What size is a yard sign?
The standard yard sign is 24 × 18 inches (about 61 × 46 cm), printed on corrugated plastic and pushed into the ground on a wire H-stake. Use no more than about seven words, letters at least 2–3 inches tall, and a phone number or web address big enough to read from a passing car.
Yard sign sizes
| Size | Use |
|---|---|
| 24 × 18 in | Standard yard sign: real estate, contractors, events, elections, school signs |
| 18 × 6 in or 24 × 6 in rider | Small strip that hangs under a sign: phone number, “Open house”, “Sold” |
| 24 × 36 in | Larger sidewalk or A-frame inserts |
Materials and stakes
- Corrugated plastic (often 4 mm) is light, waterproof and cheap; it's the usual yard sign material.
- H-stakes slide into the flutes of corrugated plastic and push into soft ground.
- For metal frames, ask for signs that fit the frame and riders that hang underneath.
- Double-sided printing helps when traffic comes from both directions.
Make it readable from the road
- A common sign-making rule of thumb is about 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance. For a sign read from 30 feet, aim for letters around 3 inches tall.
- One message: “Now hiring”, “For sale”, “Grand opening Saturday”.
- One way to reach you: a phone number, a short web address, or a QR code for people on foot (drivers can't scan).
- High contrast: dark on light or light on dark. Avoid thin script fonts.
- Your logo small, the message big.
Rules to check
Many cities, homeowners' associations and road authorities limit where and for how long signs can be placed, especially on public land and near intersections. Election and real estate signs often have specific rules. Check locally before putting signs out.
Making a yard sign in CatalogProFlow
- Open a yard sign template (24 × 18 in) for real estate, contractors, events or sales.
- Change the headline and phone number and make them as big as the layout allows.
- Add a sign rider for the extra line (agent name, phone, “Open house Sunday 1–4”).
- Download the print-ready PDF for any sign shop, or order yard signs where our print partners offer them.
Common uses and what to write
- Real estate: “For sale”, agent name and phone, and a rider for “Open house Sunday” or “Sold”.
- Contractors and landscapers: “Another project by…”, your business name and phone, placed at the job site with the owner's permission.
- Events and schools: event name, date and an arrow or address.
- Shops: “Now open”, “Sale today” or “Hiring”, near the entrance.
- Political and community signs: follow the local rules on where and when they can go.
Make them last
Corrugated plastic signs usually survive a season outdoors. Sunlight fades colours over time, so a sign meant to stay up for many months may be better on aluminium or another rigid board; ask your sign shop. Pull stakes out of wet ground carefully so they don't bend.
Questions
- What is the standard size of a yard sign?
- 24 × 18 inches (about 61 × 46 cm), usually landscape.
- What are yard signs made of?
- Usually corrugated plastic, often 4 mm thick, held up by a wire H-stake.
- How big should the letters be on a yard sign?
- At least 2–3 inches tall for the main words. A rule of thumb is 1 inch of height per 10 feet of distance.
- What is a sign rider?
- A narrow strip, such as 18 × 6 or 24 × 6 inches, that hangs above or below a main sign with an extra line like a phone number or “Sold”.