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Option Print · Published 13 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026 · 5 min read
A no parking board looks like the simplest thing we make: one flat sheet, a short message, a few holes for fixing. Yet the same board can last for years on one gate and crack or fade on another, and the difference is almost always the material, not the print.
Housing societies, shops, clinics, offices and event organisers ask us which material to use for a no parking sign board. Sunpack, ACP, metal, sunboard and flex on a frame all work in the right place. Here is how they compare, including the cases where we would point you away from Sunpack.
Before choosing a material, answer three questions. Is the board indoors, under a shade, or in open sun and rain? Is it fixed for years, or put up for a season or an event? Does it need to be seen at night under vehicle headlights? Those answers narrow the choice to one or two materials before price even comes into it.
A board on a basement pillar and a board on a roadside gate are different products, even when the artwork is identical.
Sunpack is polypropylene hollow board. It does not absorb water, so rain does not swell or soften it, and it is light enough to tie to a gate grill, a pillar or a barricade with cable ties through eyelets. We make no parking boards in 3mm or 5mm Sunpack, cut to your size, with eyelets where you need them.
3mm suits a board fixed flat against a wall, pillar or gate panel. 5mm is stiffer and stays flat where the board hangs from two points or catches the wind.
Polypropylene degrades under long exposure to direct sunlight unless the sheet is UV-stabilised. A Sunpack board in open sun on an exposed wall will eventually fade and turn brittle, and how long that takes depends on the sheet grade and the exposure. We would rather say this plainly than promise a lifespan we cannot verify.
Under a shade, in a basement or porch, or for a season or a single event, this does not matter. For a board meant to stay in open sun for years, read the next section.
Aluminium composite panel (ACP) and aluminium or galvanised steel sheet are the materials to choose for a board that stays outdoors for years. They do not turn brittle in sunlight, and with a good print or vinyl they hold up through several seasons.
They cost more, weigh more, and need screws, rivets or a frame to fix. If the board faces a public road or must be legible at night, metal with reflective sheeting is the right specification, and Sunpack is not a substitute for it.
Sunboard, a PVC foam board, prints smoothly and looks neat, which is why it is common for indoor signage. Outdoors it can warp in heat and its edges chip when knocked, so we treat it as an indoor material.
Flex printed and stretched on a frame is economical at large sizes. At the size of a typical no parking board, though, the frame costs more than the print, and loosely fixed flex flaps and tears in wind.
On Sunpack we print the board one of two ways. UV printing, done in-house, goes directly onto the board surface and gives solid colour and sharp lettering. Printed vinyl with lamination is applied to the board instead, which puts a protective layer between the ink and the weather.
For a short message such as NO PARKING with a vehicle symbol, both work well. For a board facing rain and regular handling, ask us for vinyl with lamination.
The most common mistake is a board too small to read from a moving vehicle. Keep the message short, use bold lettering in high contrast, and size the board for the distance at which a driver needs to see it. A 12 x 18 inch board is a common starting point for gates and pillars.
Tell us how it will be fixed: tied to a grill, screwed to a wall, hung on a chain or placed on a stand. Eyelet positions and board thickness follow from that, and getting them right is what keeps the board straight after the first windy day.
Sunpack sits at the low end of cost among materials that handle rain, and for a shaded gate, a parking lot or a season-long need it is all a board needs to be. ACP and metal cost more at the start but can outlast several Sunpack boards in open sun.
If you need boards for several gates, branches or sites, order them together. Quantity lowers the unit price on any material, and matching boards look better than a mix of reprints.
Match the board to where it will be used:
Yes. Sunpack is polypropylene and does not absorb water, so rain does not swell or soften the board. Its limit outdoors is long exposure to direct sunlight, not rain. For a board under a shade, in a basement or put up for a season, rain is not a concern.
Choose 3mm for a board fixed flat against a wall, pillar or gate panel along its whole back. Choose 5mm where the board hangs from eyelets, is tied to a grill at two points or catches the wind, because the thicker sheet stays flat and resists bending between fixing points.
Yes. Every board is printed to your artwork, so a society, shop or company name, a logo, a vehicle symbol and a contact number can all go on it. Keep the main message large and short, so that NO PARKING stays readable from the road.
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