4D 5mm number plates are our deepest standard 4D style: each character is laser-cut from 5mm solid black acrylic and bonded to a reflective BS AU 145e plate, so the registration stands a clear 5mm off the surface and throws a visible shadow in daylight. Sold as a pair (front and rear) for cars and vans, made in County Durham by a DVLA-registered number plate supplier. Order before 2pm on a working day with your documents approved and we make them the same day.
How it is made
We cut every character on a laser rather than a router or a press, which is why the edges stay square and the curves on letters such as B, R and S stay clean. The characters are Charles Wright, the prescribed font for these plates, at the prescribed size and spacing, and they are bonded with a high-strength adhesive to a white front or yellow rear reflective plate that carries our supplier name, postcode and the BS AU 145e mark.
If 5mm is deeper than you want, the 4D 3mm plate uses the same construction with a shallower character, and the 4D gel plate adds a gel dome on top of a 3mm character. Our 4D number plates guide compares all of the styles side by side.
Is it road legal?
Yes, when the finished plate meets BS AU 145e. What makes a plate legal is not the depth of the characters but the plate as a whole: Charles Wright characters at the right size and spacing, a single shade of non-reflective black, a reflective white or yellow background with no tint or pattern, and a registered supplier's mark. Every 4D 5mm plate we make is built to that standard. What stops a camera reading a plate is tint, a patterned background, a non-standard font or spacing, or damage, not raised characters. The detail is in our guide to 3D and 4D number plate legality.
A proposed BSI amendment that would stop the production of raised-character plates was consulted on until 13 December 2025 and is still under consideration; nothing has been adopted, BS AU 145e:2018 remains the current standard, and 4D plates remain legal to make, sell and fit. We have not been told when any change would take effect or how plates already fitted would be treated, and we will say so here as soon as we are. Checked 8 September 2026.
Sizes
A standard car plate is 520mm × 111mm. We also make this style as a shortened plate cut to your registration with a 16mm margin, a 4x4 square rear plate, an oversize rear plate and a hex plate. 5mm characters are not offered on motorbike plates; the 4D motorbike plate uses 3mm characters.
Care
Wash them as you wash the car, by hand or with a pressure washer held at a sensible distance. Avoid solvents and abrasive polish on the characters. See cleaning your 3D or 4D number plates.
Warranty
36 months against manufacturing defects, which covers the plate, the print and the bond between character and plate. It does not cover damage from fitting, impact or chemicals.
What to order
Select 4D 5mm in the plate builder; it only offers the sizes this depth is made in, so a motorbike plate will not appear. We need to see proof that the registration is yours before we cut anything (valid documents), and we post plates and documents back together (delivery options).
