Valet Quote Service Sign in My Account
ADA Braille Specs: Dot Size, Spacing and Placement

ADA Braille Specs: Dot Size, Spacing and Placement

· by Baby Love Growth

ADA Braille Specs: Dot Size, Spacing and Placement

Watercolor ribbon frame around a clear title area

ADA braille on a sign must be contracted (Grade 2) braille with domed dots, placed directly below raised uppercase text that says the same thing. The dots must fit exact dimensions, and the sign must be mounted so the lowest tactile baseline sits at least 48 inches and the highest no more than 60 inches above the floor. Everything below is drawn from the U.S. Access Board's Chapter 7 and Department of Justice guidance, so you can check a sign before you order it.

TL;DR

  • Braille must be Grade 2 (contracted), with domed or rounded dots, and it must repeat the raised characters above it.
  • Dot base diameter is 0.059 to 0.063 in, dot height is 0.025 to 0.037 in, and cells have fixed spacing. The full table is below.
  • Tactile signs mount with the lowest character baseline at 48 in minimum and the highest at 60 in maximum, normally on the latch-side wall.
  • Only signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces, such as restrooms and room numbers, need braille. Directional signs generally do not.
  • Raised characters are uppercase, sans serif, at least 1/32 in raised, and 5/8 to 2 in tall.

Table of Contents

Which signs need braille, and which don't

Before you worry about dot size, decide whether the sign needs braille at all. The ADA's 2010 Standards separate signs into two groups.

Permanent room and space identification. Restroom signs, room numbers and exit-door signs fall here. In newly constructed or altered facilities, DOJ guidance says these signs must address raised characters and braille, installation height and location, contrast, non-glare finish, and pictograms where used.

Directional and informational signs. Think "Restrooms →" or "Pharmacy counter." According to the same DOJ guide, these follow the visual-character rules (proportion, height, case, stroke thickness, spacing, contrast, non-glare finish, mounting height). They do not automatically require braille unless they identify a permanent room or space.

The 2010 Standards were published by the Department of Justice on September 15, 2010, and they are the enforceable baseline for businesses open to the public. If you are building out a restaurant, a doctor's office or a retail space, your restrooms, treatment rooms with permanent numbers or names, and permanent back-of-house spaces are the usual candidates for tactile signs.

This article explains the published technical criteria. It is not legal advice. Your architect, your local building department or an ADA consultant should confirm which of your rooms need signs, since that depends on your building and your state and local codes.

Which signs need braille, and which don't — overview diagram

The braille itself: Grade 2, domed dots

The Access Board's Chapter 7 (section 703.3) requires braille to be contracted, which means Grade 2. It must have a domed or rounded shape and follow the dimensions in Table 703.3.1.

Grade 2 braille uses contractions, short forms that stand for common letter groups and words. That is why you cannot simply swap each letter on the sign for its braille letter. A word-for-word letter conversion is a common production mistake, and it produces braille that does not meet the Standards even when every dot is the right size.

Capitalization in braille

The raised text on the sign is uppercase. The braille is different. Per the Access Board, a capitalization indicator is limited to the first word of a sentence, proper names, individual letters, initials and acronyms. So "Dr. Alvarez Exam Room 2" would not carry capital indicators on every word.

Dot dimensions at a glance

Measurement Required range
Dot base diameter 0.059 to 0.063 in (1.5 to 1.6 mm)
Dot height 0.025 to 0.037 in (0.6 to 0.9 mm)
Distance between two dots in the same cell 0.090 to 0.100 in (2.3 to 2.5 mm)
Distance between corresponding dots in adjacent cells 0.241 to 0.300 in (6.1 to 7.6 mm)
Distance between corresponding dots in vertically adjacent cells (line to line) 0.395 to 0.400 in (10 to 10.2 mm)

These figures come from the Access Board's Chapter 7 technical criteria. Notice how tight the ranges are. A dot base that varies by 0.004 in is the whole tolerance, which is why braille is applied with precise tooling rather than by hand or with a generic font.

Braille and color contrast

Braille is exempt from the visual contrast requirement, according to Chapter 7. Your raised characters and their background, however, must have a non-glare finish and a light-on-dark or dark-on-light contrast. In practice, you can choose the braille color for looks, but the raised letters need to read clearly against the sign face.

Raised characters: the text above the braille

Braille is only half of a tactile sign. The Access Board's sign guide says tactile signs must have raised characters that are repeated in Grade 2 braille. Those raised characters have their own rules:

  • Case: uppercase only.
  • Typeface: sans serif. Not italic, oblique, script or highly decorative.
  • Relief: raised at least 1/32 in (0.8 mm).
  • Height: generally 5/8 in to 2 in (16 to 51 mm), measured from the uppercase "I".

The visual character height also depends on viewing distance and mounting height. The Table 703.5.5 text sets the minimum for characters whose baseline is 40 to 70 in above the floor at 5/8 in for viewing distances under 72 in. It then adds 1/8 in for each additional foot of viewing distance. A directional sign read from across a lobby needs larger letters than a room number read at arm's length.

That is the point worth remembering: tactile characters, braille, location, contrast, finish, spacing and viewing distance are separate controls, each serving a different user or reading method. "Add braille" is never the whole job.

Where braille goes on the sign

For a permanent room or space sign, braille sits directly below the corresponding raised text. If the text runs to several lines, the braille goes below the entire block, not below the nearest line, according to Chapter 7.

Keep at least 3/8 in (9.5 mm) between the braille and any other tactile character, raised border or decorative element. This is a common reason a nicely designed sign fails: a raised frame or a decorative rule that crowds the braille.

A practical layout, top to bottom:

  1. Pictogram, if you use one, with its own non-tactile or tactile field and its raised characters beneath.
  2. Raised uppercase text, one or more lines.
  3. Grade 2 braille below the whole text block, with the 3/8 in clearance.
  4. Nothing raised or decorative within that clearance.

If you use a pictogram on a restroom sign, it accompanies the raised characters and braille rather than replacing them.

Mounting height and location

This is the spec that most often trips up a new build-out, because it is measured in an unexpected way. Per Chapter 7, tactile signs are mounted:

  • At least 48 in (1220 mm) above the finished floor or ground, measured from the baseline of the lowest tactile character.
  • No more than 60 in (1525 mm), measured from the baseline of the highest tactile character.

The measurement goes to the character baselines, not the top, bottom or centerline of the sign. So a tall sign with three lines of text has less room to move than a small one. Check the finished sign's physical dimensions before you pick the mounting spot.

That also answers the common question about the height of an ADA restroom sign. There is no single number for the sign's center. The tactile baselines must land between 48 and 60 in, and the sign normally goes on the latch-side wall, as the 2010 Standards treat restroom identification as permanent-space signage.

Latch side, not on the door

DOJ's common ADA problems guidance states that permanent room signs must be on the wall on the latch side of the door. Mounting one on an outward-swinging door because it is convenient creates a real problem. A blind or low-vision visitor reading by touch may have to stand in the swing path, which is a collision risk. Keep the sign on the wall and clear of the door swing.

A pre-order checklist

Run this list before you place a tactile sign order:

  1. Confirm the sign identifies a permanent room or space. If it only gives directions, you are in visual-character territory.
  2. Write the sign text in uppercase for the raised characters.
  3. Have the braille produced as Grade 2, not letter-by-letter, with capitalization indicators only where allowed.
  4. Check that the raised characters are at least 1/32 in high, sans serif and between 5/8 and 2 in tall.
  5. Confirm 3/8 in clear space around the braille.
  6. Pick a non-glare finish with real contrast between characters and background.
  7. Choose the latch-side wall position and check that tactile baselines fall between 48 and 60 in.
  8. Photograph or measure the installed sign and keep the file.

Physical signs are not website accessibility

A frequent mix-up for new business owners: the ADA's facility standards cover physical spaces, and web accessibility is a separate question. Guidance on the 2010 Standards covers the built environment, while WCAG is a separate technical standard for digital content. A compliant restroom sign does not make your website conformant, and a conformant website does not replace tactile signage. If you are also reviewing your site, this overview of web accessibility fixes U.S. sites are planning for is a useful starting point for the digital side.

Our perspective: braille is a production job, not an add-on

We build signs for restaurants, medical offices, retailers and startups, and the pattern is consistent. Owners treat the braille as a last checkbox, and then the layout leaves no room for it. A raised border too close to the dots, a three-line name that pushes the sign past the mounting range, a decorative script that cannot be used for tactile characters. Every one of these is cheap to fix on screen and expensive to fix after fabrication.

Our perspective: braille is a production job, not an add-on — overview diagram

So our advice is to settle the sign's job first. Is it a permanent room identifier or a directional sign? Then design backwards from the tactile requirements: text length, the braille block beneath it, the clearance, and where on the wall it will live. Our online builder is meant to make that order natural. You design the sign, get an instant estimate, and your artwork is saved for reorders and for other locations.

One honest caveat. We fabricate to the specification you approve, and the Standards, your building plans and your local code decide what your rooms need. Check the requirements with your architect or building department, then give us the numbers. If you are unsure about a detail, ask before approving the proof.

— Nick

Get your tactile and storefront signs from one place

If you are outfitting a new space, you probably need more than restroom signs. Our interior lines, including LobbyLogo, LobbyPanel, LobbyVinyl and LobbyTents, cover lobby logos, acrylic wall panels, window and wall vinyl and tabletop tents. The same builder lists Artwork setup at $99 one-off and Designer at $25 one-off. For the street side, our Beacon exterior lines include channel letters, carved signs, yard signs and flag signs. Orders are designed online and shipped nationwide, with optional installation coordinated for a flat fee and handled by a third-party installer. You can start at crispsign.com.

FAQ

What are the guidelines for braille signage?

Braille must be contracted (Grade 2), with domed or rounded dots in the dimensions of Table 703.3.1, and it must repeat the raised characters. It goes directly below the text with at least 3/8 in of clearance from other tactile elements. The Access Board's Chapter 7 is the primary source.

What is the height of an ADA restroom sign?

There is no single height for the sign itself. The baseline of the lowest tactile character must be at least 48 in above the floor, and the baseline of the highest must be no more than 60 in. The sign normally goes on the latch-side wall.

Does every sign need braille?

No. Signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces need raised characters and braille. Directional and informational signs generally follow the visual-character rules instead, unless another provision applies, according to DOJ's lodging guide.

What is the primary purpose of the ADA Standards?

They set enforceable accessibility requirements so people with disabilities can use facilities and services. For signs, the 2010 Standards distinguish permanent room identification from directional and informational signs.

Is ADA the same as WCAG?

No. The ADA is a U.S. civil-rights law, and its facility standards govern physical accessibility. WCAG is a technical standard for digital content. Each needs its own review.

Sources

← Back to blog