Plinth sizes guide

A plinth does one job: it lifts something off the floor and gives it room to be looked at. Get the size right and the object reads as important. Get it wrong and it either disappears into the room or looks stranded on a box.

This guide covers the three measurements that actually decide how a plinth performs, what our standard sizes are, and when a custom size is worth it.

The three measurements that matter

Height decides whether people look down at your object or straight at it. Top size decides what fits and how much breathing room it has. Footprint decides whether the plinth suits the floor space you have been given.

Most people start with height. It is the right place to start, because it is the one you cannot fix later with clever styling.

Heights, and what each one suits

Across our range, plinth heights run from roughly 200mm up to 1200mm. In practice they group into four useful bands.

• 200 to 400mm – low risers. These sit objects just clear of the floor or lift one item above others on a table. Useful in a window or on top of a counter, and for building stepped groups.
• 500 to 700mm – seated eye level. Good where people will be sitting, or where you want a large object to read as a whole rather than looming.
• 800 to 950mm – the standard. This is the band most single-object displays land in. It puts a small to medium item at comfortable standing eye level for most adults, and it matches typical counter height, so a plinth beside a counter looks deliberate rather than accidental.
• 1000 to 1200mm – tall. For small objects that need to be close to eye level, or where you want the plinth itself to be part of the statement. Jewellery, a trophy, a single handset, a perfume bottle.

If you are displaying one object and you are not sure, 900mm is the safe choice. It is the height most people mean when they say a plinth.

Top size

Common top sizes across our range run from about 300mm square up to 600mm square, with wider tops available for merchandising.

The working rule is to leave visible space around the object on all sides. An object that fills its top looks like it is balancing on a box. The same object on a top 100mm wider on each side looks placed. Space is what makes a display read as intentional.

Where you need a larger top for a wide or heavy item, a wide pedestal is available, and custom tops can be made to a size you specify.

What a plinth can hold

Our plinth kits are rated to support up to 70kg each. The bases are manufactured from 5mm extruded polypropylene, which is what makes them both strong and light enough to move without a trolley.

If you are putting something heavier than 70kg on display, tell us the weight when you enquire so we can specify a base that suits.

Materials, and what each one is good at

• Acrylic – 6mm thick, in white, black or clear. Clean and modern. Clear acrylic almost disappears, which puts all the attention on the object. Profile-cut logos and computer-cut vinyl lettering can be applied to the face.
• Timber and laminate – warmer, heavier, and the closest match to gallery and retail fit-outs. A good choice where the plinth needs to look built-in rather than brought in.
• Metal – a harder, more industrial finish, and the most robust option for repeated handling.
• Mirror – reflects the surrounding space and the object above it. Striking under lighting, and worth considering when the plinth itself should be part of the look.
• Illuminated and lightbox – internally lit, with a frosted top available. These earn their keep in dim venues and evening events, where an unlit plinth simply goes dark.

Portable or fixed

Portable plinths are built to be carried, packed and re-used. Several can fit into a single carry bag, and the graphic skins are interchangeable, so the same frames can carry different branding at different events without replacing the plinth.

Fixed plinths are the better choice for a permanent installation, where the plinth is handled once and then left alone.

If the plinth is going out more than twice a year, the portable version is usually the sensible call.

Groups and staggered heights

Three plinths at the same height read as a row. Three at different heights read as a composition. Staircase and hexagonal kits are built for exactly this, and combination kits mix heights and top sizes in one set.

A simple approach that works: put the tallest plinth at the back or to one side, not in the middle, and keep the gaps between plinths roughly equal.

When to go custom

Custom plinths, pedestals and podiums are made to your dimensions, in acrylic, timber, laminate, MDF, aluminium or perspex. Custom is worth it when the object has an unusual footprint, when the plinth has to match an existing fit-out, or when you need a height between our standards.

It is not worth it simply to get a slightly different size. The standard range covers most jobs, and a standard plinth is quicker to replace if one is damaged mid-campaign.

A quick reference

• One object, standing audience, no other constraints: 900mm high, 400mm square top.
• Small or precious object: 1000 to 1200mm, smaller top.
• Large or heavy object: 500 to 700mm, wider top, and tell us the weight.
• Group of three: mix heights across two or three bands rather than matching them.
• Dim venue or evening event: illuminated.
• Going out repeatedly: portable, with interchangeable skins.

Not sure which way to go? Tell us what you are displaying, where it is going and how often it needs to travel, and we can specify it for you.

Real people. Straight answers. No runaround.