Rental LED Build Labour Planning: Cabinet Weight, Format and Lock Design

Quick answer

Use the cabinet, not the wall, as the labour briefing unit. Lift weights are 6.3 kg indoors or 6.5 kg outdoors for the EA500H8 500 x 500 mm cabinet, and 12 kg indoors or 13 kg outdoors for the EA1000H9 500 x 1000 mm cabinet. Give the supplier cabinet count, format and lock design, then request written crew numbers, handling method and build and strike hours. The sources state no labour rates or crew sizes.

Sources used: EA500H8 specs; EA1000H9 specs; EA250WH5 specs; EA500RF2 specs

Start the Labour Brief With Cabinet Count and Lift Weight

The lift unit is one cabinet, so the brief starts with cabinet count and per-cabinet weight. EagerLED lists the EA500H8 500 x 500 mm cabinet at 6.3 kg indoors or 6.5 kg outdoors, and one cabinet covers 0.25 m², which is 26 kg of cabinet per square metre of wall. The same source gives a flat 4 x 3 m video wall as 8 columns and 6 rows: 48 cabinets, excluding the support structure. That is a cabinet schedule and a payload figure, not a labour rate; keep it visible beside your rental LED panel purchase cost review so the crew brief and the purchase scope describe one wall.

Format changes how the same wall weight is split into lifts. EagerLED lists the EA1000H9 500 x 1000 mm cabinet at 12 kg indoors or 13 kg outdoors, and each of those cabinets carries eight 250 x 250 mm modules, a 0.5 m² footprint. The two documented formats therefore arrive in different lift sizes even when the finished wall is identical. The supplied passages give a cabinet-count example for the 500 x 500 mm EA500H8 only; they do not publish a 4 x 3 m cabinet schedule for the 500 x 1000 mm cabinet, so work out the count for your own wall and have it confirmed before you price labour.

Format Choice: More Light Lifts or Fewer Heavy Lifts

Weight alone does not settle the crew plan, because access usually does. The EA1000H9 source describes the 500 x 1000 mm panel as light enough for two people to lift and align by hand, while the EA500H8 source does not state a person count for its 6.3 kg or 6.5 kg cabinet. Ask the supplier or installation contractor which documented format suits your access route, and settle whether the wall is rigged or built from the ground with hanging versus stacking rental LED cabinets before comparing weights between formats.

Indoor format choice changes the handling profile too. EagerLED lists EA250WH5 250 mm-high cabinets at 3.0 to 5.7 kg and 500 mm-high cabinets at 5.3 to 10.5 kg. The EA500RF2 indoor floor cabinet is listed at 11.1 kg in a 500 x 500 x 78 mm die-cast aluminum body, and the source says those cabinets assemble on a dedicated floor support structure. If the venue route or the build height is still unresolved, treat the labour estimate as provisional rather than choosing a cabite on weight alone.

Documented Handling Facts by Cabinet and What to Brief

What Lock and Alignment Design Adds to the Crew Brief

Lock design sets the alignment task, not the lift weight. EagerLED documents quick locks, handles and locating slots on the EA500H8 for panel alignment, plus four corner guards that help protect module edges during handling, packing and assembly. The same source advises suitable transport cases and an inspection of corners and locking points before each build, and states that corner protection does not replace careful handling. Those are per-build tasks that belong in the hours you request.

Arc and curve hardware adds a repeatable alignment step. EagerLED lists optional high-precision arc locks on the EA1000H9 that index each cabinet to a set angle so a curve repeats at the same radius on the next build, and the same hardware can close into a ring. The EA500H8 offers an optional high-precision curve lock for curved layouts. On the EA500RF2 indoor floor screen, the source says to verify cabinet locks, support leveling, cable routing and surface alignment before power-up. Put those checks into the task list so the quoted hours match the checks your venue requires.

Service Access Changes Where the Crew Works

Service design decides which side of the wall the crew occupies, and it should be stated in the labour brief. EagerLED documents front and rear service on the EA500H8, with a detachable back cover and a power box on a quick-release buckle, and it asks buyers to confirm the matching power supply, receiving card and spare parts when ordering a rental fleet. The EA1000H9 keeps its power supply and HUB board in a detachable rear box that the source says swaps without re-cabling the cabinet.

Front-service formats remove the rear working position rather than the handling task. EagerLED states that EA250WH5 modules, power supplies and control components are reachable from the front with a suction tool, so no maintenance aisle is needed behind the wall, and EA500RF2 front service lets technicians remove modules with a vacuum suction tool from the display surface. Both statements describe where service happens once the wall is up; they say nothing about crew size during the build, so keep those two questions separate in the request.

Building the Written Labour Request

Present the request as one scope with named inputs, then ask for hours. Our recommended method is to hand the supplier the exact model, cabinet format, indoor or outdoor version, cabinet count, module size, lock hardware, service side, access route, build height and the number of builds and strikes, and to ask for crew numbers, handling aids, access equipment and hours as separate written lines. Delivery-side access work belongs in a manual handling budget, while on-site assembly, alignment, commissioning and strike hours belong in the labour line.

Price labour beside the same inputs the supplier already uses for the display. EagerLED says EA1000H9 pricing depends on pixel pitch, screen size, cabinet quantity, control system, spare modules and freight, and asks buyers to send width, height, viewing distance, indoor or outdoor use and delivery city. EA250WH5 pricing depends on pixel pitch, wall size, cabinet quantity, control system, spare modules and shipping. Use those same quantities when you compare LED screen quotes so the labour line and the cabinet line describe one wall.

When to Defer the Labour Estimate

Defer sign-off when the cabinet schedule, access route or rigging method is unresolved. The supplied passages give weights, module counts and cabinet examples, but they do not state crew sizes, handling durations or labour rates for these models, so a labour figure derived from cabinet weight alone has no documented basis. A conditional rule helps: if the venue access and the vertical build method are fixed, ask for a firm per-build price; if either is still open, hold the labour line as provisional.

Do not carry one model’s installation scope across to another. The EA500RF2 source states that its load capacity above 800 kg/m² applies to a correctly assembled structure and that project teams should confirm subfloor conditions, load distribution and venue safety requirements before use; that is an indoor floor scope, not a vertical wall handling figure. Keep each model’s documented installation type attached to its own labour line, and request the missing inputs rather than transferring a number from a different format.

Rental Build Scenarios and What to Confirm

EA500H8 outdoor cabinet payload for a flat 4 x 3 m wall

Illustrative calculation: 48 × 6.5 = 312 kg. Uses the documented EA500H8 flat 4 x 3 m example of 48 cabinets excluding the support structure and the listed outdoor cabinet weight of 6.5 kg; shown only as a handling input, not as a labour rate.

EA500H8 cabinet-only area density

Illustrative calculation: 6.5 ÷ 0.25 = 26 kg/m². Illustrative: 6.5 kg outdoor EA500H8 cabinet divided by the documented 0.25 m² coverage per cabinet.

EA1000H9 cabinet footprint from module count

Illustrative calculation: 8 × 0.0625 = 0.5 m². Illustrative: eight 250 x 250 mm modules per EA1000H9 cabinet, with each 250 x 250 mm module equal to 0.0625 m².

Buyer checklist

• Name the exact model, cabinet format, indoor or outdoor version and cabinet count before asking for hours.
• Give the documented weight for the quoted version: EA500H8 6.3 kg indoors or 6.5 kg outdoors; EA1000H9 12 kg indoors or 13 kg outdoors; EA500RF2 11.1 kg; EA250WH5 3.0 to 5.7 kg or 5.3 to 10.5 kg by cabinet height.
• Ask for crew numbers, handling method, access equipment, alignment checks and build and strike hours as separate written lines rather than one installation figure.
• Confirm quick-lock, handle, corner-protection and curve or arc hardware inclusion for the exact model and layout.
• State the service side and access route, and confirm the matching power supply, receiving card and spare parts for the rental fleet.
• Defer labour approval while the cabinet schedule, access route or rigging method is unresolved.

Frequently asked questions

Can I calculate rental LED build labour from cabinet weight alone?

No. Weight is a lift input, not a rate. EagerLED lists the EA500H8 at 6.3 kg indoors or 6.5 kg outdoors, the EA1000H9 at 12 kg indoors or 13 kg outdoors, the EA500RF2 floor cabinet at 11.1 kg, and EA250WH5 cabinets at 3.0 to 5.7 kg or 5.3 to 10.5 kg by height. The supplied passages do not state crew sizes or labour hours for these models, so request per-build written hours for the exact cabinet schedule.

How many EA500H8 cabinets are needed for a flat 4 x 3 m wall?

The supplied example gives 8 columns and 6 rows: 48 cabinets, excluding the support structure. With the outdoor cabinet at 6.5 kg, that schedule represents 312 kg of cabinet payload. Treat the figure as a handling input for the crew brief, not as a statement of how many people or hours the build needs.

Which 500 x 1000 mm cabinet facts should go into a crew brief?

For the EA1000H9, give the 12 kg indoor or 13 kg outdoor cabinet weight, the eight 250 x 250 mm modules per cabinet, the handles, locating slots and corner protection, the detachable power box and HUB board, and the front and rear service access. Arc locks are optional and the source says to order them together with the cabinets, so confirm inclusion and the planned radius early.

Does a quick-lock design reduce build hours?

The documents show quick locks, handles and locating slots on the EA500H8, and quick locks with dual-side service access on the EA1000H9, but they do not state build times for either model. Ask for the lock and alignment procedure to be written into the labour scope, and treat any time saving as unconfirmed until the contractor prices the exact wall.

Should a floor screen and a wall screen share one labour line?

Keep them apart. The EA500RF2 is an indoor floor screen whose load capacity above 800 kg/m² applies to a correctly assembled structure, with subfloor, load-distribution and venue safety checks to confirm and cabinet locks, leveling, cabling and alignment verified before power-up. The EA250WH5 is a 30 mm indoor wall cabinet served from the front with a suction tool. Different installation types, different tasks.

Share your project requirements to request a quote.