It is Monday morning and the team has gathered for the weekly stand-up. Someone wipes the meeting room board, but last month's targets are still there as a grey shadow behind the new numbers. Scrubbing harder does not shift it. That shadow is called ghosting, and it is usually the moment someone decides the office needs a new whiteboard.
The right replacement depends on the surface, whether you need magnets, and whether the board stays on one wall or travels. This guide compares surfaces, magnets, mounting and sizes across our magnetic whiteboards, glass boards and mobile whiteboards and flipcharts.
Whiteboard surfaces: standard, porcelain or glass
The Standard Whiteboard - Magnetic (from $55) has a hardwearing magnetic surface for drywipe pens, pitched at light to medium users and guaranteed for 8 years. It comes in 12 sizes, from 600 x 450 up to 3000 x 1200. For a manager's office or a staff room board that gets a few notes a day, it does the job.
The Porcelain Whiteboard - Magnetic (from $125) steps up to a porcelain, or vitreous enamel, surface on a galvanised steel sheet backing. It is built for heavy daily use in schools, conference centres and medical clinics, and carries a 25-year guarantee. Sizes run from 900 x 600 to 3600 x 1200.
The Glassboard - Magnetic White (from $208) uses 4.5mm toughened, low-iron safety glass in Brilliant White. Its non-porous surface will not ghost or stain, and the erasing surface has a 50 year warranty. Low-iron glass avoids the green tint of standard glass, so the board reads as a true white.
The trade-off is cost: the glassboard starts at $208, the standard board at $55. In return you get a frameless board with polished edges that floats 20mm off the wall. Because it is toughened safety glass, it is also a sensible choice for a busy corridor or classroom wall.
Ghosting, magnets and accessories
Ghosting happens when marker ink works into a worn surface and will not wipe off. Any board ghosts faster if writing stays up for days. The surface sets how forgiving the board is:
- Standard magnetic surface: fine for notes wiped the same day, but not the board for an all-day classroom.
- Porcelain: the hard enamel suits training rooms and classrooms where the board is used all day.
- Glass: non-porous, so ink sits on top and wipes away. It is the easiest surface to keep looking new.
All five boards in this guide are magnetic, so agendas, floor plans and rosters can sit beside your notes. Ordinary whiteboard magnets suit the standard and porcelain boards. Glass is different: the glassboard's page calls for super strong or glassboard compatible magnets, and five come with it, along with a clear acrylic pen tray.
One board in the glass range, the Lumiere Switch, is non-magnetic, so skip it if magnets matter to you. For the daily routine, use dry-erase markers only, wipe after each meeting and clean weekly. Our whiteboard accessories include cleaning kits, magnets, markers and glassboard accessories.
Wall-mounted or mobile whiteboards and flipcharts
A wall board suits a room with one clear purpose, such as a boardroom or classroom. It takes no floor space and nobody wheels it away. The Standard Whiteboard mounts landscape or portrait, with concealed corner mounting and four plastic wall mates and screws for plasterboard.
A mobile board earns its place when rooms are shared. The Porcelain Mobile Whiteboard (from $552) has a double-sided, pivoting porcelain surface, so you flip it and keep going. Its page says the vitreous enamel (Polyvision E3 Ceramic Steel) resists ghosting and scratching over time. It sits on a heavy duty steel stand with locking castors, comes with a pen tray and magnets, and has a 25 year warranty.
It comes in 1200 x 900, 1500 x 1200 and 1800 x 1200. The honest trade-off is space: a mobile board needs somewhere to park and a clear route between rooms. Check doorways and lifts before choosing the largest size.
For workshops, the Mobile Deluxe Magnetic Whiteboard Flipchart ($359) pairs a 1000 x 680mm magnetic whiteboard with adjustable hooks for a flipchart pad. Two side arms hang finished sheets where everyone can see them. The height adjusts to suit the presenter, and it rolls on locking castors.
Whiteboard sizes for meeting rooms, classrooms and offices
Size the board to the distance from the furthest seat. As a rough guide:
- Private or home office: 900 x 600 or 1200 x 900.
- Meeting room for four to six people: 1200 x 900 to 1500 x 1200.
- Boardroom or training room: 1800 x 1200 to 2400 x 1200, or a wall board plus a flipchart.
- Classroom: 2400 x 1200 and up. The porcelain wall board goes to 3600 x 1200.
Before ordering, tape a sheet of cardboard cut to size on the wall. Check it from the furthest seat, and check that the pen tray lands at a comfortable writing height.
| Board | Surface | Mounting | Sizes (mm) | Warranty | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Whiteboard - Magnetic | Hardwearing magnetic, light to medium use | Wall, landscape or portrait | 600 x 450 to 3000 x 1200 | 8 years on surface | $55 |
| Porcelain Whiteboard - Magnetic | Porcelain (vitreous enamel), heavy daily use | Wall, concealed fixing points | 900 x 600 to 3600 x 1200 | 25 years | $125 |
| Glassboard - Magnetic White | 4.5mm toughened low-iron glass, will not ghost or stain | Wall, sits 20mm off the wall | 900 x 600 to 2400 x 1200 | 50 years on erasing surface | $208 |
| Porcelain Mobile Whiteboard | Porcelain (vitreous enamel), double-sided | Steel stand, locking castors | 1200 x 900 to 1800 x 1200 | 25 years | $552 |
| Mobile Deluxe Magnetic Whiteboard Flipchart | Magnetic dry wipe board plus flipchart pad hooks | Single support, locking castors | 1000 x 680 | 8 years | $359 |
Read the table by use rather than price. If the board is written on all day, compare the porcelain and glass rows.
Planning boards around the Australian year
Many Australian businesses reset plans and budgets around 1 July, so June brings a run of planning sessions. If you are refreshing the wall at the same time, our guide to year planners, pinboards and noticeboards for the new financial year covers the rest of it.
Australian schools run on four terms, with boards in use for most of each school day. That is where a porcelain surface and its 25-year guarantee earn their place.
Light matters too. Large windows and strong afternoon sun throw glare across any glossy board, glass included. Hang boards at right angles to the main windows rather than opposite them.
Whiteboards — frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a porcelain and a magnetic whiteboard?
Porcelain is a surface and magnetic is a property, so a board can be both. The porcelain boards here have a vitreous enamel surface built for heavy daily use, are magnetic and carry a 25 year warranty. The standard magnetic board has a general-use surface for light to medium use, guaranteed for 8 years.
How do you stop a whiteboard from ghosting?
Wipe it the same day, use only dry-erase markers, and clean it weekly. If ghosting keeps coming back on a busy board, a porcelain or glass surface is the longer-term fix.
Do normal magnets work on a glass whiteboard?
Not reliably. The Glassboard - Magnetic White page specifies super strong or glassboard compatible magnets, and five come with the board. Non-magnetic glassboards will not hold magnets at all.
What size whiteboard do I need for a meeting room?
For four to six people, a board between 1200 x 900 and 1500 x 1200 usually works. Larger boardrooms and training rooms suit 1800 x 1200 or 2400 x 1200.
Shop the range
Start with the magnetic whiteboards for standard and porcelain wall boards, or the glass boards if the board will be on show to visitors. For shared rooms, the Porcelain Mobile Whiteboard is a durable all-rounder. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
