Shadow Box Frames & Jersey Frames with Acrylic Fronts

Most customers fall into one of three groups. Framers and DIYers with a timber frame already built just need a replacement front: a flat acrylic panel cut to the rebate size, with the protective film left on until it is fitted. Collectors who want a modern floating look order a five-sided acrylic box that screws to a backing board, so the jersey or ball looks suspended with no visible frame. Clubs and businesses that want it done for them send us the object size and we quote a finished shadow box with a coloured Perspex Spectrum back panel, standoffs for medals and a mounting kit.

A footy or cricket jersey with the sleeves folded back usually needs an internal space of around 800mm wide by 1000mm tall and 40 to 60mm deep. At that size a 3mm front can bow slightly, so we recommend 4.5mm or 5mm acrylic for jersey frames, and 6mm for anything wider than 1200mm. Acrylic is about half the weight of glass, which makes a large frame far easier to hang and much safer in a clubroom, hallway or kids' room.

Marker signatures and dyed fabric fade in sunlight. Standard clear acrylic already blocks much of the UV that does the damage, and for valuable or irreplaceable items we offer museum-grade anti-reflective acrylic , which filters UV and cuts glare so the piece reads clearly from any angle. Even with a UV-filtering front, hang memorabilia away from direct afternoon sun.

• For a replacement front, measure the frame rebate (the recess the glass sits in) and take off 1 to 2mm each way.
• For an acrylic box, give us the internal width, height and depth you need, and allow at least 20mm of clearance around the object.
• Measure the deepest point of the object, such as a ball or a folded collar, to set the box depth.

Flat fronts can be priced instantly in the pricing calculator . Standard clear cases with a base are in our display case configurator , and our plastic fabrication team quotes fully built wall-mounted boxes. For flat picture frames, see acrylic photo frames .