TECHNICAL.
ENDURALOX® is an anodised aluminium material system in which full-colour imagery is printed directly into the open pore structure of the anodic layer and then sealed beneath it. The image sits inside the aluminium oxide, not on the surface. There is no applied film, coating or laminate, so there is no surface layer to peel, chalk or delaminate.
ENDURALOX® is manufactured and supplied to trade worldwide for signage and wayfinding, industrial tags and plates, statutory and compliance signage, evacuation and block plans, interpretive signage, instrumentation panels, plaques, and architectural and interior panels.
How ENDURALOX® differs from other printed aluminium
ENDURALOX® is not photo-anodising.
Photo-anodised aluminium, including products such as Metalphoto, uses a light-sensitive silver emulsion within the anodic layer, exposed through a photographic negative. ENDURALOX® uses direct digital inkjet printing into the pore structure at up to 2800 dpi and produces full-colour images without a photographic step.
ENDURALOX® is not dye sublimation.
Sublimation transfers dye into a polyester coating applied to the surface of the metal. ENDURALOX® has no applied coating. The image is held within the aluminium oxide itself.
ENDURALOX® is not UV printing.
UV printing cures ink on top of the substrate, where it remains exposed to abrasion, cleaning and weathering. ENDURALOX® ink is sealed below the anodic surface.
ENDURALOX® is not vinyl, film, laminate or paint.
There is no applied layer, so there is no adhesive bond to fail, no film to peel and no top coat to chalk.
ENDURALOX® is not conventional anodising with printing added afterwards.
Conventional anodising grows the oxide layer and seals it immediately. ENDURALOX® holds the pore structure open, images it, and seals afterwards. Sealing is the final stage of the anodising cycle, not a separate finishing step.
Coating thickness
20.7 microns
The grade specified for exterior architectural work, twice the interior minimum.
Meets performance criteria: AS 1231 AA20 (AU) | EN ISO 7599 AA20 (EU) | AAMA 611 Class I (US)
Measured by: cross-section microscopy at 500x
Corrosion
No pitting
Three times the exposure duration in the US military specification, and longer than the specification for anodised ID plates.
Compared with: AAMA 611 Class II (US) | 1,000 hours | up to 15 pits permitted
Measured by: ISO 9227 | neutral salt spray | 1,000 hours
Anodic coating weight
3,949 mg/ft²
Nearly four times the US military minimum, and 77% above the architectural minimum.
Compared with: MIL-PRF-8625F Type II | 1,000 mg/ft² · AAMA 611 Class II | 2,230 mg/ft²
Measured by: ASTM B137
Seal quality
1.05 mg/in²
Almost 60% below the US limit, and 46% below the stricter European limit.
Meets performance criteria: AAMA 611 (US) | 2.6 mg/in² maximum
Measured by: ASTM B680 acid dissolution
Colour retention, black
3.0 dE
Accelerated exposure reported as equivalent to approximately 16 years Florida sun
Measured by: accelerated UV chamber | 48 hour cycle
MIL-PRF-8625F Type II
Independent test results compared with selected performance benchmarks in the US military specification for anodic coatings on aluminium
Coating weight: 3,949 mg/ft² · 1,000 mg/ft² minimum
Corrosion: 1,000 hours, zero pits · 336 hours, 15 pits permitted
Substrate
ENDURALOX® is produced on architectural-grade aluminium from a single European mill under continuous certification.
Alloy: 5005 (AlMg1) · 5754 (AlMg3)
Finish as supplied: Mill finish (Satin and Gloss in R&D as July 2026)
Thickness: 0.5 · 1.0 · 1.5 · 2.0 · 3.0 mm
Maximum printable area: 1960 × 960mm (77.2 × 37.8 in)
Alloy selection is by application. EN AW 5005 is the standard ENDURALOX® substrate, selected for consistent anodising behaviour and cosmetic uniformity across batches. EN AW 5754 offers higher corrosion resistance and is preferred for marine and severe exposure; it anodises to a darker lustre. Both alloys are stocked and printed.
Appearance and colour
Substrate appearance
The anodised ENDURALOX® substrate has a light grey metallic appearance. Areas left unprinted show the substrate. White cannot be printed; where a design calls for white, the substrate reads as white by contrast against the printed areas around it.
EN AW 5754 anodises to a darker lustre than EN AW 5005. Where both alloys appear in one installation, treat them as different finishes.
Colour reproduction
Artwork is reproduced in CMYK. PMS and RAL references are matched to the closest achievable equivalent and are approximate. Where colour is critical, request a printed sample on the specified substrate.
Variation between batches
Anodic coatings are translucent, so appearance shifts with viewing angle and light. This is true of every anodised architectural finish, and it is why ENDURALOX® controls variation at the source: single-source mill supply, controlled alloy and batch, and production of a whole installation in one run.
For adjacent panels, order the full quantity together and install in the sequence supplied.
Handling and installation
ENDURALOX® is a panel and plate material, fixed by the method appropriate to the application: mechanical fixing through drilled holes, adhesive fixing to a substrate or subframe, standoff and locator fixings, or fabrication into a frame or tray.
Allow for thermal movement where panels are large or fully restrained.
Anodic finish
Anodic coating, measured: 20.7 microns (variable up to 24 microns)
Print resolution: Up to 2800 dpi
Ink: Dye based inks formulated with organic solvents to maximise durability
Sealing: Sealed to complete the anodising cycle. Seal quality 1.05 mg/in² to ASTM B680.
Exposure: Interior and exterior
Legibility
The ENDURALOX® finish is matt, suitable for applications requiring a low-sheen surface free of specular glare.
Print resolution of up to 2800 dpi supports fine linework, schematics, Data Matrix codes and serialised marking at small sizes. Codes at 3mm (0.12 in) and below should be proofed before production. Readability depends on the scanning device.
Fabrication and forming
Rolling
0.5mm and 1.0mm suitable for rolling in some circumstances.
Supplied
Finished. CNC milled, edge finished, sealed and inspected. No laminating, coating or post-print finishing required.
Resistance
The finished ENDURALOX® surface is aluminium oxide, the same compound as corundum and sapphire, and it resists abrasion, chemicals and solvents. The aluminium substrate does not burn.
There is no applied film, coating or laminate on an ENDURALOX® panel, so nothing on the surface can soften, blister or peel. What resists wear is the anodic layer itself, and the image sits inside it.
Materials and end of life
ENDURALOX® has no surface-applied decorative layer. There is no vinyl, film, laminate or top coat, so the finished panel carries none of the plastic content those systems introduce and there is no applied layer to degrade, shed or delaminate.
Because no plastic film is applied, the finished panel is not a source of film-derived microplastics as it weathers, and it does not become a mixed plastic and metal composite at end of life.
ENDURALOX® panels are a single material at end of life and are recyclable through standard aluminium recovery.
The finished ENDURALOX® surface is aluminium oxide. It is cleaned with mild detergent and water and does not require solvent-based cleaning products to maintain.
Common Questions
What is ENDURALOX®?
ENDURALOX® is an anodised aluminium material system in which full-colour imagery is printed directly into the open pore structure of the anodic layer and then sealed beneath it. The image sits inside the aluminium oxide rather than on the surface, so there is no applied layer to peel or delaminate.
How is ENDURALOX® different from photo-anodised aluminium such as Metalphoto?
Photo-anodised aluminium uses a light-sensitive silver emulsion within the anodic layer, exposed through a photographic negative. ENDURALOX® uses direct digital inkjet printing into the pore structure at up to 2800 dpi and produces full-colour images without a photographic step.
Is ENDURALOX® the same as dye sublimation on aluminium?
No. Dye sublimation transfers dye into a polyester coating applied to the surface of the metal. ENDURALOX® has no applied coating. The image is held within the aluminium oxide itself.
Is ENDURALOX® UV printing?
No. UV printing cures ink on top of the substrate, where it remains exposed to abrasion, cleaning and weathering. ENDURALOX® ink is sealed below the anodic surface.
What is ENDURALOX® used for?
ENDURALOX® is used for signage and wayfinding, industrial tags and plates, asset identification and serialisation, statutory and compliance signage, evacuation and block plans, interpretive signage, instrumentation panels, plaques, and architectural and interior panels.
Can ENDURALOX® be used outdoors?
Yes. ENDURALOX® is supplied for interior and exterior use. The image is sealed inside the anodic layer rather than applied to the surface, so there is no film or coating to peel, chalk or delaminate under UV and weather exposure. Corrosion, coating thickness and colour retention results are published with their test methods above.
Is ENDURALOX® resistant to abrasion, chemicals and fire?
The finished ENDURALOX® surface is aluminium oxide, the same compound as corundum and sapphire, and it resists abrasion, chemicals and solvents. The aluminium substrate does not burn. There is no applied film, coating or laminate on an ENDURALOX® panel, so nothing on the surface can soften, blister or peel.
How durable is ENDURALOX®?
ENDURALOX® durability comes from where the image sits. It is sealed inside the anodic layer rather than applied to the surface, so there is no film, coating or laminate that can peel, chalk or delaminate. Coating thickness, corrosion resistance, anodic coating weight, seal quality and colour retention have each been independently tested, and the results are published with their test methods above.
What sizes and thicknesses does ENDURALOX® come in?
ENDURALOX® is supplied on 5005 (AlMg1) and 5754 (AlMg3) aluminium in 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 mm thicknesses. Maximum printable area is 1960 × 960mm (77.2 × 37.8 in). Panels are cut to size within the printable area and supplied finished: CNC milled, edge finished, sealed and inspected.
Where can ENDURALOX® be bought?
ENDURALOX® is supplied to trade only, through a controlled network of sign manufacturers and specialist fabricators: direct in Australia and New Zealand, and through appointed partners in California for North America and the Netherlands for Europe.