Tactile & Braille Signage

For someone with a visual impairment, a tactile sign is the difference between finding the right door and having to ask. Raised lettering, Grade 2 Braille and clear contrasting symbols let people read a sign by touch, and they are a practical requirement in most public, commercial and residential buildings.

We design and make tactile and Braille signage in our workshop in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and install it for offices, housing, healthcare, education, hospitality and public buildings anywhere in the UK, either as a standalone scheme or as part of a wider wayfinding scheme.

What we make

Tactile door and room identification signs with raised text and Grade 2 Braille
Toilet, accessible WC, changing places and facility signs with tactile pictograms
Lift, stair, floor level and fire exit signage
Tactile directional and floor directory signs
Tactile maps and building plans for receptions and entrances, made to order
Signs in acrylic, aluminium, stainless steel and brass, finished to match your interior

Bronze finish tactile room sign with raised lettering, made by SPI in Bolton

Bronze finish tactile toilet sign with raised pictogram

Tactile library door sign with raised lettering in a bronze finish

Tactile room identification sign on a therapy room door

Tactile floor number and directional sign on an exposed brick wall

Brushed stainless steel tactile floor level sign in a residential stair core

Tactile floor directory sign beside a lift in a residential building

Tactile floor and flat number directory in a residential lobby

Building entrance sign with raised lettering on a granite facade in Manchester

Directional car park sign with raised lettering on a brick wall

Tactile sign manufacture in the SPI workshop in Bolton, Greater Manchester

Designed to the standards

Accessible signage is covered by the Equality Act 2010, BS 8300 and Approved Document M, and we design every tactile sign around them:

Raised characters of a legible, sans serif typeface, at a height people can feel easily
Grade 2 (contracted) Braille, positioned consistently beneath the raised text
Strong visual contrast between text, symbols and background, measured by light reflectance value
Consistent mounting heights and positions, so people learn where to reach
Matt, non reflective finishes that stay readable under any lighting

Positioned where hands expect it

A tactile sign only works if someone can find it. Room signs go on the latch side of the door, at a consistent height, so a person moving along a corridor knows exactly where to reach. We set out every sign against the building’s layout so the whole scheme follows the same rules.

Accessible and still on brand

Tactile signs don’t have to look institutional. We make them in materials and colours that sit naturally alongside the rest of your interior signage, from painted acrylic to brushed stainless steel and brass, while keeping the contrast and legibility the standards require.

Surveys and audits

For existing buildings, we can survey your current signage against BS 8300 and Approved Document M and tell you where the gaps are, then design and install the signs needed to close them, either all at once or phased around the building.

Based in Manchester, working across the UK

We are based in Bolton and install tactile signage across Manchester, Greater Manchester and the North West every week. We also deliver schemes nationwide, from a single building to estates, campuses and multi site public sector contracts.

Why clients choose SPI

ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental and ISO 45001 health and safety certified
Principal Contractor accreditation with SafeContractor
Over 250 years of combined experience across our team
Survey, design, manufacture and installation handled by one company

Questions we’re often asked

Is tactile signage a legal requirement?

Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers must make reasonable adjustments so disabled people can use their buildings. Tactile and Braille signage is one of the most common ways of doing that, and BS 8300 and Approved Document M set out how it should be designed.

What type of Braille do you use?

Grade 2 (contracted) Braille, the standard used for signage in the UK, placed consistently beneath the raised text.

Where should tactile signs be mounted?

Room signs are normally fixed on the latch side of the door at a consistent height, so people can find them by touch. We set out positions for the whole building so every sign follows the same rule.

Can tactile signs match our interior design?

Yes. We make them in painted acrylic, aluminium, stainless steel and brass, in colours that suit your interior while keeping the contrast the standards require.