If you run a warehouse, workshop or distribution unit in Dubai, the signage package you need breaks into three parts: permanent wall and door signs (AED 395–550 each at MaxPrint), printed floor graphics and aisle markings (from AED 95), and consumable safety stickers and posters (1,000 laminated stickers for AED 370, 15 A4 posters for AED 140). Below is the full material breakdown — which substrate survives 48°C in an un-chilled unit, where printed floor vinyl beats tape, what each item actually costs with VAT included, and the artwork and lead-time rules that stop you paying twice.
What your landlord, DM and civil defence actually ask for
Most Dubai industrial tenants discover their signage obligations in the fit-out handover pack rather than in a regulation. In practice, four groups of signs get checked:
- Mandatory safety and emergency signage — fire exits, assembly point, first-aid station, extinguisher locations. These follow the ISO 7010 pictogram set and must be legible from the far end of the aisle, not just up close.
- PPE and zone signage — high-vis, hard-hat, forklift-operating and no-pedestrian zones. These are the ones that get moved the most, which is why rigid boards beat painted walls.
- Aisle, rack and bay identification — floor numbers, rack labels, bin locations. Cheap to print, expensive to get wrong, because your WMS references them.
- Company identification — unit number, company name at the shutter and reception, often required by the free zone or the landlord for access control and deliveries.
Nothing on that list needs a permit when it sits inside your leased unit. Anything on the building exterior — a facade sign, a shutter name board, a mesh banner on a boundary fence — usually does, and the permit route depends on whether you sit in a free zone (DMCC, JAFZA, DIC, Dubai South) or in a Dubai Municipality area. Budget 5–10 working days for approval and apply before you print, not after.
The four materials that survive a Dubai warehouse
Temperature is the variable people underestimate. An un-chilled unit in Al Quoz or DIP hits 45–50°C at roof level in July. That rules out a few popular indoor materials.
Acrylic (3–5 mm)
The default for anything mounted at eye level in an office, reception or QC area. It holds colour, cleans easily and does not yellow indoors. Our Acrylic Wall Signage is cut to your logo and exact dimensions at AED 495. Avoid it for direct-sun exterior use in thin gauges — it can bow.
Aluminium composite and brushed aluminium
The right answer for exterior shutters, gate signs and anything that takes knocks. It is dimensionally stable in heat and does not fade. For a full dimensional company name at the unit entrance, 3D Aluminium Signage runs AED 2,450 and 3D Stainless Steel Signage AED 2,650. If the sign sits indoors at reception, 3D Acrylic Signage at AED 1,150 does the same job for less than half.
Printed vinyl on wall or glass
Cheapest way to cover large areas — zone markings, pillar numbers, bilingual instruction panels. Wall Stickers start at AED 75 and are rated for indoor and outdoor use; Wall Vinyl Lettering from AED 95 is the one to use for aisle letters and bay numbers because you are only paying for the cut characters, not a printed background. Pillar Branding from AED 145 wraps the column faces that forklift drivers actually look at. Full material comparison in our guide to window, wall and floor sticker branding in Dubai.
Laminated paper and board for consumables
Toolbox-talk posters, monthly safety notices, forklift inspection checklists — print these cheap and replace them. 15 custom A4 posters, single-side, cost AED 140; 10 sheets of A1 four-colour run AED 270. Do not laminate a sign you intend to update quarterly.
Floor marking: printed graphics vs tape
Hazard tape is cheaper per metre and right for straight aisle edges that take constant pallet-truck wear. Printed floor vinyl wins everywhere a message has to be read: directional arrows, pedestrian walkway symbols, "reverse here" bays, loading-dock numbers, and distancing or queue markers in a customer-facing counter area.
The spec matters. Our Floor Graphic Stickers use a soft white PVC film at 110 micron with 160-micron floor lamination — that lamination layer is what stops a forklift tyre shredding the print inside a week. From AED 95, available square, rectangular, round-cornered, custom-cut or with a border, in gloss or matt. Choose matt in high-bay units with roof lighting; gloss throws glare straight into the operator's eyeline.
Two practical rules: lay floor graphics on sealed or epoxy concrete, never on dusty bare screed, and apply them at ambient temperature below 35°C or the adhesive grabs before you have squeegeed out the air. Browse the full floor sticker branding range for sizes.
Real prices (AED, VAT inclusive)
These are live MaxPrint store prices, not estimates. Prices include VAT; free delivery across Dubai, and 1–2 days extra to the Northern Emirates and Abu Dhabi.
| Item | Specification | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor Wall Signage | Custom-cut to your logo and wall size | 395 |
| Office Wall Signage | Custom-cut, indoor | 425 |
| Acrylic Wall Signage | Premium acrylic, cut to size | 495 |
| Wall Mounted Signage | Custom-made, wall-fixed | 550 |
| Floor Graphic Stickers | Soft PVC, 110 micron + 160-micron floor lamination | from 95 |
| Wall Stickers | Indoor/outdoor vinyl, full-size edge to edge | from 75 |
| Wall Vinyl Lettering | Cut vinyl, any size and design | from 95 |
| Pillar Branding | Column wrap, any size | from 145 |
| Print & Cut Sticker | 2–10 cm, any shape (rack and bin labels) | from 135 |
| 1,000 Economy Custom Stickers | Glossy laminated, 80 GSM | 370 |
| Die Cut Stickers | Custom shape, contour cut | from 385 |
| 15 Custom A4 Posters | Single-side, full colour | 140 |
| 10 Sheets A1 | Four-colour, 1 side | 270 |
| 1 Spring A-Board S | 80 × 115 cm display area, sprung frame | 900 |
| 4 Round Danglers | 15 × 15 cm, printed both sides | 220 |
| 1 Round Dangler | 60 × 60 cm | 210 |
| 50 Reflective Safety Vests | Size M, high-visibility, logo printed | 670 |
| 3D Acrylic Signage | Dimensional letters, indoor | 1,150 |
| 3D Aluminium Signage | Dimensional letters, exterior-grade | 2,450 |
| 3D Stainless Steel Signage | Dimensional letters, exterior-grade | 2,650 |
For yard and boundary branding, fence banners start at AED 45 for flex and AED 55 for mesh — mesh is the one to specify on an exposed fence line, because flex acts as a sail in a shamal. More on that in our fence and mesh banner guide.
Sizing and placement: the rules that prevent reprints
The most common reorder we see is a sign that was the right message at the wrong size. Two numbers solve it.
- Viewing distance ÷ 50 = minimum letter height. A sign read from 20 m needs 40 mm characters; the far end of a 60 m aisle needs 120 mm. Pictograms need roughly double the equivalent height of text.
- Mounting height 1.5–1.8 m for walking traffic, 2.4–3 m for forklift sightlines. Mount a forklift-zone sign at head height and the driver, seated and looking along the forks, never sees it.
For bilingual signage — standard in any UAE unit with a mixed workforce — set Arabic above or to the right of English at equal optical weight, and never machine-translate safety wording. Our Arabic and bilingual print design guide covers the typography and proofreading rules.
How to order
- Send a measured list. Not "we need safety signs" — a line per sign with wall or floor location, finished size in mm, and the exact wording in both languages. This single step removes most of the back-and-forth.
- Supply artwork as vector (AI, EPS or PDF) with fonts outlined, CMYK, 3 mm bleed. Photos and logos pulled from a website at 72 dpi will not hold at 400 mm. If you only have a raster logo, we can redraw it.
- Approve the digital proof. Lead times run from proof approval, not from your enquiry: 3 working days for roll-up and sticker work, 5 working days for A-boards and fabricated wall signage, longer for 3D letters and anything needing installation scheduling.
- Decide on installation. Floor graphics and wall vinyl are genuinely DIY if you have two people and a squeegee. Fabricated and 3D signage is worth having installed — we can arrange it in Dubai.
- Order spares in the same run. Add 10% on floor graphics and rack labels. A second run of five stickers costs nearly what fifty cost, because setup dominates the price. See why printing MOQs exist and how to work around them.
FAQ
How long do printed floor graphics last in a warehouse?
On sealed concrete with the 160-micron floor lamination, expect 9–18 months in a pedestrian walkway and 4–8 months where loaded pallet trucks cross the graphic daily. Lifespan is decided by abrasion, not UV, so the busiest crossing points wear first — which is why we suggest ordering 10% spares.
Do I need a permit for safety signage inside my warehouse?
No. Signage inside your leased unit is yours to install. Permits apply to building exteriors, shutter name boards and boundary-fence banners, and the authority depends on your location — your free zone authority inside DMCC, JAFZA, DIC or Dubai South, and Dubai Municipality elsewhere. Allow 5–10 working days and get approval before printing.
What is the minimum order for warehouse signage?
Fabricated wall signs have no minimum — a single Indoor Wall Signage unit at AED 395 is a valid order. Printed stickers are where minimums bite: economy stickers come in 1,000s at AED 370, so if you need 60 rack labels, the Print & Cut Sticker option from AED 135 is the economical route.
Acrylic or aluminium for a sign on the shutter?
Aluminium. A shutter sign takes direct sun, wash-down and physical knocks, and thin acrylic will bow and craze within a season. Keep acrylic for reception, meeting rooms and QC areas.
Can you match our brand colour exactly across signage and stickers?
Across one production method, yes. Across methods — printed vinyl, painted aluminium, cut acrylic — expect a small shift, because each substrate renders ink differently. Supply a Pantone reference rather than a screenshot, and we match to it. Our Pantone vs CMYK guide explains why.
Get your warehouse signage quoted today
Send us your unit's sign list, floor plan or even a few phone photos of the walls and aisles, and we will come back with a measured quote and a lead time. WhatsApp +971 52 210 0909 or call 052 210 0909, or start from the full signage collection and sticker and label range. Prices include VAT, delivery across the UAE, and artwork checks before anything goes to print.
