photoluminescent exit signs

• Door to Remain Unlocked Signs: Identify doors that must remain unlocked while a building or space is occupied.
• Exit Door Signs: Shop photoluminescent EXIT, EXIT ONLY, EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY, and other door messaging for identifying emergency exits and egress doors.
• Photoluminescent Door Hardware Markings: Add visible operating instructions such as PUSH TO OPEN directly at exit-door hardware so occupants can identify how to operate the door.
• Photoluminescent No Exit Signs: Clearly identify doors and pathways that are not part of the exit route with NO EXIT and NOT AN EXIT messaging.
• Running Man Exit Signs: Find running man symbols, directional arrows, final exit signs, exit-through-lobby signs, street exit signs, and accessible exit symbols for low-level egress marking.

How Glow in the Dark Exit Signs Work

Glow in the dark exit signs use photoluminescent material that stores energy from surrounding light. When the environment becomes dark, that stored energy is released as a visible glow without an electrical connection or battery.

The effectiveness of an exit sign that glows in the dark depends on more than the material alone. The sign must receive sufficient illumination before an emergency, and its design, listing, location, mounting height, and application must match applicable code requirements.

Photoluminescent signage can be especially useful where facilities need durable, non-powered egress identification that remains visible when normal lighting is interrupted.

Choose the Right Exit Message

Exit signage should tell occupants what they need to know at each point along the egress route. That may mean identifying an exit door, directing people left or right, marking a final exit, explaining how to operate a door, or preventing someone from following a doorway that isn’t an exit.

For low-level egress applications, photoluminescent running man symbols include left- and right-facing figures, directional arrows, final-exit messaging, and other configurations for different points along the route. Some products are specifically designed for installation below the smoke line, including signs centered on exit doors with the top of the sign no more than 18 inches above the floor.

Doors that could be mistaken for part of the exit route may instead require NO EXIT or NOT AN EXIT messaging.

Are Photoluminescent Exit Signs Code Compliant?

Photoluminescent exit signage can satisfy applicable code requirements in specific applications, but a glow-in-the-dark sign isn’t automatically an acceptable replacement for every illuminated or electrically powered exit sign.

Requirements can vary by jurisdiction, building type, sign location, available charging illumination, and the role the sign plays within the means of egress. Product listings and testing standards also matter, particularly for signs used as part of a required luminous egress path marking system.

Review the specifications and compliance information for the individual product before ordering, and confirm project requirements with the fire marshal, building official, or other authority having jurisdiction.

Complete Your Life Safety Signage

Photoluminescent signs are typically one part of a larger emergency communication and egress system. Coordinate exit identification with directional signage, evacuation plans, stairway signs, fire equipment identification, and other life safety signs required throughout the facility.

HealthcareSigns.com offers life safety signage for healthcare and other commercial environments, making it easier to coordinate required messages across doors, corridors, stairways, and emergency routes.

Need help selecting signage for a larger project? Contact our team for assistance identifying products that fit your facility, application, and project requirements.