Lumens Per Square Foot: Recommended Amount Needed for a Room (2024)

FAQs

Lumens Per Square Foot: Recommended Amount Needed for a Room? ›

Dining room: 3,000 to 4,000 lumens. Living room: 1,000 to 2,000 lumens. Bedroom: 1,000 to 2,000 lumens. Hallway: 500 to 1,000 lumens.

This will depend on the individual room and what it's used for. As a handy rule of thumb, a sitting room or bedroom will generally require around 10-20 lumens per square foot, while a bathroom or kitchen will need a stronger level of lighting, at around 70-80 lumens per square foot.

To determine the required lumens, you will need to multiply your room's square footage by your room foot-candle requirement. For example, a 100 sq. ft. living room, which needs 10-20 foot-candles, will need 1,000 - 2,000 lumens.

For every 100 square feet, 1000 lumens is sufficient for low-light level areas such as living rooms and lounge areas, while task-oriented spaces may require up to 3000 lumens or more.

To determine the needed lumens, you will need to multiply your room square footage by your room foot-candle requirement. For example, a 100 square foot living room, which needs 10-20 foot-candles, will need 1,000-2,000 lumens. A 100 square foot dining room, which needs 30-40 foot-candles, will need 3,000-4,000 lumens.

Bedroom: 1,000 to 2,000 lumens. Hallway: 500 to 1,000 lumens.

Determine the needed lumens

For example, a 100-square-foot living room, which needs 10-20 foot candles, will need 1,000-2,000 lumens. A 100-square-foot dining room, which needs 30-40 foot-candles, will need 3,000-4,000 lumens.

For typical home lighting, the lumens can range as follows: Low light: About 200-300 lumens, suitable for a cozy, dimly lit atmosphere. Moderate light: Around 400-800 lumens, good for regular tasks and dining areas. Bright light: 1000-1600 lumens, ideal for workspaces and kitchens.

A lumen has a brightness equal to one candle; therefore, a 1500-lumen LED bulb means the 1,500 candles were lit in a single room. The 1500 lumens are considered best for the halogen lights. These are the ideal choices for outdoor lights because they provide the best brightness with low energy consumption.

Can lights per square foot? ›

Whatever new recessed lighting you add should work with your existing fixtures. Measure your room to see how many fixtures you will need. A common rule of thumb is that you use one recessed light for every 4 to 6 square feet of ceiling space. Doing so provides even, overall illumination.

We can understand this with an example: an office ideally needs an average of 40 foot-candles or 40 lumens per square foot.

In general, about 1.86 watts per square foot is recommended for ambient lighting with traditional bulbs. For a 150-square-foot dining room, you will need 279 watts for optimal lighting. By opting for LED bulbs, you can significantly reduce energy consumption, as they are much more efficient and energy-saving.

Generally, we recommend around 50-75 lumens per square foot in a bathroom. For example, a small bathroom that is 5 feet by 8 feet (40 square feet) would require 2,000-3,000 lumens (50-75 lumens per square foot). Remember that the type of lighting fixtures and bulbs you use will also affect the amount of light output.

In general, a 12x12 kitchen will use a minimum of three to a maximum of nine recessed lights to illuminate the needed area.

The recommended illumination for the general lighting in your garage is 50 lumens per square foot. For a standard single-car garage measuring 14 feet wide and 20 feet long, you'll need roughly 14,000 lumens for the 280 square feet of space.

How Many Recessed Lights? In general, a 12x12 kitchen will use a minimum of three to a maximum of nine recessed lights to illuminate the needed area.

For spaces that are between 15 and 20 feet, you may want to look for lighting solutions between 16,000 and 20,000 lumens. If you want to cover spaces that are 20 to 30 feet, then you will need a higher lumen output.

A: Our lighting experts recommend installing one recessed light for every 4-5 square feet in a room.