The standard package
Most crane signage jobs are the same shape: two signs per crane, each 4 m by 1 m, mounted so the crane can be read from both sides. That is what puts a builder's name on the skyline for the length of the job. Custom sizes can be done subject to engineering approval, and are priced on application.
There are two builds. An aluminium lightbox is the workhorse: a durable aluminium box with LED illumination and push-through lettering, so the letters carry in daylight and light up at night. Cladded ACM signage is the premium finish, with opal individual letters on a clad panel and integrated LED lighting. Both are on the signage and lighting page, and we design, manufacture, install and maintain both.
When the sign is advertising, not your name
SkySigns is the other use for the same real estate. Rather than carrying the builder's name, the crane becomes an advertising platform: large-format branding and illuminated display, LED lit for 24-hour running, with content uploaded remotely so it can change as often as the campaign needs. We deliver it with AD Group, who bring the advertising side, and we do the structural engineering, the lighting and the mounting. It works on fixed structures as well as cranes, which matters on a job where the crane comes down before the marketing campaign ends.
What sits outside the sign price
- Posts and certification. The quoted price is for the lightboxes. Signage posts and certification are separate items.
- Installation. We do not install signage manufactured by a third party, so the sign and the crew that puts it up need to come from the same place. If you already have a sign from someone else, tell us before you plan the install.
- Power. The sign is lit, so it needs a supply at the crane and that has to be in the electrical scope for the site.
- Aviation lighting. An obstruction light is a separate item with its own requirements — see aviation lighting for tower cranes.
Order it when you order the crane
Allow about six to eight weeks from approved artwork to a delivered sign. That is the single thing that catches people out: the crane arrives on programme and the signage is still being made. If the sign matters to the client or to a sales campaign, order it at the same time you order the crane, not when the crane is standing.
Wind loading and compliance
Four square metres of flat panel high on a tower adds wind area that the crane, the mast and the base all have to carry. That is why signage is engineered as part of the crane rather than fixed on afterwards, and why custom sizes go back through engineering before they are priced. The same design work covers the safety and aviation requirements that apply to anything mounted at that height.
What we need to quote it
Send the crane model and the mast height, your artwork or logo, whether you want an aluminium lightbox or cladded ACM, and the date the crane goes up. We come back with the design, the price and the lead time, within 2 business days. Use the enquiry form and pick signage and lighting.
Common questions
How long does crane signage take to make?
About six to eight weeks from approved artwork. Order the signage with the crane rather than when the crane goes up.
Can I get a sign that isn't 4 m by 1 m?
Yes. Custom sizes are considered subject to engineering approval and are priced on application, because the size changes the wind loading the crane carries.
Can you install a sign made by someone else?
No. We do not install signage manufactured by a third party. The sign and the installation have to come from the same supplier.
What is included in the lightbox price?
The lightboxes themselves. Signage posts and certification are quoted separately, and power to the sign sits in the site's electrical scope.
Planning signage for a crane? Send us the crane and the artwork →