What is the difference between 3D Gel number plates and 4D plates?

You might have heard these industry standard terms being used to describe the different variations of premium number plates available on the market, and have wondered what the difference is between the styles.

We’d like to offer some clarification on the variety of styles that we offer at Utopia Plates. Everything we offer is fully road legal and compliant to the new BSAU145e standards, so you can be confident in your purchase from us.

3D Gel Resin

3D Gel number plates are typically the cheapest style available, the letters on these are made from a gel resin which has been formed into the Charles Wright font for number plates and then cured to harden. These have a lovely curve to them which catches the light perfectly, and offers a more subtle finish than their ‘4D’ blocky counterparts.

4D Laser Cut

‘4D’ number plates feature letters which have been laser cut from acrylic, typically either 3mm or 5mm in depth. These feature sharp (though not enough to be harmful!) edges and a blocky, very stand-out effect. These are more eye-catching than the 3D Gel number plates, as they’re quite clearly three-dimensional!

Indeed, they are three-dimensional, not four-dimensional as the name suggests. This name was given to them only for the purpose of differentiating from the 3D Gel number plates!

4D 3mm with Gel

This style is for the people who eat ‘best of both’ bread, as it combines both the 3D Gel style and the 4D laser cut digits to produce a thick blocky digit with the curves on top. A lovely combination!