Blue and white enamel house number plates are one of the features that
give French city streets their special charm.

As many travellers have discovered, house number plates are seldom
found in French hardware stores. French house-owners can order them
from the local Mairie, but visitors cannot.

Since 1995, Franco-file has been working with enamelling workshops in France
to make these plaques more widely available.

Vitreous enamelling on steel is a continuing tradition in France.
Its principal component is glass which explains its translucent sheen.
This form of enamelling is fired at over 800°C, and every stage of the
production is labour intensive.

Each steel plaque goes through the kiln four times, to fire on the undercoats,
the blue enamel and the white numerals, letters and border.