Channel Frame vs Angle Frame vs Welded Frame Mirrors: Which to Specify

Framed commercial mirrors come three ways on a spec sheet: channel frame, angle frame, and welded frame. Two of those are the same thing. An angle frame is an L-shaped stainless angle with corners welded, ground, and polished, and every angle frame we list, from ASI, Bradley, Bobrick, and Gamco, is welded at the corners; Bobrick and Gamco put "welded" in the name, ASI and Bradley put "angle". The real choice is channel against angle: a channel wraps the glass edge with a mitered corner and costs less, an angle sits on the face of the glass with a heavier section and no corner seam. After that, compare gauge, stainless type, and how each mirror locks to the wall, because those are what differ between makers.

Channel frame mirrors

A channel frame is a one-piece, roll-formed U channel that encases the glass edge and the backing, closed at each corner with a 90 degree miter. The miter is folded, not welded, which is why the channel frame is the lowest priced construction from every maker. What each one states on its sheet:

• Bobrick B-165: type 430 stainless steel, 1/2 x 1/2 in. channel, bright polished, on a galvanized steel back. Bobrick's product listing says a frame screw permits replacement of the glass; the current data sheet does not describe the step, so confirm it with Bobrick before you plan on re-glazing in the field. We list it from $65.03, and the B-166 with a 4 in. type 304 shelf from $153.18.
• ASI 0620 Chan-Lok: 20 gauge type 304, satin finish, 1/2 in. face. The mirror hangs on two wall brackets and is held by a theft-resistant locking screw at the bottom. From $71.80; the 0625 adds a 5 in. deep 18 gauge shelf, from $137.90.
• Bradley 781: one-piece roll-formed stainless steel, bright annealed, in a larger 3/4 x 3/4 x 7/16 in. channel with a continuous integral stiffener; the sheet states neither the type nor the gauge. It drops over a concealed bracket, slides down, and locks. From $74.25; the 7815 with a 5-1/2 in. shelf from $194.25.
• Gamco C: type 430 bright anneal stainless, a 1/2 x 1/2 x 3/8 in. channel with a 1/4 in. rear return on in-stock sizes, mitered corners, galvanized back with tab lock slots for the wall hanger. From $58.94.

Type 430 against type 304 is the quiet difference in this group. Bobrick and Gamco build their channel frames in 430; ASI builds the Chan-Lok in 304, the same alloy as its angle frame. All four put 1/4 in. first quality float glass in the frame and warrant it 15 years against silver spoilage.

Angle frame mirrors

An angle frame is an L section: one leg lies on the face of the glass, the other runs along its edge, and the corners are heliarc welded, then ground and polished so no seam shows. The section is stiffer than a channel and the corner has nothing to catch a rag or a fingernail.

• ASI 0600 Inter-Lok: 3/4 x 5/8 in. roll-formed 18 gauge (0.048 in.) type 304 angle, satin finish. What sets it apart is the hanging: a concealed 18 gauge hanger bracket locks onto the top and bottom of the frame with tamper-proof set screws, and the one-piece 20 gauge back plate is attached to the frame with a theft-resistant locking device. From $109.10; the 0605 with a 5 in. shelf from $146.40. The 20650 Roval Inter-Lok puts the same 18 gauge type 304 into ASI's radiused Roval profile with polished mitered corners, from $342.20.
• Bradley 780: one-piece roll-formed 3/4 x 3/4 in. stainless angle, corners welded, ground, and polished to a satin finish, with a bevel on the front of the angle that holds the frame flush against the glass. The guide specification calls it heavy gauge and does not state the type. The galvanized back is fastened with concealed screws and hangs on an 18 gauge welded steel wall hanger. From $154.50; the 7805 with a 5-1/2 in. shelf from $194.25.

Both makers offer tempered glass or a #8 polished stainless sheet in place of the glass as a suffix (ASI -B and -C, Bradley -2 and -4).

Welded frame mirrors

A welded frame mirror is an angle frame mirror. Bobrick's B-290 is the model the name usually means: a one-piece, roll-formed 3/4 x 3/4 in. type 304 angle, heavy gauge (Bobrick gives no number), corners heliarc welded, ground, and polished smooth, a bevel on the front of the angle that holds the frame tight against the glass, in satin or matte black (.MBLK). That is the same section, corner, and bevel Bradley describes on the 780, so choose between them on finish, mounting, and price, not on the name.

Bobrick's mounting is the snap-locking design: a galvanized steel back with louvers near the top and bottom drops onto a heavy gauge concealed wall hanger and locks itself as it is lowered into place. Bobrick's sheet describes removal as a job for two flat blade screwdrivers behind the bottom edge, so a maintenance crew can take it down and a casual pull cannot. Mirrors up to 36 in. wide can instead ship with the "2S" tab design, an upper bracket plus double-sided tape at the bottom, which is a lighter grip. Leave room to lift: Bobrick asks for 1 in. above the B-165 frame, 1 in. below the B-290 to unlock it, and 1/2 in. each side, so a mirror set tight under a light valance will not go on. We list the B-290 from $149.21, the matte black version from $186.94, the B-292 with a 5 in. shelf at $355.35, the B-293 fixed tilt from $254.96, and the B-294 two-position tilt at $226.67.

Gamco's A series is the other welded frame: heavy gauge stainless (type 304 with a #4 satin finish per Gamco's listing), 3/4 x 3/4 in. angle, corners welded and ground smooth, on a galvanized back with slots for the wall hanger tabs and the same tape lock. Gamco is a division of Bobrick and the sheets read alike. From $88.55, the lowest price on an angle section in our catalog.

Side by side

Special cases

Fixed tilt mirrors

A fixed tilt mirror angles the glass down toward a seated user. ASI's 0535 is a 20 gauge type 304 satin frame tapered from 4 in. deep at the top to 1 in. at the bottom, hung on keyhole slots with locking tabs against lift-off, from $181.20; the 0537 adds a 6 in. shelf, from $279.30. Bobrick's B-293 has the same 4 in. to 1 in. taper in a type 304 frame whose beveled edges hug the glass, from $254.96, and the B-294 tilts on a full-length hinge so the top can sit 7 in. off the wall or return upright, at $226.67. Bradley's 740 sets a standard 6 degree angle to the wall with welded corners, from $291.75; Gamco's FT welded-frame tilt is from $152.63.

Mounting height

The Standards set a height, not a tilt. Section 603.3 of the 2010 ADA Standards reads: "Mirrors located above lavatories or countertops shall be installed with the bottom edge of the reflecting surface 40 inches (1015 mm) maximum above the finish floor or ground." ASI and Gamco print the same 40 in. on their sheets, and Bradley's sheets translate it to 39-1/4 in. to the bottom of the unit on the 780 and 781, because the 3/4 in. frame face sits below the glass. The advisory adds that "A single full-length mirror can accommodate a greater number of people, including children." The height for mirrors away from a lavatory is on our ADA mirror height page.

Tempered glass

Tempered glass is the step between plate glass and a stainless sheet. Bobrick's B-1658 puts 1/4 in. tempered select float glass in the B-165 channel frame, from $133.17; its sheet says these surfaces resist breakage and add a measure of safety from broken glass, at some cost in color and reflective quality. ASI rates tempered image quality one step below plate glass and will not take returns for distortion; Bradley says distortion is inherent to tempering. ASI (-B) and Bradley (-2) offer it across their framed series, and we list the Roval 20650-B from $381.40.

Frameless and polished stainless

A frameless commercial mirror is a polished stainless sheet with a folded return and no glass. Bobrick's B-1556 is bright polished stainless with a 1/4 in. return over a 1/4 in. tempered masonite backing, mounted with four screws, from $123.86; ASI's 8026 is 20 gauge type 304 polished to a #8 mirror finish with a 1/4 in. return and four mounting holes, from $124.40. They cannot shatter, but the screws show and ASI rates a #8 stainless image as fair, so they belong where breakage is the worry and the fastening is not.

For security settings, the mounting changes too. ASI's 101-14 is a 12 x 16 in. #8 polished type 304 reflecting surface in a 14 gauge type 304 frame, chase mounted from behind the wall on six welded T nuts so nothing on the room side can be removed, at $186.30. Bobrick's B-942 is an 11-1/4 x 17-1/4 in. vandal-resistant frameless mirror in 18 gauge type 430, at $155.42. ASI (-C) and Bradley (-4) will also put a #8 polished 20 gauge stainless sheet into their standard frames; Bradley notes that larger stainless mirrors can oil-can. The rest of the front-mounted, tamper-resistant line is on our security accessories page.

LED mirrors

Bobrick's LED mirrors are hospitality and office pieces, not vandal-resistant ones: a safety-film backed mirror on an aluminum back frame with key lock holes and a listed LED power supply, with an optional plug cord (164-57) where hardwiring is not wanted. We list the B-164 backlit from $582.71, the B-167 outer etched from $515.60 (it also installs recessed), the B-168 inner etched at $662.57, the B-169 sidelit from $638.60, and the pill-shaped B-104 in matte black at $771.25.

How to choose

• Schools and public buildings. Angle frame, which is to say welded frame, in type 304: ASI 0600 for the set-screw lock, Bobrick B-290 for the snap lock, Gamco A on price. Where mirrors have been broken before, move to tempered glass or a stainless sheet, and consider one full-length mirror where the advisory's point about children applies.
• Offices and tenant improvements. Channel frame. The B-165, 0620, 781, and Gamco C all start under $75, and the frame is trim, not armor. Spend the difference on the shelf version if the room has nowhere to set a bag.
• Healthcare. One fixed tilt mirror where a seated patient uses the lavatory, hung to the same 603.3 height as any other mirror, with standard mirrors elsewhere. Bobrick's B-293 and ASI's 0535 are the usual picks; the rest of the patient-room line is on our healthcare accessories page.
• Correctional and behavioral health. No glass. ASI 101-14 chase mounted where the wall allows it, the B-942 or a -C or -4 stainless sheet in a standard frame where it does not, and the rest of the security line to match.
• Hospitality. Bobrick's matte black B-290 or an LED family, sized to the vanity, with the bottom of the glass no higher than 603.3 allows.

Send us the mirror schedule with sizes, wall types, and the room use, and we will confirm the frame, the glazing, and the lift clearance for each opening. Request a quote, or browse commercial restroom mirrors by brand: Bobrick, ASI, Bradley, and Gamco. For the makers themselves, see Bobrick vs ASI vs Bradley.