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Metal Number Plates
Many drivers of customised cars try to use metal number plates to give the car that retro look, however very often they are breaking the law.
When number plates were first introduced in 1903 plastics were not common and initially metal was used in the manufacture of the plates.
Sometimes they were made by using white plastic letters which were rivetted to a black metal background but more common were silver digits which were punched into the black metal background.
These black number plates are only legal when used on vehicles first registered before January 1973. The use of them on vehicles younger than this will result in an M.O.T. failure and if stopped by the police a fine of up to 1000 pound could be imposed and the car can even be confiscated.
Number plates fitted on vehicles first registered after January 1973 must have a white background for the front and yellow for the rear and both must have black letters and numbers.
Initially these could be made using plastic letters on a metal background but production techniques quickly changed to a reflective vinyl background with black transfers to depict the characters and a clear self adhesive acrylic to make the whole thing rigid.
If you have any questions regarding any of the above , please contact us by email or telephone.
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