Proper lighting is essential in creating safe, productive, and visually appealing environments across various settings. Whether in offices, schools, retail spaces, or industrial facilities, ensuring the correct lighting levels can enhance functionality, reduce accidents, and improve overall well-being. Additionally, many workplaces are required to meet specific illumination levels to comply with safety and operational standards, making proper lighting design essential for both functionality and regulatory compliance. This article discusses recommended lighting levels for common and specialized applications.
It’s important to note that this article is meant to be an informative guide. For precise results tailored to your unique space, we recommend consulting with our professional lighting engineers to perform a photometric analysis.
Understanding “Foot-Candles”
Lighting levels are measured in “foot-candles,” a standard unit that quantifies the amount of light hitting a surface. One foot-candle is equivalent to the illumination provided by a single candle from one foot away. This measurement helps professionals evaluate and implement lighting solutions tailored to specific tasks and environments. Horizontal foot-candles refer to light measured on a flat surface, like a desk or floor, while vertical foot-candles measure the light on vertical surfaces, such as walls or objects at eye level.
Understanding and adhering to recommended foot-candle levels is crucial for optimizing visibility, meeting safety standards, and ensuring energy-efficient lighting in commercial and industrial applications. In this guide, we will explore recommended lighting levels for various settings to help you choose the best LED lighting solutions for your needs.
Basic Lighting Levels
This section discusses common lighting recommendations for everyday areas. Proper illumination in spaces such as corridors, restrooms, and lunchrooms ensures safety and comfort for all users. Lighting recommendations for common indoor areas include,
Corridors: Horizontal average of 5 foot-candles, with a range of 2.5-10 foot-candles.
Restrooms: Horizontal average of 15 foot-candles, with a range of 7.5-30 foot-candles. Vanity areas may require higher levels of up to 20 foot-candles.
Lunch and Break Rooms: Horizontal average of 10 foot-candles, with a range of 5-20 foot-candles.
Lighting Levels for Commercial Offices
In office environments, appropriate lighting contributes to productivity and reduces eye strain. Recommendations for commercial office lighting include:
Open Office Areas (Desks): Horizontal average of 40 foot-candles, measured at desk height.
Conference Rooms (Tables): Horizontal average of 30 foot-candles, with a range of 15-60 foot-candles.
Private Offices: Horizontal average of 40 foot-candles, ensuring adequate visibility for focused tasks.
Whiteboards: For reading, 15 foot-candles; for presenting, 30 foot-candles.
By tailoring lighting levels to specific tasks, office spaces can achieve a balance between comfort and efficiency.
Lighting Levels for School & Educational Facilities
Educational spaces require lighting that supports learning and minimizes eye strain for students and educators. Recommendations for educational lighting include,
Classrooms (Typical Applications): Horizontal average of 50 foot-candles, measured at desk height, ensuring sufficient illumination for reading and writing.
Classrooms (Challenging Applications): Horizontal average of 75 foot-candles for tasks like arts, blueprints, or lab work.
Auditoriums (AV and Notes): Horizontal average of 20 foot-candles, with reduced levels for areas requiring minimal glare.
Gymnasiums (Competition and Recreation): Horizontal average ranges from 30 to 50 foot-candles, depending on the level of activity and spectator needs.
Lighting Levels for Parking Lots
Adequate parking lot lighting ensures safety and security for pedestrians and drivers. Recommendations for common parking lot lighting needs include,
Covered Parking: Horizontal average of 1.5 foot-candles, with a range of 0.5-2 foot-candles. For enhanced security, consider increasing levels to 3 foot-candles.
Uncovered Parking (Suburban): Horizontal average of 1 foot-candle, with a range of 0.5-2 foot-candles.
Uncovered Parking (Urban): Horizontal average of 2 foot-candles, with a range of 1-3 foot-candles. Uniformity is key to reducing shadows and enhancing visibility.
Please note, that these numbers may vary based on the type of parking lot.
Outdoor Lighting Levels
Outdoor spaces require effective lighting to ensure visibility, safety, and security during nighttime operations. Key recommendations for outdoor lighting levels include:
Walkways and Pathways: Horizontal average of 1-2 foot-candles, ensuring safe navigation for pedestrians.
Building Exteriors (Safety): Horizontal average of 5 foot-candles, with a minimum of 1 foot-candle to enhance security.
Gas Station Canopies: Horizontal average of 20 foot-candles to provide clear visibility for drivers and pedestrians.
Sports Fields (Amateur/Community): Horizontal average of 30-50 foot-candles, depending on the level of competition.
Industrial Lighting Levels
Industrial facilities demand robust lighting solutions to ensure precision, safety, and efficiency. Recommendations for common industrial lighting needs include:
Assembly & Inspection (Simple Tasks): Horizontal average of 30 foot-candles, with a range of 15-60 foot-candles.
Assembly & Inspection (Difficult Tasks): Horizontal average of 50 foot-candles, with a range of 25-100 foot-candles.
Manufacturing (Large Components): Horizontal average of 30 foot-candles, supporting visibility for handling sizable parts.
Manufacturing (Fine Components): Horizontal average of 100 foot-candles, with a range of 50-200 foot-candles to ensure accuracy in detailed work.
By implementing these lighting levels, industrial spaces can achieve optimal performance while adhering to safety standards.
Retail Store Lighting Levels
Retail environments require dynamic lighting to enhance the shopping experience and highlight merchandise effectively. Recommendations for common retail store lighting needs include:
General Retail Areas: Horizontal average of 50 foot-candles, providing ample lighting for product browsing.
Perimeter Areas: Horizontal average of 20 foot-candles, with a range of 10-40 foot-candles to accentuate displays.
Accent Lighting (Displays): Typically 3-10 times brighter than ambient lighting, ensuring featured products stand out.
Grocery Store Lighting Levels
Grocery stores need well-distributed and focused lighting to create a comfortable shopping environment while showcasing products. Recommendations for common grocery store lighting applications include,
- Circulation Areas: Horizontal average of 30 foot-candles, ensuring visibility in walkways.
- Perimeter Areas: Horizontal average of 20 foot-candles, enhancing visibility for shelf browsing.
- Product Displays: Horizontal average of 50 foot-candles, highlighting fresh produce and packaged goods.
Warehouse Lighting Levels
Warehouses require functional lighting to support logistics and operational efficiency. Recommendations for common warehouse lighting applications include,
- Bulky Items (Large Labels): Horizontal average of 30 foot-candles, ensuring visibility for larger packages.
- Small Items (Small Labels): Horizontal average of 50 foot-candles, facilitating precise identification.
- Receiving and Staging Areas: Horizontal average of 20 foot-candles, with a range of 10-40 foot-candles to ensure safe handling and sorting of goods.
Photometric Lighting Designs
A photometric lighting plan is a detailed map that simulates how light will be distributed in a given space. This plan uses specialized software to model light levels, fixture placements, and uniformity, ensuring optimal illumination for safety, functionality, and aesthetics. By visualizing how lighting will perform before installation, photometric plans help minimize errors, reduce costs, and achieve compliance with industry standards.
At our company, we specialize in creating tailored photometric lighting plans for various environments, from parking lots to industrial facilities. These plans are based on IES-recommended lighting levels and incorporate modern LED technology to maximize efficiency and longevity. Below is an example of one of our lighting designs:
Gymnasium Dimensions: 60x75x21
Gymnasium Ceiling Height: 21 FT
Fixture Type: 240W LED UFO High Bay Lights
Fixture Accessories: PC Shades, Add-On Diffusers
Fixture Count: 9 PCS
Fixture Certifications: IP65, DLC Premium, uL Listed
Gymnasium Illumination: 80 fc
Professional Lighting Engineers
Adhering to recommended lighting standards is essential for creating safe, functional, and energy-efficient environments across various settings. Proper lighting not only enhances visibility but also ensures comfort and productivity while reducing potential hazards.
While this guide provides a comprehensive overview of recommended lighting levels, every space has unique needs. We encourage readers to consult with our lighting experts to develop tailored solutions. Professional photometric analyses can ensure your lighting system meets both functional and aesthetic requirements, delivering optimal performance for years to come. Our professional lighting engineers adhere to Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) lighting standards to provide the most accurate and effective solutions for your needs.
Definitions
To help readers better understand the context of this article, here are some of the most common terms found within this content and/or used in lighting design and planning.
Foot-Candle – A foot-candle is a standard unit of measurement used to quantify the amount of light reaching a surface. Specifically, one foot-candle represents the illumination produced by a single candle measured at a distance of one foot. This metric is commonly used in lighting design to evaluate how much light is delivered to a particular area, ensuring adequate visibility and safety.
Horizontal Illumination – Horizontal illumination refers to the measurement of light levels on flat, horizontal surfaces such as desks, floors, or countertops. It is a critical consideration in spaces where tasks are performed, such as office workstations, classrooms, or warehouses. Achieving appropriate horizontal illumination ensures that tasks can be performed efficiently and comfortably, with minimal eye strain.
Vertical Illumination – Vertical illumination measures the amount of light reaching vertical surfaces, such as walls, signage, or shelves. This type of lighting is essential for applications where visibility at eye level or readability of vertical displays is important, such as retail environments, museums, or outdoor wayfinding.
Uniformity Ratio – The uniformity ratio evaluates the consistency of light levels across a given space. It is calculated as the ratio between the maximum and minimum illuminance levels within the area. A lower uniformity ratio indicates more even light distribution, which minimizes glare and shadows, creating a comfortable and safe environment. For example, parking lots, sports fields, and warehouses often require a uniformity ratio that ensures consistent visibility to avoid unsafe dark spots and improve visual comfort.
IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) – A professional organization that establishes lighting standards to promote safe and effective lighting practices.
Photometric Plan – A detailed design that simulates how light is distributed in a given space, including fixture placement, light levels, and uniformity.
Color Temperature (Kelvin) – A measure of the light’s color tone, ranging from warm (yellowish) to cool (bluish). For example, 2700K is warm white, while 5000K is daylight white.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) – A score that indicates how accurately a light source reveals the true colors of objects compared to natural light, with a maximum score of 100.
Lumens – The total amount of visible light emitted by a source, used to determine the brightness of a bulb or fixture.
Lux – A metric unit for measuring illuminance, equivalent to one lumen per square meter. It’s often used in international lighting standards.
Fixture Placement – The strategic positioning of lighting fixtures to achieve optimal illumination for specific tasks or areas.