Custom Metal Plaques, Cast and Engraved

A cast metal piece is moulded, so shapes such as stars, eagles and sculpted emblems can stand proud of the surface. A metal plate plaque is a flat sheet of brass, aluminum or a gold or silver tone finish mounted onto a wood or plastic board, and it is engraved rather than moulded. Cast pieces carry the detail; plate pieces carry the wording. Several styles here combine the two, with a cast emblem set above an engraved plate.

Only on the styles that price dye sublimation. In this range that is the 8" x 6" Sublimated Plaque, which prints onto an 11" W x 8" H aluminum insert, and the Full Color Dash Plaques. Sublimation bonds the image into a coating on the aluminum, so it reproduces photographs and gradients. Laser engraving and deep etch cannot do this, because both cut a single tone into the surface.

Aluminum, brass, bronze, chrome and pewter appear across this range, along with cast metal used for raised emblems. The Custom Bronze Engraved Deco Plaque Sign is bronze at 10.5" x 13". The Screenprinted Brass Plaque pairs a brass face with a pewter border at 8" x 10". Aluminum is used both as an engraved plate and, on the sublimated styles, as the printed surface itself.

It depends on the style and the two ends are far apart. Most engraved metal plaques start at one piece, with breaks such as 1, 5, 12, 25. The Gold Wall Plaque and Silver Wall Plaque start at 3 pieces, with breaks at 3, 6 and 25. The Full Color Dash Plaques are the outlier and start at 50, with breaks at 50, 100, 250 and 500, because they are produced as a print run rather than individually engraved.

It is listed per style and is smaller than the plaque itself. The Custom Bronze Engraved Deco Plaque Sign is 10.5" x 13" with a 4.75" x 7" area. The Screenprinted Brass Plaque is 8" x 10" with a 5.5" x 8.5" area. The Antique Bronze and Walnut Frame Plaque splits its area in two, a 6.5" x 1.25" header plate and a 6.5" x 7.5" main plate, which lets a program name sit above the honoree's name.

Brass and bronze surfaces develop a patina over time in open air, which is why antique bronze finishes are sold as a deliberate look rather than a defect. Anodised and coated aluminum plates, including the black aluminum plates used on the Gold and Silver Wall Plaques, hold their color in an indoor office setting. If the plaque is going outdoors, tell us at quote stage so we point you at the finishes that hold up.

Setup on this range runs between $45 and $80 and is listed next to the price table on each style. It is charged once per order rather than per piece, so it has a much larger effect on a run of three than on a run of two hundred. Reordering the same artwork later can avoid a repeat setup, so tell us if the order is a repeat when you request pricing.