Custom Rating Plates for Equipment
Rated data that outlasts the equipment
Custom rating and data plates carrying approved values, units, and variable equipment data under revision control. Etched, Metalphoto®, or embossed in metal built to withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure.
About rating plates
A rating plate carries the numbers an inspector, an installer, or a service technician needs in order to use the equipment correctly — weights, capacities, electrical values, pressures, temperatures, and operating limits.
It is often the plate a regulator reads first, and it is frequently the one that has to carry a UL mark or another approval. That makes the requirement unusual: the plate has to stay legible for the service life of the machine, because an unreadable rating plate can take equipment out of service regardless of whether the machine itself still works.
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Data and specification plates
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Electrical rating plates carrying voltage, amperage, and phase
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Capacity and load plates
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Pressure and temperature limit plates
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Instruction and lubrication plates mounted at the point of use
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Compliance plates carrying UL or other approval marks
Rating plate durability
Rating plates fail in a specific way. The plate stays attached, but the numbers go — faded by UV, scoured by cleaning, or etched away by whatever the machine is exposed to. At that point the information is gone even though the plate is still there.
Specifying against that is a material and marking decision made before the first plate is produced, not a problem to solve later.
Metalphoto® processingThe image is developed inside the anodic layer and sealed over, so nothing sits on the surface to wear off. Fire, abrasion, and corrosion resistant, and UL recognized. See
Metalphoto processing.
Metal etchingThe characters are recessed into the metal and color filled. Highly chemical and abrasion resistant, and the usual specification for outdoor and wash-down service. See
metal etching.
EmbossingRaised characters remain legible many years after harsh service has worn any printed image off the same plate. See
embossing and forming.
Screen printingDense, opaque ink with strong abrasion and solvent resistance, and the most economical route in production quantities. See
screen printing.
Digital printing
Near-photographic quality and per-unit variable data, for plates where the values change between machines.
Rating plate materials and finishes
Aluminum — .005″–.125″
Bright, foil, and mill finishes. Temperature resistant with good chemical and corrosion resistance, and it machines and forms well.
Anodized aluminum — .005″–.125″
Black, clear, red, and gold. Sapphire-hard surface, insulative and static resistant, roughly 20-year exterior life.
Metalphoto® — .003″–.125″
Matte, satin, and satin gold. The most durable aluminum substrate available.
Stainless steel — .010″–.035″
2B mill finish, for caustic and acidic environments.
Brass — .020″–.032″
Brushed and UV coated, non-sparking.
Thicker stock is used where the plate is structural or takes mechanical fasteners; thinner stock where it is bonded with adhesive.
Variable data
Rating plates frequently carry values that change between units — a tested capacity, a measured pressure, a build configuration, or a serial number alongside the fixed data.
Those fields are printed digitally from your file, so each plate carries its own values without a separate setup per unit. If you are currently printing a blank plate and adding values by hand or with a second label, this removes both the labor and the transcription error.
Attachment and mounting
Mechanical fasteners
Screws, rivets, or bolts through machined holes. The most durable option. We cut holes in almost any location from .05″ to 3.5″, machined to your print.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Standard or custom adhesives, selected against the surface the plate mounts to. Low-surface-energy options are available for powder coat and difficult plastics.
Formed and contoured plates
Rigid plates can be roll-formed to conform to curved surfaces, so a rating plate can sit flush on a cylinder or a shaped housing.
Tell us the mounting surface and its finish. A plate specified for bare metal and then applied to powder coat is one of the more common field failures, and it is entirely avoidable at quote stage.
How a rating plate order runs
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Send your drawing or artwork. Our seasoned art department turns a blueprint or artwork into a press-ready proof at no charge, and quotes are free on every order.
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We confirm the construction. Material, marking method, thickness, finish, and mounting, chosen against the environment and any approval that applies.
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You approve the proof. Including any variable data fields and the placement of approval marks.
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Production. Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved, in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. Rush work runs 3–5 business days for an additional fee.
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Delivery or release. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard, or run against a stocking program.
Rating plate RFQ checklist
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Plate size, artwork, and any hole positions
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The data the plate must carry, and which fields change between units
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Any approval mark the plate must show, and the standard behind it
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What the plate mounts to, including the surface finish
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The environment it lives in — outdoors, wash-down, chemical, high temperature
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How long the information must stay readable
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Quantity and your timing, including the date the line actually needs parts
If you do not have all of that yet, send what you have and call 319-895-8804. Customer service is open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday, and you will always reach someone in person.
Since 1946
Family-owned and operated in Mount Vernon, Iowa
3,000+
OEMs supplied across the U.S. and abroad
25 years
Outdoor exposure, some products guaranteed longer
7–10 days
Typical production after proof approval
$0
Tooling fee on in-house equipment
Why U.S. Nameplate Co.
Why OEMs source rating plates from U.S. Nameplate Co.
One partner, one roof
Metal identification and flexible labels are produced under one roof in Mount Vernon, Iowa, so a single supplier covers plates, tags, overlays, decals, and safety labels instead of three.
No tooling fee on in-house equipment
U.S. Nameplate Co. does not charge a tooling fee for any in-house equipment. A one-time charge applies only when a tool has to be created for your order.
You reach a person
Customer service representatives are available 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday. You will always reach someone in person.
Built to outlast the equipment
Metal nameplates are built to withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure, with some products guaranteed for 25 years or more. Safety labels are UL authorized and OSHA compliant, produced in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.
Family-owned since 1946
Supplier of choice to more than 3,000 original equipment manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad, with team members averaging 10+ years of service.
One piece or one million
The 55,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility is equipped to handle orders from a single plate to production volumes, on repeat release schedules.
Request a quote for rating plates
We offer free quotes on all rating plates orders. Send the drawing, artwork, quantities, application, and timing you have today — our art department turns a blueprint into a press-ready proof, and we will tell you what is still open.
Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved. Rush orders can be produced in 3–5 business days for an additional fee. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard.
Request a Quote or call 319-895-8804 and you will reach someone in person.
