The Notice Board Buyers Guide

Chances are, if you work in an office, school, hospital, retail premises or any other business, your workplace will have a number of noticeboards available for displaying information. Notice boards offer essential space-saving ways to showcase important displays and documents, sharing information around the team in a simple and striking manner. Notice boards are available in a variety of sizes, colours and configurations – and we also sell external noticeboards for outdoor use. However, when confronted with such a wide range of product options, choosing the right one for your business can seem like a difficult task; so we’ve put together this handy buyer’s guide to help you find the ideal noticeboard for your needs and budget.

What Is a Noticeboard?

Noticeboards are designed specifically to showcase information to the public, employees, pupils and visitors. They are a simple way of distributing notices and information to a wide range of people in an analogue fashion. Typically, they are designed for use with pins, staples or velcro (though magnetic options are available) and come in designs suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

What Can Noticeboards Be Used For?

Notice boards are a versatile and adaptable way to share information. The exact purpose which you use your board for will depend on the location, and the desired audience. For example, school noticeboards can be used to showcase pupil work, share notices about class schedules or highlight safety information.

Notice boards located in offices or staff rooms might flag up charity events, team-building activities or essential company notices. They can also be used to display business performance, charting success stories and boosting morale.

Church bulletin boards often display charity fundraising information, service dates, wedding or christening announcements and details of community events. On community notice boards, you will often see maps, event information and community activities. Whether you choose an indoor or outdoor notice board, the space provides a completely blank canvas that is perfect for communicating all sorts of messages.

Do I Need a Fire-Rated Notice Board?

In locations where you have more than 25 people present at any one time, or in corridors, escape routes and large unsupervised areas in public buildings, you will need your notice boards to be fire retardant and rated to the appropriate standards. This applies to offices, schools, colleges, universities, nurseries, training centres, libraries, medical facilities, government buildings, town halls and community centres.

What are the appropriate fire-rating standards?

The British fire rating standard is called BS 2476. It rates products from class 0 to class 4, with class 0 being the highest (safest). The British test covers the spread of flame and is designed to ensure the product won’t contribute to the growth of a fire.

As a part of the certification process for British Fire Rating Standard BS 2476, notice boards are tested under two other certifications:

BS 5897 part 2 1980 - this refers to the type of fabric
BS 476 part 7 - this refers to the lateral spread of a fire after 1.5 – 10 minutes

The European fire safety standard is called BS EN 13501. It rates products from class A to class F, with class A being the highest (safest). There are currently no UK notice board suppliers who manufacture noticeboards higher than class B. The European test looks at what happens when the noticeboard burns and seeks to identify which – if any – harmful fumes, energy and smoke are emitted from the noticeboard when it is alight.

For more information on fire safety standards, read our blog Do You Need Fire Rated Notice Boards For Offices?

Mobile Noticeboard On Wheels Landscape

Decorative Tamperproof Lockable Noticeboards

What Types Of Noticeboards Are There?

Aluminium Framed Notice Boards

The most commonly found notice boards have aluminium frames. They are constructed with a tough board core substrate covered in a layer of luxury nylon fabric and finished with sleek aluminium trim for a professional-looking display. They are an affordable display board solution with Class 0, Fire-rated options available. These wall-mounted displays can be positioned in any location in either portrait or landscape orientation and are supplied in a range of standard sizes from 900mm x 600mm to 2400mm x 1200mm.

Tamperproof NoticeBoards

If you’re looking for a notice board for indoor use that’s lockable and secure, then choose a Tamperproof Notice Board. They feature lockable doors which are designed to prevent unauthorised altering of the displays inside. You see these most often in schools, leisure centres, churches and other unsupervised public areas. The lockable notice boards feature virtually shatterproof polycarbonate glazing with tamper-resistant locks. Each display case includes two sets of keys. The hinged doors are held open by door stays that enable quick and easy poster changes. Depending n the size ou choose, the secure noticeboards will either come with one or two doors.

Fire Retardant Notice Boards

If the location where you wish to place your noticeboard hosts more than 25 people at any one time, then you will need to purchase a fire-rated notice board that adheres to both UK and EU fire safety certifications. These are the safest option for schools, hospitals and other public buildings. You can purchase aluminium framed, unframed and tamperproof variations of flame-retardant display boards, but they are suitable for indoor use only. Class 0 noticeboards are typically used in stairwells, escape routes and unsupervised areas where people's safety is a concern. They are available in a wide range of sizes and styles. Bespoke sizes are available for areas of a particular size.

Wooden Frame Notice Boards

Similar to aluminum-framed notice boards, our wood-framed display panels are finished in a luxury nylon fabric and an eco-friendly wooden frame. Exclusively designed for indoor use, they offer a more aesthetic, natural finish in comparison to our metal-framed products.

Mobile Noticeboards

As an alternative to our wall-fixed bulletin boards, mobile noticeboards are mounted on metal frames finished with lockable castor wheels at the base. This means that you can move them around easily to where you need them most; making them particularly useful for training rooms, staff rooms, hospitals and other locations where you need a flexible display solution. They are available as landscape or portrait pinnable display boards. Also known as noticeboards on wheels or noticeboards on stands.

Unframed Notice Boards

If you’re looking for something simple, an unframed notice board offers all the display space you need. The frameless display board design means you can fix them directly next to one another to create large display areas that appear as one long display board. They are ideal for schools, colleges and universities where project work is displayed in halls and corridors. We offer frameless notice boards in a wide range of sizes and styles including our highest fire rating.

External Noticeboards

Specifically designed for outdoor use, external notice boards come in a number of different varieties, from wall-mounted to freestanding or even rail or fence-mounted options (with the right attachments). Our outdoor display board options come complete with lockable doors, to keep your displays safe from thieves, vandals and even the weather. The poster frames have weatherproof seals that keep the wet weather and damp air from getting to the notices. The aluminium frame and shatterproof polycarbonate glazing is designed to keep them protected against vandalism. We offer a range of sizes as standard but if you need something more bespoke, we can manufacture outdoor noticeboards in any shape or RAL colour.

If you need any assistance choosing your notice boards, our expert team is on-hand to offer advice and support. Please reach out to us via our Contact Us page, or call us on 01234 676767.

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