Viking 56 Name Stainless Steel Directory - D56

Viking Electronics D56 56-Name Stainless Steel Building Directory

Overview

The Viking Electronics D56 is a 56-name stainless steel building directory panel built for apartment lobbies, multi-tenant office entrances, and commercial vestibules where a clean, permanent nameplate display is required. At 16.75" x 4.25" (425mm x 108mm), the D56 fits flush in standard intercom rough-in locations and pairs directly with Viking's stainless steel intercom and entry systems — giving installations a unified, professional finish rather than the mismatched look of mixed-vendor components.

Key Features

• 18-Gauge Brushed Stainless Steel Construction: Heavier-gauge steel resists denting and surface deformation from routine contact in high-traffic lobbies. The brushed finish reduces visible fingerprinting and minor surface scratches compared to polished alternatives — a practical advantage in unattended vestibules.
• 56-Name Capacity: Accommodates up to 56 individual tenant or occupant listings, making the D56 the right fit for mid-size apartment buildings, assisted living facilities, or multi-suite commercial offices without requiring a multi-panel assembly. If your tenant count exceeds 56, Viking's D-Series offers larger-capacity configurations.
• 3.75" (95mm) Name Card Width: Each name slot accepts a card 3.75 inches wide — wide enough for full last-name plus unit number on a single line in standard 10–12pt font, avoiding the truncated listings common on narrower directories.
• Compact Panel Footprint — 16.75" x 4.25": The narrow 4.25-inch width fits single-gang and standard intercom rough-ins without modification. The 16.75-inch height keeps the full 56-name list within comfortable eye-level viewing range for most adults.
• Designed to Match Viking Stainless Entry Systems: The D56 is explicitly engineered to match the style and material finish of Viking's stainless steel phone and intercom product line. For integrators standardizing on Viking entry hardware, this eliminates the visual discontinuity of a plastic directory next to a steel intercom panel.
• Two-Year Limited Warranty: Viking's two-year limited warranty covers the D56 — a reasonable coverage window for a passive panel component that sees daily physical contact.

Integration & Compatibility

The D56 is a passive nameplate directory — it carries no electronic components, requires no wiring, and has no power draw. It installs alongside Viking intercom and entry panels and is sized to complement flush-mount installations using Viking accessories such as the 25AE, 30AE, 35AE, 40AE, and 300AE flush-mount back boxes. Because the D56 is a mechanical component, it is compatible with any entry system brand where the physical mounting dimensions align — verify rough-in dimensions against your specific back box or surface-mount enclosure before ordering. For Viking Electronics entry systems and intercom panels, the D56 is the factory-matched directory solution. Integrators specifying door entry and intercom systems will find the D56 fits naturally into new construction and retrofit lobby buildouts. If you are planning a complete lobby entry system, review our intercom system selection guide for pairing recommendations. For multi-door or multi-building deployments, access control panels with directory integration may be a more scalable approach than standalone directory panels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the exact dimensions of the D56?

A: The D56 panel measures 16.75 inches tall by 4.25 inches wide (425mm x 108mm). Each name card slot is 3.75 inches (95mm) wide.

Q: How many names does the D56 hold?

A: The D56 accommodates up to 56 individual name listings. If you need more capacity, Viking's D-Series includes larger configurations.

Q: What material is the D56 made from?

A: The D56 is constructed from 18-gauge brushed stainless steel, matching the finish of Viking's stainless steel intercom and entry phone product line.

Q: Does the D56 require wiring or a power connection?

A: No. The D56 is a passive mechanical nameplate directory with no electronic components and no power requirement. It installs with standard mounting hardware.

Q: What is the warranty on the D56?

A: Viking covers the D56 with a two-year limited warranty.

Q: Which flush-mount back boxes are compatible with the D56?

A: Viking's flush-mount accessory models 25AE, 30AE, 35AE, 40AE, and 300AE are listed as compatible flush-mount options for D-Series directory panels. Confirm rough-in dimensions against your specific installation before ordering.

Ted Perry

The D56 is one of those components that gets underspecified until it creates a problem on punch day. The 18-gauge brushed stainless construction is the right call for lobby environments — thinner-gauge directories show dings from carts and door contact within months, and the brushed finish on the D56 hides minor surface contact far better than a polished or powder-coated panel would in the same location.

Technical Highlights:

• 18-Gauge Stainless Body: At 18 gauge, this panel is rigid enough to handle daily physical contact in unattended lobbies without deforming around the name card cutouts — a failure mode common on thinner 20- or 22-gauge budget alternatives.
• 3.75" Name Card Width: The 95mm card width is wide enough to print tenant name plus unit number in a readable font size on a single label — avoids the cramped or truncated listings you get on narrower 2.5" slots.
• 56-Name Capacity in a 16.75" x 4.25" Panel: That's a lot of names in a narrow footprint. The compact width means it fits standard single-column intercom rough-ins without a custom surround or filler plate.

Deployment Considerations:

• Verify rough-in depth and back-box dimensions against Viking's 25AE, 30AE, 35AE, 40AE, or 300AE flush-mount accessories before the drywall goes up — retrofitting the rough-in after finish work is expensive.
• The D56 is a passive panel with no electronics; it will not integrate with digital intercom systems that require an electronic tenant listing or keypad-driven directory. If your entry system uses a digital display for tenant lookup, this panel serves as a visual reference only, not a functional intercom interface.

The D56 is the right call for mid-rise apartment buildings and multi-tenant commercial lobbies running Viking stainless entry hardware where aesthetic consistency between the directory and intercom panels is a spec requirement — not a luxury.