posts |
| 110# | 1500 mm and above | — | Gantry faces, overhead signage, high wind zones |
Weights are nominal per metre for the die as drawn and will move a few per cent with wall thickness. Ask for the die drawing if the weight matters for freight.
A folded channel is made from flat sheet on a press brake. It is quick to set up and cheap for twenty pieces. What it cannot do is hold a constant wall: the corners thin, the legs spring back, and over a three-metre length the channel develops a bow that has to be straightened by hand before it will sit on a panel.
An extrusion has the same wall everywhere, a lip rolled into the open edge, and a straightness that comes from the die rather than from the operator. On a production run the difference shows up in assembly time, not in the price of the metal — which is why buyers who assemble in their own workshop ask for extruded channel even when it costs more per metre.
The channel is not there to carry the sign; it is there to stop the panel drumming and to transfer load to the posts. As a working rule: fix at every 300–400 mm along the panel, always within 100 mm of each end, and always through the channel's centre line rather than its edge.
On panels above 1.5 m, run the channel vertically as well as horizontally, or use a perimeter frame. A single horizontal pair on a 2 m tall panel will let the middle flex, and that flex is what cracks film at the fixing points after two winters.
6063-T5 is air-quenched and straightened after extrusion; T6 is water-quenched and aged to a higher strength. For sign channel T5 is almost always enough — the section is stiffness-driven, not strength-driven — and T6 adds cost without changing deflection. Where T6 earns its place is in structural brackets and fittings, not in a channel that carries a 2 mm panel.
A new die for a custom section is typically a few hundred US dollars and two to three weeks, which only makes sense if the section will run for years. For everything else we cut from the four standard dies and ship within the normal lead time.
Yes — cut to length, deburred, with end caps loose in the box. That is usually cheaper than shipping 6 m bars and cutting on site, because the freight is priced on the finished length.
No. The blank is rolled sheet (3003 or 5052); the channel is extruded 6063. They are different processes and different alloys, which is exactly why buying both from one cluster saves you a consolidation step.
We supply the channel, end caps and stiffeners. Fixings are usually sourced locally by the buyer because they are cheap to buy anywhere and expensive to ship — we will tell you the specification to buy against.
Specification questions are answered by the same person who quotes the job.