Differences Between Enclosed and Hollowed Back Covers of LED Displays

6 views admin 2026-05-22

In outdoor large LED screen projects, most people only focus on modules, brightness and steel structures, while easily ignoring the importance of back covers. Currently, outdoor LED screen back covers are mainly divided into two types: enclosed back covers and hollowed back covers. Neither is absolutely superior, they differ only in structural design and are suitable for vastly different environments.
Structural Design Differences
The enclosed back cover adopts a whole piece of sealed metal plate to fully seal the rear of the cabinet, with waterproof sealing strips fitted at joints for tight sealing. It features excellent overall tightness and a neat, sleek appearance.
The hollowed back cover is equipped with numerous ventilation holes and louver holes on the surface, forming a semi-transparent rear structure with high plate perforation rate. It allows free air circulation and boasts a lighter structure.
Heat Dissipation & Ventilation Differences
The biggest advantage of the hollowed back cover is outstanding heat dissipation. Thanks to rear openings, natural air convection is formed inside the screen, quickly dissipating heat generated by modules and power supplies to avoid high temperature accumulation. It is ideal for outdoor large screens operating at high brightness for a long time.
As a fully sealed structure, the enclosed back cover has poor air circulation and tends to trap heat. It usually needs auxiliary heat dissipation devices such as cooling fans and air conditioners. Without extra cooling measures, it is prone to brightness reduction due to overheating and automatic shutdown for equipment protection in summer.
Waterproof, Dustproof & Moistureproof Performance
The enclosed back cover delivers stronger waterproof, dustproof and moistureproof performance. Its fully sealed design together with cabinet sealing rings effectively blocks rainwater, fog and dust from entering the cabinet, offering great moisture and corrosion resistance. It is perfectly applicable to rainy, foggy and coastal salt fog areas.
With gaps from perforations, the hollowed back cover has weaker waterproof performance. Water vapor easily penetrates into the screen in heavy rain or waterlogged conditions, which may cause power supply oxidation and circuit damp short circuits after long-term use.
Weight & Installation Cost
With more holes and less material usage, the hollowed back cover is much lighter in overall weight. It reduces bearing pressure on steel structures and cuts down steel frame costs, fitting installation sites with ordinary load-bearing capacity such as building rooftops and common walls.
Made of thick plates, the enclosed back cover is heavier, requiring higher load-bearing capacity and wind resistance of steel structures, which leads to higher material and construction costs.
Hollowed back covers are more suitable for dry, rainless and well-ventilated areas, commonly used for billboards along urban main roads and ground-mounted large screens in dry inland regions, featuring good heat dissipation, low cost and light weight.
Summary In short, hollowed back covers prioritize heat dissipation, lightweight design and cost performance; enclosed back covers focus on waterproofing, moisture resistance and high-level protection.
In actual project selection, do not simply pursue low price or full sealing. Make a reasonable choice based on local climate, installation location and wall load-bearing capacity. Choosing the right back cover structure can greatly reduce later failure rates and effectively extend the service life of outdoor LED displays.