Open-Face Channel Letters with LED Neon, 304 Stainless Steel

Open-face channel letters, also called exposed neon or neon-style channel letters, show the light itself. Each letter is a 304 stainless steel channel with no face, and a line of LED neon runs along the centerline of every stroke, held by clips and usually set toward the front of the channel. You see a bright, continuous line of light inside a metal letter, the look of a classic neon sign.

The neon is LED neon, not glass. It is a flexible silicone light line that runs on 12 V and does not get hot like glass neon tubes. You get the retro look without the high-voltage glass, and LED neon uses a fraction of the power of glass neon.

By day, the channel finish does the work: black, any painted color, brushed stainless or brushed gold, with the neon line visible inside. At night the neon glows and lights the inside walls of the channel, so a gold channel glows warm around the line and a black one frames it sharply.

Neon colors: white, warm white, red, blue, pink, or another color you name. Bars, cafes, restaurants, barbershops, breweries and shops with a vintage or playful brand use this style most. It reads best where people are close enough to enjoy the detail, indoors or on a storefront.

Open-face or front-lit? A front-lit letter glows as an even surface behind its face. An open-face letter shows a bright line inside an open channel. Open channels also collect dust, leaves and the odd bird's nest, so brush them out now and then.

Every stroke is fitted by hand: the neon is bent to follow the letter and clipped in place. That is why open-face letters cost more per letter than front-lit letters of the same height, and why the drawing matters. It shows exactly how the neon runs through each letter before anything is built.

• Mounting: flush to the wall, with a full-size paper template and the mounting hardware; standoffs only if you ask.
• Indoor: a plug-in 100-240 V adapter.
• Outdoor: IP65 LED modules and a hard-wired outdoor power supply that a licensed electrician connects.
• Options: dimmer with remote, timer.
• Sizes: 4 in to 60 in tall in the price estimator.

The power supply and LED modules are UL / cUL listed components. Installation and permits are not included. The price estimator on this page gives a range from our own recent quotes; send your text or logo and the wall size, and we email a free drawing with a lit preview and the exact price.

Choose open-face letters when the look of the light is part of your brand: a bar, a cafe, a barbershop or any place with a retro feel. If you only need the name readable from the road, front-lit letters do it for less. Outdoors, open channels gather dust and debris, so a spot you can reach for cleaning helps.

Pick the channel finish and the neon color together. Gold or white channels with warm white neon glow soft and warm; black channels with white or colored neon look crisp and graphic. Colored neon in a matching painted channel gives the boldest color by day and night.

Fonts with clear, even strokes give the neon a clean path; scripts and serifs can work, and the drawing shows how the neon runs through each one. Send your text or logo, the wall size and a photo, and add the dimmer if the sign hangs indoors.