How Much Does a Neon Sign Cost (and Why?)

If you're looking to buy a neon sign (either a glass neon sign or an LED neon sign), it's important to understand the associated costs.

In this article, I explain the costs of the two main types of neon signs and why they differ in price.

There are two main types of neon signs - traditional glass neon signs and LED neon signs.

Below, I have broken down the many factors that impact the cost and explained each's benefits and drawbacks.

Manufacturing Process - Traditional Neon Signs

This process requires expert craftsmen to create the sign. A complicated and delicate process is involved in making a traditional neon sign. Here are the key steps involved:

• The design of the neon sign is created.
• The front plate and back plates are printed and cut.
• A professional glass bender bends and molds glass into the correct 3D shapes. This involves melting, bending, blowing, and shaping the glass tubing.
• Holes on the front plate are cut, allowing the glass tubing to be connected to the electrodes and the non-design elements of the sign (like the electrodes and electrical connection points) to be hidden from view.
• Based on the tubing section's intended color in the design, it is powder coated and added with mercury.
• The glass tubing is cleaned - any air or moisture is removed using a vacuum.
• Electrodes are connected to the ends of the glass tubing. These electrodes pass electrical current into the tubing, and the gases inside the tube react, creating a color.
• Once the glass tubing is cooled, a mix of neon gas and other gases is added to it based on the colors of the section of tubing in the design. Certain gas mixes create certain colors.
• The glass tubing is now sealed off, connected to power, and tested.
• The glass neon tubing is mounted to the front plate.
• This whole process will usually take two days to make a moderate-sized sign.

Neon Sign Cost - Traditional Neon Signs

As you can tell, there are highly specialized and complex processes involved in creating glass neon signs. Size, complexity of the design, and man hours are the important factors that combine to contribute to the actual cost of buying a traditional neon sign.

Traditional neon signs cost between $1000 and $5000.

Benefits of Traditional Neon Signs

There are only three benefits of traditional neon signs compared to modern equivalents.

What are the benefits of traditional neon signs?

• A design aesthetic: Glass neon signs have a 3D shape, with rounded glass, inconsistent tubing color, and a unique depth of character.
• History and nostalgia: Many people associate neon signs from the 1920s to the 1980s with a massive dose of history, and this nostalgia is one of the signs' most beautiful qualities.
• True craftsmanship—there is no doubt about it. The whole process of making a traditional neon sign is beautiful. Watching these craftsmen and women at work reveals a class and expertise.

Manufacturing Process - LED Neon Signs

The manufacture of LED neon signs requires well-trained staff with welding, soldering, and gluing skills.

• The sign's design is created on the computer using design software like CorelDraw, PhotoShop, or Affinity Pro.
• The acrylic backboard is cut to the desired shape.
• A trace of the design is printed onto the paper backing on the acrylic backboard - this paper backing is removed, and no evidence of this trace is left. This trace shows the lines of the lettering and LED elements of the design.
• The backboard is positioned with the front side up, and following the trace showing from the backside, LED neon flex of the specific color (or could be Dynamic Neon) is cut and glued to the front of the backboard.
• Wiring is connected from letter to letter or across design elements, daisy-chaining to a single point (which will be connected to the power source).
• The ends of the cut LED neon are terminated with small plastic caps.
• In an iterative process of the prior few steps - cutting, gluing, wiring, soldering, and shaping - the LED neon flex is mounted to the backboard until the whole design has been traced.
• If the sign is to be used outdoors, it is sealed with silicone sealant along all of the tubing, wiring, and connection points to prevent water from accessing the electrical wiring.
• Once the design has been fully traced, all wiring is connected to a transformer, connected to a 12-volt power supply, and tested.
• This whole process will usually take an hour to make a moderate-sized sign.

Neon Sign Cost - LED Neon Signs

The cost of an LED neon sign depends on its size, the number of LED lights used, and the complexity of the design.

An LED neon sign usually costs between $150 and $500, which is far more affordable than its neon gas counterpart.

Benefits of LED Neon Signs

There is no doubt that LED neon signs are more advanced, and better in almost every single way when compared to their traditional neon sign counterparts.

What are the benefits of LED neon signs?

• Fast production timeframes - Creating an LED neon sign is 10x faster.
• Safer to transport - They do not break easily and can be safely sent in padded boxes with FedEx or DHL.
• Easy installation - they are light with easy hanging or wall mounting by a single person.
• Brighter - LED neon lights are 4x brighter and last 2x longer.
• Weatherproofing - easy to weatherproof and lasts decades.
• Smaller footprint - LED neon signs are thinner, more compact, and require fewer resources to create.
• Design precision - they will be more accurate as we trace the design precisely.
• Consistent design - they don't require holes or gaps in the design and present a complete front of the design.
• No toxic materials - they don't require gases or mercury and are much better for the environment.
• No heat - they produce little to no heat and are safe to touch even after extended use.
• Multiple colors - The sign can have up to 24 unique light colors. Any combination or even different colors within the same stretch of LED neon flex is possible.
• Energy efficient - they are 5x more energy efficient than their vintage neon signs - they use 12 volts of power. They are much cheaper to run.
• Low maintenance - they require very little maintenance except dusting now and then.
• No humming or noise - Glass neon signs make a low humming noise, LED neon signs don't have this issue - they make no noise.
• Programmable options - using Dynamic Neon, we can embed user-controllable color-changing options into the LED neon sign.

Choosing a Custom Neon Sign Maker

Custom neon signs can be created using either glass neon or LED neon. However, I believe I've shown that LED neon light signs are superior in almost all ways.

We specialize in turning a brand's company logo, design, or idea into a striking neon sign.

Several factors are involved in choosing a neon sign maker. The most important are workmanship quality, a proven trading history, and attentive customer service staff.

Please view our neon sign photo gallery, our company history, and details, and if you have any questions, please contact our customer service team.

If you want custom LED neon signs or a quote, please use our custom quote form. Once we have an outline of what you want, we can outline the actual cost of the sign.