Size the replacement by the old panel's outside dimensions and the trim opening, not by the 32-inch diagonal: outer cabinets differ by 2 to 3 in at the same diagonal. Measure width, height, depth, glass and hole pattern, then order a commercial portrait panel whose published outside size leaves 6 to 9 mm of play per side.
A 32-inch price board dies, the supplier sends a replacement with the same diagonal, and the new cabinet stands 3 in proud of the trim it was supposed to disappear into. The diagonal was never the size that mattered. It measures the glass from corner to corner, and the opening was cut to the outside of the old cabinet. This page lists the five measurements to take, the arithmetic that checks a datasheet against your opening, and what to put in the order. We sell signage displays, and the wall range is quoted per project through 75 inches, so a portrait board can be specified from your numbers: the display range quoted per project.
Why did the replacement 32 inch panel not fit the old opening?
The opening was cut to the old cabinet's outside dimensions, and the replacement is a different cabinet at the same diagonal. Outer sizes in the 32-inch class vary by 2 to 3 in between models, so a diagonal match alone can overhang the trim.
The 32-inch figure measures active glass. Bezel, mounting flange and screw bosses live outside that number, and every model draws them differently. Older commercial cabinets wear wide bezels; current signage designs run narrow, so a modern replacement can come out smaller than the hole the old panel left, which is the direction you want. The fix for the failed swap is a tape measure, a datasheet, and one subtraction per axis.
Can you still buy a 32 inch portrait signage panel?
Yes, the 32-inch diagonal is still a current commercial signage size with Full HD 1920 × 1080 glass, sold through AV distribution. What left the consumer shelves is the old wide-bezel cabinet, so the search runs on datasheet dimensions and distributor catalogues, not retail listings.
One current 32-inch signage display lists a 6.8 mm bezel and a 25.8 mm profile, so the class is alive and slimmer than the cabinet you are replacing. Ask an AV or IT distributor for 32-inch commercial displays with portrait support, then screen candidates against the five measurements in the next section. If the same project also needs counter or shelf screens, our small retail displays, 10.1 to 23.8 inches play offline from a card, no subscription.
What do I measure on the old board before ordering?
Take five numbers in millimetres: outside width and height at the widest points including the bezel, cabinet depth at the deepest point including protruding connectors, the visible glass area, the mounting hole spacing center to center, and the trim opening's clear width and height.
Photograph the label on the back of the old cabinet too. The model line helps a distributor match the family and its mounting accessories. Hole spacing in this size class commonly runs 200 × 200 mm, but the pitch moves between models, so the measured centers rule. Write the opening down as clear width and clear height, measured between the trim's inner lips, because those are the two numbers the new cabinet has to beat. Let the panel hang on its own mounting points through the hole pattern. Trim screws into the recess frame are not a mounting system for a cabinet this size. If the board sits flush in the trim, flush and panel mount: real cut-out sizes explains how a datasheet's cut-out size relates to the hole.
How do I match a datasheet to my opening?
Shortlist only panels whose published outside dimensions, rotated to portrait, are smaller than your opening. Where the datasheet prints no cut-out size, keep about 6 to 9 mm of play per side, the range our own flush-mount lists show.
Datasheets print landscape width, height and depth, so rotate in your head: portrait width is the datasheet's height, portrait height is the datasheet's width. Our panel-mount lists show the pattern to expect. The 15.6-inch model prints an outside size of 420 x 269 mm and a cut-out of 403 x 252 mm, 17 mm less in each axis, so the hole takes 8.5 mm of play a side. Where a candidate publishes a cut-out, the shop builds the hole to that number and the fit check is done. Where it publishes only an outside size, subtract outside from opening and split the remainder across both sides. A consumer-style cabinet carries a fat bottom bezel with the logo and buttons, so a rotated television throws the picture off center; commercial portrait cabinets stay symmetric.
| Path | Pick it when | The number that decides |
|---|---|---|
| Same-diagonal commercial panel, portrait rated | A current 32-inch class panel clears the opening | Outside size in portrait vs opening, 6 to 9 mm of play per side |
| One diagonal smaller, millwork filler | Nothing at 32 inches clears the width or the height | New outside size vs opening; the filler takes the remainder |
| Enlarge or rebuild the trim | You want the most glass the wall allows | Portrait glass height, about 0.87 times the diagonal, vs opening height |
| Consumer television | The board runs a few hours a day, away from windows | Hours per day and brightness in nits |
Worked scenario: does a slim 32 inch panel fit a 17 by 29 inch opening?
Yes, a current slim-bezel 32-inch panel measures about 16.2 by 28.4 in outside in portrait, so it clears a 17.25 by 29.5 in opening with about 1 in of play per axis. The 20.25 by 32.5 in replacement that failed the fit misses by 3 in on both.
Say the board sits in a millwork recess with a clear opening of 17.25 by 29.5 in, and the dead panel was a 32-inch class commercial cabinet. The vendor's replacement quotes an outside size of 20.25 by 32.5 in in portrait.
- Glass: a 32-inch 16:9 panel has a diagonal factor of 18.36 (16² + 9² = 337, square root), so portrait glass runs 32 × 9 / 18.36 = 15.7 in wide and 32 × 16 / 18.36 = 27.9 in tall.
- Cabinet: a 6.8 mm bezel adds 0.27 in per side, 0.54 in in all, so the outside size comes to 16.2 by 28.4 in, and the 25.8 mm profile is about 1.0 in deep.
- Fit: 17.25 - 16.2 = 1.05 in of side play and 29.5 - 28.4 = 1.1 in of vertical play. The panel goes in with about half an inch a side.
- The rejected replacement: 20.25 - 17.25 = 3.0 in too wide and 32.5 - 29.5 = 3.0 in too tall.
- Decision: order a current slim-bezel 32-inch portrait panel by its published outside dimensions and the opening stays as built.
Does a portrait board need a panel built for portrait?
Order a panel whose datasheet lists portrait operation. Commercial signage panels state the allowed orientation, their cabinets stay symmetric in portrait, and the content is authored 1080 wide by 1920 tall.
Ask the supplier to put portrait support in writing with the quote. If a line only offers landscape glass with a rotated bracket as an afterthought, keep shopping. The ordering rule is the same one machine panels follow, portrait HMI panel orientation: order the portrait variant. Build the price list at the panel's native portrait resolution, so nothing rescales and the text lands on whole pixels.
Is a consumer TV good enough for a price board?
For a board that runs every hour the showroom is open, 10 to 12 hours a day, buy the commercial panel. Consumer sets are built around a few viewing hours a day and roughly 300 to 400 nits, while a current 32-inch signage panel lists 700 nits for bright, glass-fronted rooms.
Two datasheet lines decide it. Hours: commercial signage panels are built for the running hours a price board sees, and consumer warranties commonly exclude business use, so a showroom failure lands on your budget. Brightness: 700 nits holds a price list readable beside full-height glazing through an afternoon; 300 to 400 nits washes out in the same light. Pick the television only for a board that runs a couple of hours a day in a dim interior corner, and re-run the bezel check from the matching section, because consumer cabinets are wider than their glass.
How big should the price text be on a portrait board?
Plan capitals at 1 in of letter height for every 30 ft of viewing distance, the FHWA legibility figure. Drop to 20 ft per inch, a 0.6 in capital at 12 ft, when drivers and walk-ins must read prices at a glance. On Full HD portrait glass that 0.6 in is about 41 pixels.
Full HD portrait glass carries 1080 pixels across 15.7 in, about 69 pixels per inch, so 0.6 in capitals render at about 41 pixels. At the 30 ft figure read from 12 ft, 0.4 in capitals render at about 28 pixels. Keep line spacing near 1.7 times the capital height, the same rule road signs follow. Mounting height and viewing angle move these numbers, and LCD viewing angle and HMI mounting height: test before you drill shows how to mock the board up before any holes are drilled.
What do I send the supplier so the replacement fits first time?
Send five numbers and one photo: outside width, height and depth of the old cabinet, the hole pattern center to center, the trim opening's clear width and height, and a photo of the model label. Ask for the replacement's published outside dimensions in portrait back before you order.
Put these on the enquiry:
- Published outside dimensions in portrait, with depth
- Cut-out size, if the board sits flush in trim
- Portrait operation, stated on the datasheet
- Brightness in nits, matched to the room's light
- Hole pattern in millimetres and the screw size
If the board just shows a static price list, USB photo playback or cloud software for a review board weighs stick playback against managed updates before you commit to a content route.
Recommendation: Order a commercial signage panel whose published outside dimensions, rotated to portrait, sit inside your measured opening with 6 to 9 mm of play per side. Take the 32-inch class when those numbers clear, drop one diagonal size with a millwork filler when they don't, and keep the consumer television for boards that run a few hours a day away from windows.
Questions
Can I reuse the old board's mounting bracket or adapter plate?
Only when the hole pattern matches in both directions. Measure the mounting hole centers in millimetres; 200 × 200 mm is a common pitch on 32-inch class commercial panels, but smaller and larger pitches share the same size class. An adapter plate can bridge a mismatch, and it adds its own thickness to the depth budget, so recheck cabinet depth with the adapter in place.
What diagonal fits my opening if no 32 inch panel works?
For 16:9 glass in portrait, width runs about 0.49 times the diagonal and height about 0.87 times, before bezels. Divide the opening's clear height by 0.87 and its clear width by 0.49, then take the smaller result and subtract the bezels. An opening 29.5 in tall and 17.25 in wide allows about 34 in by height and 35 in by width, so 32-inch class is the largest sensible glass.
What brightness does a dealership price board need?
Compare nits on the datasheets against the room's light. A current 32-inch signage panel can list 700 nits, roughly double a living-room television at 300 to 400 nits, and that margin keeps a price list readable beside full-height glazing on a sunny afternoon. On a dim interior counter away from windows, the lower figure is enough.
Planning information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules differ by place: check codes and permits with your local authority and your licensed trades.
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