Corflute vs aluminium signs: choosing a signboard material

Corflute suits single-campaign listing boards: it is light, waterproof and the lower-cost material per board. ACM (aluminium composite) suits prestige, long-term and reused boards, because it stays flat and resists wind and knocks. Foam PVC is mostly an indoor material for marketing suites and displays. The right choice depends on how long the sign stays up, how often it is reused and where it stands.

This guide compares the three rigid materials used for real estate and property signs: corflute, aluminium composite panel (ACM) and foam PVC.

What are corflute, ACM and foam PVC signboards made of?

Corflute is fluted polypropylene sheet, ACM is two aluminium skins bonded to a plastic core, and foam PVC is a solid expanded PVC sheet.

Corflute is a trade name that has become the generic Australian word for fluted polypropylene sheet: two flat plastic skins joined by vertical ribs, like corrugated cardboard made in plastic. It is light, waterproof, cheap to cut and print, and easy to carry in a car. Listing boards are usually 3mm thick; 5mm is stiffer and sometimes used for larger boards. Our corflute signboards are 3mm with an eyelet in each corner.

ACM (aluminium composite material or panel) is a sandwich of two thin aluminium skins bonded to a solid plastic core, typically 3mm thick overall. It is rigid, flat and dent resistant, and its painted aluminium face takes direct print well. It is the material most often described as an "aluminium sign". Our ACM signboards are 3mm.

Foam PVC is a solid, closed-cell expanded PVC sheet, usually 3mm to 10mm. It has a smooth, matte surface that prints cleanly and cuts to shape easily, which is why it is common in marketing suites, receptions and exhibition displays. It is mostly an indoor material. Our rigid display boards use 3mm or 5mm foam PVC, or 5mm foamboard for short events.

How do corflute, ACM and foam PVC handle the weather?

Corflute, ACM and foam PVC all cope with rain, but ACM handles wind, sun, heat and knocks better than corflute, and foam PVC is not a street-board material in most Australian climates.

Rain is not a problem for any of the three. Polypropylene, aluminium and PVC do not absorb water.

Wind is where they differ. A thin corflute board flexes, and a large one can twist or crack around fixings if it is not well supported. The flutes also make it stiffer in one direction than the other, so orientation matters on a large board. ACM resists wind load far better and stays flat between fixings.

Sun and heat are the long-term test. Over months of exposure, print fades and polypropylene can become brittle. Foam PVC can soften and bow in high heat, which is one reason it is not a street-board material in most Australian climates. ACM holds its shape in heat, and print on it lasts longer, particularly with a laminate.

Knocks and vandalism favour ACM. Corflute can be cut, bent or torn at an eyelet; ACM takes a scuff on the surface but rarely fails structurally.

Can real estate signboards be reused across listings?

A generic agency signboard can be reused across many listings, and ACM survives reuse better than corflute; a property-specific board is single-use. Reuse changes the cost picture. A listing board usually stays up for a few weeks and must come down shortly after the sale or lease: within 14 days in NSW according to council guidance on the state exempt code (The Hills Shire Council), within 7 days of the contract in Victoria (Wyndham City Council), and within a set time after settlement in Brisbane (Brisbane City Council). A property-specific board printed with the address and hero photo is single-use by nature.

A generic agency board, printed with brand, "For Sale" or "For Lease" and an agent contact, can be reused on many properties, with property detail added on a rider or a sticker. That is where ACM makes sense for everyday stock: it survives being stacked in a boot, put up and taken down many times. Corflute generic boards are reusable too, but they mark, bend and lose their crispness faster.

What frames and fixings do corflute and ACM signboards need?

A corflute board needs support from a frame, pickets or stakes, while an ACM board can be self-supporting. Common corflute options are a steel or timber post frame the board slides or clips into, star pickets with cable ties through the corner eyelets, or wire stakes pushed into the flutes for small boards. The frame does much of the work of keeping a corflute board straight.

ACM can be self-supporting. It can be screwed or riveted to a fence, wall or pair of posts, held with rails or channels on the back, or fixed into a frame for a cleaner look. Its edges are clean enough to leave exposed.

Foam PVC is usually fixed with double-sided tape, stand-offs or a frame indoors, or sits on an easel.

Our boards are supplied printed. Frames, stakes and installation are arranged through your consultant.

Do corflute and ACM signboards need a laminate?

For a short campaign on corflute, a laminate is often unnecessary. For an ACM board that will be reused for a year or more, it is usually worth specifying.

A clear laminate film over the print adds scratch resistance and slows fading. A matt laminate cuts glare, which matters on a board facing the afternoon sun or photographed for social media. Gloss gives deeper colour but reflects more. An anti-graffiti laminate makes it easier to clean marker and paint from a board that is exposed to vandalism.

How much do corflute and ACM signboards cost?

Corflute is the lower-cost signboard material per board, and our price book reflects that across the range. For example:

• Ten 600 x 450mm corflute boards printed both sides are $315. Ten 600 x 450mm ACM boards are $565.
• A single 600 x 450mm ACM board is $305. Corflute starts at five boards, with five 900 x 600mm double-sided boards at $315 and ten at $410.

The useful comparison is cost per use, not cost per board. A property-specific board is used once, so corflute almost always wins. A generic board used on many listings spreads its cost across every one of them, and a board that still looks sharp on its tenth listing is doing more for the agency than a cheaper one that looks tired on its second.

Larger, routed and double-sided ACM boards are specified and quoted by your consultant.

When should you choose corflute, ACM or foam PVC?

Choose corflute for single-campaign boards, ACM for prestige, reused and long-term signs, and foam PVC indoors:

• Everyday listings with property detail. Corflute, 3mm, printed both sides if the board stands side-on to the street. Our default is 900 x 600mm.
• Photo and auction boards for a single campaign. Corflute at 1200 x 900mm or larger, in a sturdy frame.
• Prestige listings. ACM, for a board that stays flat and presents crisply in photographs and in person.
• Generic agency boards reused across listings. ACM, with riders or stickers for property detail.
• Commercial property and long-term lease signs. ACM, fixed to the building or a post frame.
• Development sites. ACM for long-term site and directional signs, mesh banners for fences, and hoardings for anything at scale.
• Marketing suites, receptions and displays. Foam PVC, 5mm for a suite that is open for months.

If you are weighing up sizes as well as materials, our spec sheet on real estate sign sizes covers board formats, type size and photo resolution.

See corflute signboards and aluminium (ACM) signboards for prices, or the real estate sector page for how we plan an agency's signage alongside its brochures and stationery.