ADA Braille on Signs: Dot Sizes, Spacing and Placement
Grade 2 braille for room signs: dot diameter and height, spacing within and between cells, how far below the text it goes, capital letters, and how California differs.
Tool for this: Free Braille Translator — Type sign text and get Grade 2 Braille with dot sizes for routing.
Braille is the part of an ADA sign most shops cannot check by eye. A dot a few thousandths too wide or a cell spaced too tight is hard to read, and inspectors measure it. Here are the 2010 ADA Standards rules (section 703.3) and the California differences, in the numbers your router or raster-braille system needs.
1. It must be Grade 2
Signs use contracted braille, also called Grade 2. Contracted braille uses short forms for common words and letter groups, so a word like "FOR" or "THE" is a single cell instead of three. Typing the text letter by letter (Grade 1) is one of the most common reasons a sign is rejected. Use a real translator, not a font that swaps each letter for a cell.
Canada (CSA B651) and some other codes call for uncontracted braille instead, so check the project location.
2. Dot and cell dimensions
All dots are domed or rounded, never flat-topped or pointed.
| Measurement | 2010 ADA | California 11B |
|---|---|---|
| Dot base diameter | 0.059 to 0.063 inch | 0.059 to 0.063 inch |
| Dot height | 0.025 to 0.037 inch | 0.025 to 0.037 inch |
| Dot to dot, same cell | 0.090 to 0.100 inch | 0.100 inch exactly |
| Same dot, next cell | 0.241 to 0.300 inch | 0.300 inch exactly |
| Same dot, line below | 0.395 to 0.400 inch | 0.395 to 0.400 inch |
California fixes the spacing at the largest federal value. A layout set to 0.300 inch cell-to-cell and 0.100 inch within the cell works in every state, so many shops simply use it everywhere.
3. Where the braille goes
- Below the raised text. When the text runs to several lines, the braille goes below the whole message.
- At least 3/8 inch from any other tactile characters, borders and decorative elements. California adds a maximum: 1/2 inch from the text above.
- Flush left or centered under the text.
Mind the bottom edge too: the baseline of the lowest braille line is what sets the 48-inch minimum mounting height.
4. Capital letters in braille
The raised letters are all uppercase, but the braille is not. Braille uses a capital sign only before the first word of a sentence, proper names, single letters, initials and acronyms. So a sign reading CONFERENCE ROOM in raised letters has a capital sign before "Conference" only, not before every letter. Putting a capital sign before every letter is a frequent error.
5. Numbers and room numbers
Numbers use the braille number sign before the digits. A room number such as 204 is one number sign followed by the three digit cells. Mixed text such as "204B" needs care with the letter after the number; let the translator handle it and check the result.
6. Raster braille and drilled dots
Most signs today use raster braille: holes drilled in the sign face and acrylic or metal spheres pressed in. Check that your sphere size, once seated, gives a dome within the diameter and height in the table above. Specify the spacing on the drawing in inches to three decimals, not by font name, so the fabricator cannot round it.
Checklist
- Translated to Grade 2 (or the grade the local code requires).
- Dot diameter 0.059 to 0.063 inch, height 0.025 to 0.037 inch, domed.
- Spacing 0.100 inch in the cell and 0.300 inch cell to cell (safe everywhere).
- 3/8 inch below the text (1/2 inch maximum in California).
- Capital signs only where braille rules call for them.
- Lowest braille baseline at 48 inches minimum.
Get the braille right automatically
Our free Braille Translator produces Grade 2 braille for signs, and the free ADA Sign Maker places it at real size with SVG and DXF cut files. SignAcctPro does both inside your shop software, with BRF files for embossers and many room signs at once from a list. For whole buildings, Sign Desk can draw the full ADA package overnight.
Signs are designed to ADA guidelines. Have important braille checked by a certified braille reader, and confirm the current local code before fabrication.