Determining the visibility of your sign involves consideration of the viewing distance. The size of the lettering used should be based on the average viewing range at which people will be reading your sign.

A widely acknowledged standard for determining visibility at particular distances is outlined in the chart shown:

Letter Height
(inches)
Distance For
Best Impact
(feet)
Maximum Readable
Distance
(feet)
3″ 30′ 100′
4″ 40′ 150′
6″ 60′ 200′
8″ 80′ 350′
9″ 90′ 400′
10″ 100′ 450′
12″ 120′ 525′
15″ 150′ 630′
18″ 180′ 750′
24″ 240′ 1000′
30″ 300′ 1250′
36″ 360′ 1500′
42″ 420′ 1750′
48″ 480′ 2000′
54″ 540′ 2250′
60″ 600′ 2500′