does anyone make affordable acp

Prices for aluminum composite panels are crazy. Wonder if anyone has had better luck. Plenty of it is on alibaba but there's a minimum amount and who knows if you'd ever see it.

Hey brother,how big of a piece do you need? I have a neighbor the work for a company that makes the owenings over gas stations,they use that stuff. I have got some small pieces from him, he a rubber core.

What are you trying to do?

1244 Atchafalaya Outdoor Designs W/ 12hp Copperhead

sign makers have used this material for several years now.
from 1/8" to 1/2" thickness is the norm. 4x8 and 4x12 foot sheets.

For my boat floor and storage compartments and whatnots. Local sign shops quoted more than $200 for one piece.

the vinyl sticker shops I know of often had used panels on hand
in different sizes of signs they had taken down. Same as 1/2" and 3/4"
primed and painted MDO. but the ACP is so much lighter !! (and more $$$$).
I would not suggest buying new material from a sign shop - as they put their
ridiculous markup on top of their price.

be prepared to pay hefty coins for good quality panels. the cheaper panels
from China, such as Alibaba, will delaminate due to inferior adhesive.
it's a tradeoff of quality vs price.

I googled "aluminum composite panels, raleigh nc" and saw several sources you could
at least get some quotes from for comparison.

for vertical projects such as lockers and doors, you can use .020" metal both sides.
for horizontal surfaces, such as floors, the minimum I would suggest would be .040" metal
thickness for both sides....... again, you will get what you pay for.
there is also aluminum and plastic edge trim available for the thicknesses of the panels to cover the raw edge.

what size was the sheet that you said was $200.00 ?? a 4x8' x 1/2" does not seem unreasonable to me.

Note: Alupanel, Alumalite and DiBond products are not structural. they can actually be cut with a box knife.
so pay very close attention to the thickness of the metal clad.
when I did "vinyl" signs, I used 6mm Polymetal that is sold in Florida.
https://www.easternmetal.com/signage_extrusions-aluminum_composite_material.html
but that was many, many winters ago and don't remember the prices.


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How much weight saving is there vs .090" aluminum, I used 1/8" for my floor and it was $60 for 2 pieces, one 30" x 44" and one 30" x 43"

You can compare weights if that is the concern, Discount Steel has the sheet weights for a variety of aluminum grades.

1244 Atchafalaya Outdoor Designs W/ 12hp Copperhead

Thanks for researching it Johnny. I called a couple of places in Raleigh and left a message with one but most of them seem to cater to big construction projects. I'll probably use 1/2" plywood until I can find the right stuff. I figured even non-structural would be fine since my supports are fairly close together.

My other option is the 5/8" stuff I bought from Composite Panel Technologies, about an hour away. He said he used it on a bus floor and it's pretty strong. The outside is not cloth but for sure it could use a sturdier skin. I have enough of it that I could try a piece as-is and see how it goes. It's made of something like tiny plastic straws so it requires shoulder washers. His website says they make something for marine use but it doesn't give much in the way of specs.

Bouy - what that photo shows is a plastic cardboard material called Coroplast.
there are a few different fillers available that have different applications such
as High Density Urethane (HDU) which is lightweight and as hard as wood.
then there is the Coosa Board material that is stronger than steel.
I have a stack of cut-offs and that stuff is ridiculously hard and strong. (and $$$$$).
https://coosacomposites.com/
so it boils down to your budget, what material you need and the availability.

good luck in your project!!

I bought two 4X8 sheets of 10 mm coroplast for my jet jon for CAN$160.

How sturdy is the 10 mm coroplast ? Tomorrow I'm going to a couple of places to look around, one said he has 3mm alum composite for $50 per 4x8. I figure I could double it up for a 1/4" floor if it's at all sturdy.

Bouy - you will have to look at it in person and feel and touch it
in order to determine if it will work for your projects.
so many different variables involved:
thickness of the metal clad, thickness of the coroplast, the bond of the adhesive.
sign shops usually have a sample box from their suppliers that will give you some options.
now, if you could find some "honeycomb aircraft composite" you would be in tip-top shape.

okay - you know the plastic bootleg signs on the roadways ?? that is 3mm coroplast.




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I got two 4x8 sheets of 1/4" aluminum composite acm for $175. I figure I can double it up for the floor if need be and use single pieces to make compartments. He said my 5/8" composite wasn't coroplast because it was too strong and it's really light whereas the acm is somewhat hefty which this boat will need if I ever go to a 40 hp.

good deal !! glad you got what you need..... hope to see the followup pictures soon.

I just realized it's cheaper than marine plywood. I guess I spent several months looking in all the wrong places. Now it's go time.