Ridanco Displays Frame Buying Guide:

We always use acrylic for the front sheets of our display frames. It has many advantages over float glass, particularly when it comes to safety and weight. Acrylic sheet products have come a long way in recent years, and we have vetted and tested various brands, settling on some excellent and premium options. We offer the following:

- Budget Styrene (1mm thick): This is cheap and cheerful. It is clear, and it keeps the dust out of the frame. It doesn't do much more than that, and should not be considered UV Protective (we tested it, it's about 20% UVR..)

- 93.2% UV Protective Acrylic (various thicknesses 2mm-4mm): This may not have the headline protection level or flash brand name, but it's a great quality choice, noticeably better and sturdier than the budget styrene, and offers great UV protection. For many years 93% would be considered an extremely high UVR level. The depth of acrylic will vary depending on the product type being framed or the size of the frame. If you are viewing one of our listings and it does not state an acrylic choice, then this will be the product we use. The 93.2% sheets have the UV protective quality built into the sheet throughout, so they can be used either way round.

- AcryGuard 99.7% UV Protective (3mm): This is ideal for displaying while protecting valuable collectables over many years, with the highest level of UV protection of the sheets we offer at 99.7%. It is very clear, nice and solid at 3mm, and has no noticeable tint or diffusion. Please note since one side is coated with the UV filtration film, it is important that the blue-filmed side faces inside your frame, and the pink-filmed side faces out. Once these protective films are removed you will have a hard time recognising which way round the sheet goes, so handle thoughtfully. Pink film on the outside. Unfortunately, as the AcryGuard sheets are only available in a 3mm thickness, this is not suitable for some of the very largest frames we offer.

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