Braille Tactile Signs - Custom Order

We manufacture tactile signs with Braille lettering on order for hospitals, hotels, schools, administrations, airports, museums and corporate offices in the EU. Each sign carries the text, pictogram, size, material and colours the customer specifies. Everything is built against EN 17210:2021, ISO 17049 and DIN 32976.

No stock. Every quote is calculated on the real list. The actual doors, consulting rooms, washrooms, offices that need identifying. Send it through the quotation form or email sales@kyivstend.com.ua.

Juridical operator: Bulak Serhii, sole proprietor (ФОП. Fizychna osoba-pidpryiemets) under Ukrainian law. Signage workshop in Kyiv since 2007.

What a tactile Braille sign actually is

Two readable layers on one surface. Raised text for people with low vision or residual sight. Fingertips feel the shape of the letters. Braille dots for total blindness. Semi-spherical, read along the cell. A standard printed sign is visual only. A tactile sign lets the user find the room without asking anybody.

Three components make the sign compliant:

• Raised text. Minimum letter height 15 mm, sans-serif without serifs, high colour contrast against the background.
• Braille dots. Height 0.6 to 0.9 mm, diameter 1.5 mm, inter-dot distance 2.5 mm, inter-cell distance 6 mm per ISO 17049 and DIN 32976.
• Pictogram. Optional. ISO 7001 for public services, ISO 7010 for safety, or a customer vector file. Depends on the room function.

The obligation comes from universal accessibility in European law and the national building codes. Buildings built or refurbished after the national accessibility codes came into force have to carry accessible information for people with visual impairment along the main circulation routes. In practice: anything new since the EAA transposition and anything renovated under modern building permits.

Standards we design against

Every Braille sign we quote matches the regulatory stack below. We cite everything precisely so the project accessibility officer or construction supervisor can line it up against the specification without second-guessing.

• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 13 December 2006, ratified by the EU 23 December 2010 and by every member state.
• Directive (EU) 2019/882 on accessibility requirements for products and services. The European Accessibility Act, applicable from 28 June 2025. Consolidated text on EUR-Lex.
• Directive (EU) 2016/2102 on accessibility of public sector websites and mobile apps. Complementary where digital signage meets physical signage.
• EN 17210:2021 «Accessibility and usability of the built environment - Functional requirements». The European reference for accessible building design.
• ISO 17049 «Information processing - Application of Braille on signage, equipment and appliances». The international dimensional standard for Braille on signs.
• ISO 21542. Building construction, accessibility and usability of the built environment.
• DIN 32976 «Blindenschrift - Anforderungen und Maße». The German reference. De facto across the EU; most national accessibility audits cite it directly.
• EN 81-70. Safety rules for lifts, accessibility for persons with disability. Mandatory Braille on lift control panels.
• Regulation (EU) 1300/2014 PRM TSI. Rail accessibility specifications.
• National accessibility law: UK Equality Act 2010 and Approved Document M; Germany Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz and DIN 18040; France Loi 2005-102 and Arrêté du 20 avril 2017; Italy D.P.R. 503/1996 and D.M. 236/1989; Spain Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2013 and Real Decreto 193/2023.

We can add a conformity certificate with the actual lot measurements. Dot height, diameter, spacing. Verified with digital callipers at quality control. Request it in the quote email.

Who orders Braille signs from us

Pretty much every organisation that has to pass an accessibility audit. The sectors below cover 90 percent of our Braille work.

• Hospitals and clinics. Door signs for consulting rooms, accessible toilets, waiting areas, ICU, hospital pharmacy, floor and route signage. The standard checklist item in healthcare accessibility audits.
• Hotels. Room number, floor, accessible toilet, common areas. New-build and renovation permits in most member states now carry explicit Braille requirements for hospitality.
• Schools, colleges, universities. Classrooms, laboratories, library, staff room, toilets. The pandemic-era renovation wave triggered a lot of back-fitting here.
• Public administrations. Service counters, offices, meeting rooms, public toilets. The EAA extends to the physical signage of public bodies.
• Airports and transport stations. Gates, service points, toilets. PRM TSI compliance for rail. Air transport usually goes further. Signs duplicated in Braille across the whole concourse.
• Museums and cultural venues. Information on works and rooms. Lets the visitor follow the itinerary without a guide.
• Corporate offices. Doors, meeting rooms, floor, toilets. Beyond the law. CSR reports and ESG criteria of larger companies now expect it.

If your project does not fit any of those categories exactly, send the brief anyway. Odd requirements are routine. We have made signs for private clinics, co-working spaces, embassy residences and even a nautical museum where the dots had to survive sea air.

From email to parcel. The sequence

The process is designed around one principle: you send the real list of signs once, we come back with a firm quote within one or two working days.

Submission

Fill in the quotation form or email sales@kyivstend.com.ua.

What to specify per sign

• Text in English or your required EU official language. German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Greek, any other.
• Optional pictogram. ISO 7001 (public services) or ISO 7010 (safety) or your own vector file.
• Size in mm. Width by height.
• Base colour. The background.
• Text and relief colour.
• Quantity per model.
• Finish. Matte, satin or gloss.

Attachments

Up to 5 files, 10 MB each. Floor plans in PDF or DWG, Excel sheet with the full list, reference photos, corporate logo as vector. The more detail at this stage, the faster the quote comes back.

Quote

Firm quote in 1 to 2 working days. Free, no commitment. Includes line-by-line breakdown, confirmed technical specifications, production lead time, shipping conditions and payment terms.

Confirmation and payment

Proforma invoice after your confirmation. Payment by SEPA (EUR) or SWIFT. For recurring B2B orders we assess net 30 credit on a case basis after the first prepaid orders.

Production

5 to 10 working days standard, from payment confirmation. Rush is 3 working days with surcharge, subject to workshop load.

Shipping

DHL, UPS, GLS or DPD depending on destination. 7 to 14 calendar days end to end. DAP or CPT by agreement.

Delivery

Signed proof of delivery at destination. On request the parcel includes the ISO 17049 / DIN 32976 conformity certificate for the lot. Every sign individually packed with an identification label. Makes on-site installation faster, no mistaking which sign goes to which door.

What you can specify per sign

The parameters below cover every quote we have ever written. Numbers outside these ranges are not impossible. We just assess technically before confirming.

Most of the time the quote-writing shortcut is this: the architect sends us the Excel line list from the project schedule, we match it against the parameters above and quote back with any clarifications in the same email.

Substrates. What we run and what we do not

Four materials on the line. We do not do stainless steel, anodised aluminium, brass or bronze. Different industrial line, different capability. If a project absolutely demands one of those we tell you up front so you can find a specialist supplier.

Rigid PVC 3 mm

The default for general interior. Hospitals, offices, schools, administrations. Stable, smooth, prints well in UV, washes with a damp cloth and neutral soap. UV resistance has limits. 2 or 3 years max in exterior direct sun without extra treatment. Weight is low (3.6 g/cm³), works perfectly with VHB on doors and vertical surfaces.

Acrylic 3-5 mm

Premium finish. Reception, directors’ doors, museum displays, corporate HQ. Solid colour or transparent with reverse engraving for depth. Mechanical resistance is higher than PVC. One rule from experience: no acetone cleaners. The surface clouds.

Dibond aluminium composite

Two aluminium skins over polyethylene core. The reference for heavy-use exterior. Facades, courtyards, transport stations, covered car parks, perimeter signage. Weather, UV, thermal cycles, humidity. All handled. UV print adheres directly. Visible service life outdoor is seven years and more with the Braille dots still readable.

Polystyrene

Low cost, light, interior only. Warehouses, back-of-house technical areas, non-public service corridors, temporary signage. Life expectancy 3 to 5 years in those conditions. Does not survive high-traffic abuse.

The production stages

Seven stages per lot.

• CNC cutting of the base to the specified size, tolerance 0.5 mm. Standard rounded corners 3 mm radius or whatever the customer specifies.
• Digital UV printing of background, pictogram and plain supplementary text where applicable. LED-cured, no barnish needed, resists wet cleaning and interior UV.
• CNC milling of the raised text. On an additional bonded layer or directly on the substrate where thickness allows. Relief height is software-controlled; the first sample of the lot is calliper-verified.
• Braille dot embossing or milling to ISO 17049 and DIN 32976. Semi-spherical, 0.6-0.9 mm high, 1.5 mm diameter. Three random dots per sign are measured with 0.01 mm precision callipers.
• Quality control. Qualified operator does visual inspection, measures letter and dot geometry, runs a tactile check, verifies colour contrast against reference charts.
• 3M VHB adhesive application on the back with protective liner intact until install.
• Individual packing in labelled plastic sleeve. Order number, model, planned location if the customer gave us the schedule. Site teams open the box in order of install.

None of these stages is proprietary. The difference between a workshop that holds spec and a workshop that drifts is applying the same QC discipline on job 1 as on job 500. Repeat orders from the same hospital groups since 2015 tell us we hold it.

Durability and warranty

Two-track legal warranty under European consumer and commercial law.

• B2C buyers. 2 years as EU minimum under Directive (EU) 2019/771. 3 years in Spain, Portugal and Sweden through extended national transposition.
• B2B buyers. 2 years commercial warranty under the applicable national commercial law and the Vienna Convention 1980 (CISG) on international sales.

Covered:

• Braille dot adhesion and legibility, no premature pop-off or abrasion.
• Raised text legibility.
• No significant UV discoloration on interior-rated materials.
• No cracking or deformation of the substrate under normal use.
• 3M VHB adhesion on clean, dry, low-roughness surfaces.

Not covered:

• Cleaning damage from aggressive solvents (acetone, industrial alcohol, concentrated ammonia, undiluted bleach).
• Impact damage, blows, breakage from mishandling.
• Paint or coating applied over the sign after install.
• Interior-rated substrate deployed in exterior direct sun.
• VHB applied to dirty, greasy, dusty surfaces or fresh paint under 48 h.

Pricing and why there is no catalogue

Every quote is specific to the project. The number depends on the mix of material, size, quantity, pictogram and lead time. What we commit to without exception:

• Quote is calculated on the actual list. Line-by-line breakdown. Transparent components: production, packing, shipping, customs where applicable.
• Volume scaling. Unit cost drops at 50 signs, drops more sharply above 200.
• No setup fee, no tooling cost. Every sign goes to digital CNC. One model or one hundred different models. The fixed cost is the same (zero).
• Physical sample on request, chargeable, amount deducted from the final invoice if the batch is confirmed.
• Negotiated terms for architects, interior designers, prescribers and refurbishment companies with recurring project pipelines.

Lead time to your country

Two to four weeks total from payment confirmation.

• Production: 5 to 10 working days from payment and artwork validation.
• Customs: 1 to 3 working days. Export clearance in Kyiv, import clearance in your member state. Under DAP, the import side is handled by the buyer. Under CPT, by Kyiv Stend.
• International transport + domestic last mile: 7 to 14 calendar days with DHL, UPS, GLS or DPD.

For a hard inauguration or turnkey date we build the production schedule backwards from your deadline and ship in staged partials if it helps. Rush exists. 3 working days of production with surcharge, subject to workshop availability at the time of your enquiry.

Technical questions we hear often

Minimum colour contrast

EN 17210 requires 70 percent minimum between background and text or pictogram. Safest combinations: white on dark blue Pantone 281 or 282, white on black, black on Pantone Yellow, black on pure white. Combinations at risk and that we flag as the customer’s call: grey on white, light blue on white, gold on white. These fail the 70 percent threshold when measured with the standardised tool.

Which Braille language

Any EU official language in Grade 1 (letter-by-letter) or Grade 2 (contracted). For general public spaces. Hospitals, administrations, transport. Grade 1 is the safe default. Any blind person reads it without specialised training. Grade 2 is for specialised institutions (visual-impairment libraries, education centres for the blind) where the users expect contractions.

Install on site

Peel the liner, press firmly for 30 seconds on a clean smooth surface. No specialist labour needed. For big projects we recommend a short install checklist: surface clean and dry, temperature between 10 and 30 Celsius, uniform pressure over the whole plate, no mechanical stress in the first 24 hours.

Done this way, we have signs installed in 2015 still holding on the first application.

Documentation in the box

On request: datasheet of the base material, datasheet of the 3M VHB tape, measurements sheet of the lot (dot height and diameter from QC), ISO 17049 / DIN 32976 conformity certificate signed by the production manager, commercial invoice for customs.

About the certificate

The conformity certificate certifies that the signs in the lot match the dimensional parameters. Dot height 0.6-0.9 mm, diameter 1.5 mm, inter-dot 2.5 mm, inter-cell 6 mm, contrast verified against reference. It is a manufacturer document and it carries weight in a project accessibility audit and in construction completion files. It is not a third-party certification. If the project needs TÜV, DEKRA or AENOR certification, the promoter commissions that separately.

Frequently asked questions

Do you make standard Braille signs or only on order?

On order only. Each sign carries the text, pictogram, size, material and colour specified by the customer. Keeping a stock catalogue of door signs would be pointless. Every building has its own numbering, its own languages, its own layout.

What do I need to specify for each sign?

Exact text in English or your required EU language, optional pictogram (ISO 7001 for public services or ISO 7010 for safety or your own vector file), size in mm, base colour, text colour, substrate (PVC, acrylic, Dibond, polystyrene), finish and quantity. For orders above 20 signs an Excel sheet with one row per sign saves time on both sides.

Do you comply with ISO 17049 and EN 17210?

Yes. Production parameters match ISO 17049, DIN 32976 and EN 17210: Braille dot height 0.6 to 0.9 mm, diameter 1.5 mm, inter-dot distance 2.5 mm, inter-cell distance 6 mm, minimum 70 percent colour contrast. We sign a conformity certificate with the actual lot measurements. We are not an accredited certification body. If the project needs third-party certification, the promoter commissions it from TÜV, DEKRA or AENOR separately.

Can I get a sample before the full order?

Yes. One real sign with the specification you plan to use, chargeable. The sample amount is deducted from the final invoice when the batch is confirmed. Useful on big projects. Validate colour contrast and material at the actual door before locking in 100 or 500 units.

How fast is rush production?

Standard production is 5 to 10 working days. Rush is 3 working days with an urgency surcharge, subject to workshop load. Transit stays 7 to 14 days with the regular couriers; for a true emergency we quote DHL air freight, which cuts transit to 2 to 3 working days.

How do you guarantee quality from Ukraine?

We make everything in-house in Kyiv on our own UV, laser and CNC line, no subcontracting. Every lot passes dimensional control with digital callipers. Adhesive is 3M VHB, UV inks are European-sourced. For large projects we send a physical sample before the batch, which is the simplest way to validate quality on your side. Export to the EU goes with DHL, UPS, GLS or DPD under DAP or CPT by agreement.

Last updated: 10 October 2026.

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