Museum display cases and exhibit furniture built around artifact protection and storytelling.

A gallery rarely needs one kind of case. A freestanding vitrine holds objects viewed in the round. A hood-on-base case builds the same idea as a separate glass volume lifted onto a solid base, which is the most common form because it separates the sealed chamber from the services below. A wall case is viewed from one side, so it is cheaper to seal and easier to light. A table case is low and lidded, for documents and objects read from above.

Alongside the cases sit the items easily missed at budget stage: interpretive panels, bench seating, rails and back-of-house storage. Pricing them in the same enquiry keeps finishes consistent across the room.

Most galleries end up with two or three families rather than one repeated size. A family shares a base detail, a glass specification and a finish, which brings the per-unit cost down sharply against unrelated one-offs. Single-case detail is on our museum artifact display showcase page.

• Freestanding vitrine: viewed in the round, tall glass volume
• Hood-on-base: sealed glass chamber lifted onto a serviced base
• Wall case: one viewing side, easier to seal and light
• Table or desk case: low and lidded, documents and small objects
• Plinths, benches, rails and interpretive furniture around the cases

Museum display is unusual as a purchasing category, because the requirements often do not come from the buyer. They come from a conservator, a lender or an institutional standard, and they arrive as a written document: sealing detail, light limits, materials permitted inside the case, lock type and anchoring method.

Our position is simple. We do not write conservation requirements, we do not certify against any museum standard, and we do not claim a performance figure for a case. We build to the written specification you supply and make it part of the drawing set, so what was asked for and what was built can be checked against each other.

That makes the document the most valuable thing you can send with an enquiry. A brief saying the case must be sealed is not quotable; one specifying the gasket arrangement, acceptable materials and required access points is.

Inside a sealed case, materials matter more than anywhere else in fixture work, because whatever the interior gives off has nowhere to go. Adhesives, paints, sealants, fabrics and board products are all part of that question, and conservators normally want to review them before anything is made.

So we produce a written materials list covering every material used inside the display chamber and submit it with the shop drawings rather than after production. Glass and powder-coated steel are the least problematic interior surfaces; painted and board-based interiors depend on the products used and on how long they cure before the case is closed.

Exterior finishes are a freer choice and follow the exhibit design: matte paint where the case should disappear, dark tones where the object should read against a recessive surround, veneer where gallery furniture is meant to be seen. Matte interiors are standard, because gloss puts reflections where the visitor is trying to look. For metal exhibit structures we also do custom metal fabrication.

The most common visitor complaint about a case is not that it is dim — it is that the glass shows the room. Low-reflection coated glass is the direct answer, worth specifying where a case faces a window or a lit wall. Low-iron glass is the second decision, because the green cast of standard float becomes obvious over the depth of a large vitrine and shows first on paper, textiles and pale ceramics. Laminated construction is the third, where physical resistance is part of the requirement.

Each adds cost, which is why glass is where quotes for the same case diverge most. Decide per case: a high-value object in an unattended gallery and a robust object in a supervised room do not need the same glass.

Humidity buffering is a provision, not a promise. A base can be built with a conditioning well below a perforated deck, sized to the internal volume and to how often staff will service it, so the medium can be changed without disturbing the mount; the conservator sets the target. Light is specified as total exposure rather than brightness. LED sources are used because output can be dimmed and because drivers and most of the heat sit outside the sealed volume. UV output from LEDs is low, but daylight reaching the case is often the larger factor.

Security in exhibit work is mostly about reducing opening points and controlling who reaches them. Fewer access panels means fewer weak points, but also means more of the case has to be moved to reach the object. The usual arrangement is one primary access panel sized for mount removal, plus a separate service hatch for lighting and conditioning.

Locks are concealed and keyed to the institution's existing system where one exists. Cam locks suit lower-risk cases; hook bolts and multi-point latches are used on large panels or unattended galleries. Tall or narrow cases are anchored to floor or wall, and the method is agreed with whoever is responsible for the building fabric.

We will build to whatever security level the specification calls for, and we will not attach a rating to it. No display case is a safe, and we make no burglary-resistance claims. What we commit to is that the case as delivered matches the approved drawing set.

Museum quotes diverge more than retail quotes, because the same outline can be a simple glazed box or a sealed, coated, laminated, anchored case with a conditioning well. Issue one written specification per case type and ask everyone to price it. Watch four exclusions: mounts and mount-making, freight terms and customs clearance, site installation and any lifting equipment, and the final electrical connection, which is always local licensed work. Our process is on the factory page, and the retail equivalent of the same glass work is in our display cases category.

Cases are trial-assembled at our factory in Huizhou, China, then taken apart only as far as shipping requires. Glass volumes travel in purpose-built crates with foam-lined cradles; bases usually travel assembled, because their joints suffer most from repeated disassembly. Crates are marked with a case number matching the drawing set, so a phased delivery can be staged by room. Most work moves by sea freight, so crates use heat-treated timber, a moisture barrier and desiccant.

On site the sequence is base first, level and anchor, mount and object placed by your staff, then the glass volume lowered on; we supply a lift sequence and the number of people each panel needs. For a quote, send object dimensions and sensitivity notes, a gallery plan with case positions, the written conservation or loan requirement, lighting expectations, security and anchoring needs, photographs of the delivery route, quantity and the opening date. Lead time is confirmed after drawings are approved — see our lead time page.