ISO 17049:2013
Accessible design. Application of braille on signage, equipment and appliances.
ISO 17049:2013 is the international standard for applying braille to signs, equipment and appliances. It sets the fundamental requirements for braille dimensions, material characteristics and practical implementation, and ISO reconfirmed it as current in 2024.
For signage and wayfinding
What it asks of your signs
- 01Use it to specify braille dot size, spacing and height on tactile signs, so the braille is readable rather than decorative.
- 02Material characteristics matter: the dots have to survive cleaning and touch, so check the production method against it, not just the artwork.
- 03It covers the braille itself, not the content. Agree the wording and the braille grade with the client and, where possible, a braille reader.
- 04Combine it with BS 8300-2 or the NDA's guidance for where tactile signs go and how raised text and symbols are detailed.
What it covers
ISO 17049 specifies the fundamental requirements for braille used on signage, equipment and appliances. That includes braille dimensions, the characteristics of the materials the braille is formed in, and guidance on putting it into practice. It is the only international standard that deals specifically with braille on signs, which makes it the natural reference when a specification says braille must be "to standard".
Why it matters to a sign maker
Braille that is too low, too sharp, unevenly spaced or set in a material that wears quickly fails the people it is meant for. Artwork set at the wrong dot spacing, or a production process that cannot hold the dot profile, will undo an otherwise good sign. A specification that cites ISO 17049 gives the manufacturer and the installer a common, checkable target.
The standard does not decide which signs need braille or what they say. Those decisions come from the access strategy, BS 8300-2 in the UK, TGD M and the NDA's Building for Everyone guidance in Ireland, and the client's brief.
Status in the UK and Ireland
ISO lists the 2013 first edition as current, last reviewed and confirmed in 2024, with no revision under way. BSI sells the ISO edition; we found no separate BS ISO adoption. It is not cited in the building regulations of either jurisdiction, so it applies where a specification or brief calls it up.
Sources checked
- iso.org/standard/58086.html
- knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/accessible-design-application-of-braille-on-signage-equipment-and-appliances
A summary in our own words, checked on 16 October 2026. It is not the document itself and not legal advice.
Equivalents and related
The same ground, elsewhere.
- Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. Buildings. Code of practiceUK
- Building for Everyone: A Universal Design ApproachIreland
- Building Regulations Technical Guidance Document M: Access and Use (2022)Ireland
- Sign Design Guide+: a guide to designing inclusive wayfinding informationUK
- Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport InfrastructureEngland
Read more
More in Tactile & braille
Working to ISO 17049:2013 on a live project?
Wayfinding design, compliance, manufacture and installation, with the signage certificates signed off by us.