How much light do I need?

How much light do I need?

A frequently asked question to our customer service is "How much light do I need in a specific room?" Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this. It completely depends on the activity taking place in the room and the layout/design of the space. In this blog post, we hope to provide more insight into how much light you will approximately need.

Basic Terms of LED Lighting

To make the following text as clear as possible, we will explain what Lumen, Lux, and Kelvin are. Finally, the difference between lumen and lux is explained.

• Lumen: The number of lumens is the amount of light emitted by a light source. This is independent of the direction in which the light is emitted and whether it illuminates the entire room.

• Lux: The amount of lux refers to how much light reaches a specific surface area.

• Kelvin: This is the value indicating the color temperature of the light.

The difference between Lumen and Lux is simply put: lumen is what the light source emits, and lux is what is actually received in the room.

Light Colors

The number of Kelvin (K) indicates the color temperature.

Below is the light temperature shown per Kelvin value:

Required Light Color per Room

It is important to choose the correct light color for each room. For instance, in your living room, you might prefer warm light colors (2000-3000 Kelvin), while in an office, you would want natural daylight (+/- 4000 Kelvin). Rooms where good visibility is important, such as a workshop or clinic, are best illuminated with cool white light (6000 Kelvin). Below are some common spaces and the most commonly used light colors:

• 3000K: Living rooms, bars, libraries, cinemas, casinos, lounges, drugstores, town halls, hotels, hospitality, restaurants, saunas, theaters, waiting rooms.

• 4000K: Car showrooms, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, bike shops, gyms, offices, schools, shoe stores, hair salons.

• 6000K: Studios, workshops, warehouses, physiotherapists, parking garages, maintenance companies, dental practices.

Required Number of Lumen per Room

The table below shows the approximate number of lumens you need per room. However, keep in mind that these are general guidelines. Every room is different. For instance, each room will have a different angle of light. The size and height of the room are also important. The larger or higher the room, the more lumens you will need. Finally, the desired light intensity varies from person to person.

Required Number of Lumen per Indoor Space

Generally, the following lumen values apply for indoor spaces:

Of course, you can deviate from these values as tastes differ. It also depends on how the room is decorated. The color of your walls, along with furniture and other objects, can affect how the light intensity is perceived. For example, a bathroom with glossy white tiles will need fewer lumens compared to a bathroom with dark natural stone to achieve the same effect.

Required Number of Lux

The required number of lux is something you often have to determine yourself. This is because it changes in every situation. It depends on the layout, size of the room, and the activity you want to perform in the space.

Below is a detailed table with common spaces and the required number of lux to properly illuminate these rooms.

Calculation of Required Number of Lumen

You can also calculate how many lumens you think you need. To do so, you need two things:

1. Determine the desired light intensity (do you want a lot or little light).

2. Determine the surface area of the room.

Then you can apply the following formula:

Area x Light Intensity = Required Number of Lumen.

Example:

You have a room of 8m² and want a light intensity of 700 lux on this surface. The calculation would be:

8m² x 700 lux = 5600 lumen

Therefore, you would need a light source with 5600 lumens to illuminate your room as desired.