Collection: LED Sign Tubes

LED sign tubes illuminate translucent graphics and lettering from inside sign cabinets and light boxes. Their linear arrangement spreads light along the sign face, supporting business identification, advertising, and retail displays.

R17d identifies a recessed double-contact lamp base used in fluorescent high-output and LED replacement systems. It describes the electrical connection at the lamp ends, and appears on both shorter and longer sign tubes.

Double-sided lamps direct light from opposing sides, while 360-degree designs distribute light around the tube. Both approaches can serve sign cabinets, with lamp placement and cabinet geometry influencing how light reaches the sign faces.

Lamp spacing, distance from the sign face, and the cabinet’s reflective surfaces influence illumination uniformity. Closely positioned lamps can create visible bright bands, while wider spacing or aging lamps can leave darker areas.

Sign-tube formats range from short lamps for compact cabinets to long lamps for large displays. Examples include nominal 18-, 24-, 30-, 36-, 42-, 48-, 60-, 64-, 72-, 84-, 96-, 108-, 117-, and 120-inch formats; actual lamp dimensions can differ from the nominal designation.

Type B sign tubes operate without the fluorescent ballast, using an internal LED driver supplied by the specified line voltage. Direct-wire designs can support 120–277V systems, with the lamp’s installation diagram defining the power connections.

An 18W LED replacement for a 60W fluorescent sign lamp reduces lamp wattage by 70%. For one lamp operating 12 hours daily, that 42W reduction equals approximately 184 kWh per year, before accounting for ballast losses.

Around 4000K produces a neutral-white appearance, while 5000K and 6500K create progressively cooler white light. The sign-face material and printed graphics also influence the final appearance, so consistent settings across the cabinet help maintain a coordinated result.

LED sign tubes can serve outdoor signage within a suitable sign enclosure. The lamp’s temperature and moisture ratings describe its operating environment; an enclosed-fixture rating alone does not establish suitability for direct rain exposure.

No. Selectable CCT changes the white-light appearance, while dimming changes brightness. A sign tube can offer several color-temperature settings and still be designed for non-dimmable operation.