Display cases hold a store’s highest-value and highest-risk products: jewellery, watches, cosmetics, electronics, collectibles and regulated goods such as cannabis. A good case shows the product clearly, keeps it secure, lets staff serve customers quickly and survives years of handling. Glass, locks and lighting each come from specialist suppliers with their own lead times, so they need to be settled with the millwork design, not after it. Here is what to decide.
Glass sizes, thickness and supports should be confirmed with the glass supplier, especially for large panels and glass shelves carrying weight. Glass has its own lead time, so allow for it in the schedule.
Plan staff access around how the store works: how often cases are opened, by how many staff, and whether products are handed to customers to try. See our cabinet hardware guide for locks and hinges.
Lighting sells what is in the case. LED strips and spots in the case frame, under shelves or in the top light the product without the heat of older lamps.
Lit cases are electrical products: in Ontario they must carry an accredited certification mark, such as CSA, UL or Intertek, or an ESA-recognized field evaluation label before they are used. Our guide to LED lighting in store fixtures explains drivers, access and electrical approval.
The millwork base carries the glass, hides drivers and storage, and takes kicks from customers and cleaning machines. Durable laminate, solid surface or painted finishes, a recessed or protected toe kick and 3 mm or solid edges hold up best. Counter cases with a working top need a surface that resists scratches from products and trays. See solid surface vs quartz and edgebanding.
Customers should be able to see into cases from a seated position as well as standing, so keep some display at lower heights. Counter showcases used as service counters fall under Ontario’s service counter rules; see our cash wrap guide for what those require. Staff working behind cases need room to open doors and drawers fully.
We build display case bases and millwork in our Vaughan plant, including solid surface tops and provisions for integrated lighting, and we work with glass partners for the glazing. Our drafting team issues shop drawings for review before production, and they are the place to coordinate glass, locks and lighting before anything is made. Send us your plans to start.
Usually tempered glass for strength and safety, with laminated glass where security matters because it holds together when broken and slows smash-and-grab theft. Low-iron glass is chosen where colour clarity matters, since it removes the green tint of standard glass.
Sliding doors are common on counter and wall cases because they do not swing into the staff aisle. Hinged doors give full access but need clearance and hinges sized for the glass weight.
With LED lighting in the frame, under shelves or in the top, with colour temperature and colour rendering suited to the product and the light source hidden from customers to avoid glare. Drivers should sit in a ventilated, reachable compartment in the base.
Use laminated glass and strong locks on high-value cases, place them in staff view and away from entrances, fix them to the floor or wall, consider alarm contacts, and lock base storage separately.
Yes. Electrical products, including fixtures with integrated lighting, must carry an approved certification mark or field evaluation label before they are used or sold in Ontario.
