Channel letter calculator
How much return coil, how many LEDs and which machine your letters need, in a few seconds.
Height of capital letters such as H or E.
Width of the return coil. Usually 50–120 mm.
What you need
Type some text to see the calculation.
Which machine makes these letters
MECVORA machines that work 80 mm coil in aluminium, 0.8 mm thick.
Compact Letter Bender
Compact machine for channel letters in flat aluminum, with small footprint and affordable start-up cost
Aluminum Letter Bender CNC
Dedicated aluminum machine for channel letters in channelume, strips and profiles with fast cutting
Automatic Letter Bender
Versatile automatic machine for channel letters in stainless, galvanized steel and aluminum with Delta servo
How big should the letters be?
How we calculate
The calculator draws every letter in your browser and measures its outline, including the holes in letters like O, A or B, which need a return too.
- ✓The return coil is the outline length of all letters, plus 5% for bends and joints.
- ✓Weight comes from coil length, depth, thickness and material density: aluminium 2,700 kg/m³, stainless and galvanized steel about 7,900 kg/m³.
- ✓For LEDs we start from the face area: around 150 modules per m² at shallow depths and fewer for deep letters, where light spreads better. Halo-lit letters get 20% fewer.
- ✓The power supply has a 25% margin over the LED power.
- ✓Readability follows the sign industry rule: each centimetre of letter height reads well from 1.2 m and at most from 3.6 m.
Frequently asked questions
How many metres of coil go into one channel letter?
It depends on the letter and the font. In a sans serif font, a 40 cm letter has 1.5 to 2.5 m of outline on average, and letters with holes, such as B or O, have more. The calculator above measures each letter separately.
What depth should I choose for illuminated letters?
Front-lit letters usually use 60–100 mm. Deeper letters spread the light more evenly and need fewer LEDs, but they are heavier and cost more.
Aluminium or stainless steel?
Aluminium is light and bends easily, which suits most illuminated letters. Stainless steel looks good unpainted and lasts longer outdoors, but it is harder to work and needs a machine that accepts it.
Can I make channel letters without a machine?
Yes, by hand with pliers and a template, but each letter takes hours and the corners come out uneven. A channel letter bending machine makes the same letter in a few minutes from the vector file.