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Lumens Calculator: How to Determine Total Required

Lumens for Your Space
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 ow much light is enough to light a room? Most designers and architects use two Demand for the Brick-and-
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foundational principles of lighting design when planning and specifying Mortar Store Experience

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 the qualitative (or aesthetic) aspect of light

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the quantitative (or engineering) aspect of light
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Calculating for total lighting required is considered quantitative. DECEMBER 6, 2022

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The lumen method is the most commonly used for calculating the total light output Art Lighting: Seeing Your
needed for your space. With this formula, you first establish the intended use of the space, Art in the Best Light
NOVEMBER 29, 2022
then you measure its square footage. · 6 MINS READ

This guide will help you understand what the lumen method is and how to calculate it. You
can also use the lumens calculator below to determine how many lumens you need based
on room size and other key variables.

Table of contents:

1. Helpful Lighting Terms

2. The Lumen Method – How to Calculate Lumens

3. Footcandle Requirements for Various Applications

4. Summary: Calculating Total Lumens Needed for a Room

5. Factoring in Lumen Lighting Variables

6. Lumens Calculator

7. Accounting for Personal Taste

Helpful Lighting Terms

Lumen
Lumen output is a measurement of the total quantity of visible light emitted by a light
source. It’s also commonly known as brightness or light output.

The reference point: A standard 100-watt incandescent light bulb produces about 1,500-
1,700 lumens. Strictly speaking, 600 LED lumens provides the same amount of light as
600 incandescent lumens.

LED lights provide higher Color Rendering Index (CRI), so, while they more accurately
reveal the colors of the subject being lighted, they don’t provide more light.

Wattage
Wattage is a measure of how much electricity (or energy) a light bulb consumes to achieve
its lumen output.

Each type of light source — LED, fluorescent, halogen or incandescent bulbs — has a
different lumen-to-watt ratio. If a 100-watt incandescent light produces 1,500 lumens,
and a 10-watt LED light does the same, the 10-watt LED bulb may claim 100-watt
equivalency and energy efficiency.

Here’s a lumen-to-watt chart. Please note that these ratios may vary slightly, even between
different LED products.

Foot-candle
Foot-candle is the original measurement system for light intensity on a one square-foot
surface from a uniform source of light. In other words, a foot-candle is the light measured
one foot away from a candle.

Considering the human-centric principles of lighting design, the IES (the largest society of
professional lighting designers) provides a footcandle chart on how many foot-candles of
light humans need to perform tasks comfortably in different spaces.

For example, for washing dishes, they recommend that your lighting provides 20 foot-
candles of light at two feet, six inches off the floor. This is also referred to as the
horizontal target.

The Lumen Method – How to Calculate Total Lumens Needed

1. Determine room size by square footage. Multiply the length times the width of the room
to get the room square footage. For example, if the room is 10 feet wide and 10 feet long, the
room square footage will be 100 square feet.
2. Establish the footcandle requirement for your application. Lighting requirements
vary depending on the type of room being lit, also known as the application. For example, a
bathroom or kitchen will require more foot candles than a living room or bedroom. Once you
establish the intended use of your space, browse this footcandle chart for the IES-
recommended footcandle requirement for your application.
3. Multiply the room square footage by the footcandle requirement. For example, a
100 square-foot living room, which needs 20 foot-candles, will need 2,000 lumens. A 100
square-foot dining room, which needs 40 foot-candles, will require 4,000 lumens.

READ NEXT

What is
Architectural
Lighting?

We’ve created a helpful guide to How Many Lumens You Need that walks you through
this calculation in more detail.

Footcandle Requirements for Various Applications

Commercial Lighting Footcandle Requirements
Room Foot-candles Needed

Offices: Average Reading and Writing 50-75

Offices: Hallways 10-20

Offices: Rooms with Computers 20-50

Auditoriums / Assembly 15-30

Hospitals: General Areas 10-15

Hospitals: Labs / Treatment Rooms 75-100

Libraries 50-100

Schools 30-100

Residential Lighting Footcandle Requirements

Room Foot-candles Needed

Living Room 10-20

Kitchen: General 30-40

Kitchen: Stove 70-80

Kitchen: Sink 70-80

Dining Room 30-40

Bedroom 10-20

Hallway 5-10

Bathroom 70-80

Summary: Calculating Total Lumens Needed for a Room

Let’s recap how to gauge how much light you need for a space. Multiply your room square
footage by the footcandle requirement. For example, a 100-square foot living room, which
needs 20 foot candles, will need 2,000 lumens. A 100-square foot dining room, which
needs 40 foot-candles, will need 4,000 lumens.

Download a Free Footcandle Chart »

Factoring in Lumen Lighting Variables

Ceiling Height Variable
Note: Only read this section if your ceiling height is taller than 10ft. If your ceiling height
is below 10ft, the Lumen Method above and the lumens calculator below will be sufficient
for determining the required light output for your application.

If you have high ceilings in a space, then you must account for that in your lumens
calculation. You do that with a footcandle multiplier.

To calculate for your recommended footcandle multiplier, use the following formulas:

footcandles (fc) = cd ÷ h

cd = candlepower

h = distance between the lamp and the horizontal target

Once you determine your desired footcandle level, you multiply that by your room’s square
footage.

Wall Color Variable

If you have especially dark-colored walls and furniture or if you’re using light fixtures with
shades, you’ll need roughly an additional 10 lumens per square foot.

Lumens to Candlepower Conversion

Candlepower is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light
intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents.

The historical candlepower is equal to 1.02 candelas. In modern usage, candlepower is

sometimes used as a synonym for candela.

Lumen output = C/0.07958

Lumens Calculator
Use this calculator to calculate the lumens needed to light a room.

LUMEN/WATT CALCULATOR

SELECT ROOM TYPE

Bedroom

Measurement Unit FEET INCHES METERS

WIDTH 12

LENGTH 12

HEIGHT 10

Illumination Intensity LOW MEDIUM HIGH

Wall Color LIGHT DARK

Light Placement CENTER CORNERS

CALCULATE

2448 lumens or 30 LED watts are

required to illuminate your Bedroom
of 144 Foot² (sq.ft)

Please note that these are estimations. For exact analysis, please consult a lighting design
professional.

Accounting for Personal Taste

Personal preference will play a large role in determining how much light you need in a
space. If you like the room to be especially bright, you may want to add an additional 10-
20% to our numbers and then install dimmers to adjust the light to desired levels.

When lighting is properly designed in a space, you notice the room and the objects in it. In
other words, you notice what the lighting illuminates, not the lighting products
themselves. Bad or deficient lighting design shows up as hot spots, dark spots and
unintentional shadows.

Good or efficient lighting design accounts for total general and task lighting required for a
space. Dynamic or superior lighting design factors the qualitative, human experience. It
lights for vertical (not merely horizontal) visual impressions, such as walls — as well as
ceilings with uplighting to minimize shadows and dark spots for smooth, streamlined and
evenly distributed light.

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DAVID HAKIMI   

Alcon Lighting creative director and co-founder David Hakimi works to improve lighting through research,
development and education. David strives for efficiency in lighting, affording architects, lighting designers and
engineers the ability to maximize LED lighting design and application. David is a graduate of the University of
California, Los Angeles, where he received a Bachelors in history. David also studied lighting design at IES in
Los Angeles. He traces his and Alcon Lighting’s commitment to innovation, accountability, quality and value to
lessons learned from his father, Mike Hakimi, a lighting craftsman, salesman and consultant in Southern
California for more than four decades. Today’s lighting for commercial use requires a deep, complete
understanding of smart lighting systems and controls. David takes pride in his lighting, energy controls and
design knowledge. He is driven by the desire to share his insights into lighting specification and application.
This quest to share his knowledge was the impetus for David to create Insights, Alcon Lighting’s blog and
resource center for helping the reader understand lighting and its application to space.

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52 COMMENTS   Oldest 

Sue  2 years ago

I saw some lights with 60 watt bulb capacity and want a well lit dining room. Would
three pendant lights work or would 4 be better for a space with no outside light
coming in?

-5 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Sue

Author
Hi Sue, without knowing the square footage of your space, including your
ceiling height and the color of the walls, it’s hard to say. Alcon Lighting
generally recommends going with odd numbers for design aesthetics, however,
in this case, I suggest you consider going with four fixtures and use a… Read
more »

1 Reply

Sue  2 years ago

 Reply to  David Hakimi

It is basically 9×15 with a jut out on one end of the room. It is an
interior room with NO windows. The ceiling is 9 ft high and no paint color
has been decided on yet.

-8 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Sue

Author
Do you know the lumen output of the fixtures you’d like to install?

0 Reply

Edward  2 years ago

I’m not sure if the manual calculation or the calculator is incorrect, but when I
compare results, they differ. I checked and recheck so I don’t know which result to
believe!

-23 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Edward

Author
Hi Edward, thanks for reading the lumen output post. Please clarify and
describe what you’ve identified as the discrepancy and I can look into it..
What are the numbers you’re plugging in?

0 Reply

Edward  2 years ago

 Reply to  David Hakimi

I have looked at my figures again and I realise where I was going wrong; I
was converting from m sq to ft sq using an incorrect calculation.

Now that I’ve corrected, there’s not so much of a difference between the
calculator and my workings out!

Thanks
Edward

6 Reply

Jami  2 years ago

In a roughly 20×20 office space we have 6 2×2 flush led ceiling lights. They are
4,000 lumens. Is this too much?

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Jami

Author
Hi Jami!

(1) What’s the ceiling height?

(2) Does the office have windows?
(3) Are the lights dimmable?

0 Reply

Jennifer  2 years ago

I am finding your answers to others thoughtful and beneficial so I decided to throw

my questions out there. We were at a store today looking at lighting and I found
myself getting quickly overwhelmed. We are building our house and are just beginning
the wiring phase and no light… Read more »

-1 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Jennifer

Author
Hi Jennifer,
It sounds like you may be overwhelmed by the project. I’ll try to help, if
only by referring you to resources. Do you have a specific question?

0 Reply

Doug  2 years ago

Hi there,I have a 13 x18 kitchen with 1 window,light colored walls and 8′ ceilings
Want to use led lighting,os 5200 lumens good?

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Doug

Author
Doug, good luck with your project. Yours is a project-specific information
request. We certainly welcome general requests and would love to help.
However, it’s easier for Alcon Lighting to help when you send a message.
Please feel free to send a detailed message so we can try to help.
Thanks… Read more »

-1 Reply

JAMES F VAN DOVER  2 years ago

I have a shop that is 16 x 32 x 14 high I bought 8 2×2 4 tube led lights which are
5000 lumens each I believe 4000k. I plan on hanging them in 2 straight lines, in each
line they will be @ 4 foot apart and @ 8… Read more »

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  JAMES F VAN DOVER

Author
James, good luck with your project. Yours is a project-specific information
request. We certainly welcome general requests and would love to help.
However, it’s easier for Alcon Lighting to help when you send a message.
Please feel free to send a detailed message so we can try to help.
https://www.alconlighting.com/support/

4 Reply

How much LED lights would I need for a 25 foot fla  2 years ago

How much LED light would I need for a 25 foot flagpole

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  How much LED lights would I need for a 25 foot fla
Author
Hi,
Please reference:
https://www.alconlighting.com/blog/newsfeed/lighting-americas-flag/

0 Reply

Amy  2 years ago

Is 2300 lumens enough light to properly illuminate a 12 x 15 foyer with 16 foot

ceiling?

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Amy

Author
Hi Amy,
Based on the details you provided, I recommend around 3000 lumens but 2300
lumens should be sufficient light for your foyer as well. Good luck!

6 Reply

Amy  2 years ago

 Reply to  David Hakimi

Many thanks!

1 Reply

Mary  2 years ago

Wow! Thank you so so much I really needed to read this and know more. Also I have a
question if you can help, so you know the deference between the led light and the
grow light for plants? Can I use the normal led let ( with high Lumen)… Read more »

0 Reply

John  2 years ago

Great.

0 Reply

Scott  2 years ago

Perhaps I missed it, but if a measured kitchen space needs 4000 lumens and has 6
recessed ceiling lights, do you divide 4000 by 6 to get a per-fixture lumen level ?
Or buy 6, 4000 lumen recessed (retrofit) fixtures (with dimmer?)? Thank you in
advance.

1 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Scott

Author
Hi Scott,
You divide 4000 by 6 fixtures to get the needed lumen level per fixture.
Good luck!

1 Reply

Elizabeth  2 years ago

Thank you for this helpful article. There is a diagram at the end entitled “Preferred
LED Lighting Layout” that suggests LED lights should not be placed in corners. Does
this apply to any type of LED lights or only to downlights?

1 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Elizabeth

Author
Hi Elizabeth,
Good question!
The suggestion is for recessed downlight layout designs.

4 Reply

Peter  2 years ago

Wow. Consise factual and easy to understand. Plus imbedded calculator.

Good job

0 Reply

Timothy Brady  2 years ago

This is great information. My wife and I are struggling right now trying to get the
right lighting in a home we bought. We just recently had installed 4x LED can lights
but we are unsure of the Lumens but are pretty certain it is not enough. Our
estimation is… Read more »

-11 Reply

Kathi  2 years ago

I have a 3200 sq ft large party room (an almost square space) with 10-12 ft ceilings
(slight vault). I’d like to do recessed downlights as the main source of light. The
walls are a light color. If my fixtures each provide 1200 lumens, how many fixtures
will I need?… Read more »

1 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Kathi

Author
Hi Kathy! Multiply the 3,200 by the recommended foot candles for a party room
to get the total number of lumens you’ll need for the space. I recommend 15-
30 but that’s ultimately up to you and your designer. Reference the chart in
the post. Aim for 30 foot candles with… Read more »

2 Reply

Kathi  2 years ago

 Reply to  David Hakimi

thanks- that helps

1 Reply

Alice  2 years ago

Thanks very much for this resource! I am trying to light a basement art studio that
has no natural light. It’s about 14′ x 20′; the ceiling is between 6′ and 7′,
depending whether one measures from the top or bottom of the beams across it. Your
calculator says I… Read more »

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Alice

Author
Yes, Alice!

You could also add an adjustable ceiling mount spot light or a directional
floor lamp. Good luck!

0 Reply

Alice  2 years ago

 Reply to  David Hakimi

Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

0 Reply

Ann  2 years ago

What kind of lighting is best for overhead tube light in kitchen….Cool, Warm, Bright?
is 4000K too bright?

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Ann

Author
Hi Ann,

A cooler, 4000K light color temperature serves as a better work light. In

this case, cooking or baking.

Good luck!

0 Reply

Duane Kerr  2 years ago

Hello,
If I want to install in-ground well lights (2) to shine up at a 5′ x 8′ flag on a 35
foot pole, how many lumens should each light fixture be?

-2 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Duane Kerr

Author
Hi Duane,

Please refer to this post:

https://www.alconlighting.com/blog/newsfeed/lighting-americas-flag/

Good luck!

0 Reply

Richard  2 years ago

Hi,

I understand this is rough estimate as there are other factors. My question is, if I
determined my needed lumens on the entire room, should I divide it to number of
fixtures/downlights?

0 Reply

David Hakimi  2 years ago

 Reply to  Richard

Author
Yes, Richard. You’re exactly right.

1 Reply

J. Guckert  2 years ago

What a wonderfully well-written, informative piece. I’m a picky, writer-type, from

the technical and non-fiction arenas, and I love finding such good writing scattered
around the web, in non-obvious places.

1 Reply

Shiva Shrestha  2 years ago

Nice explanation

0 Reply

Susan  2 years ago

So enjoyed your article on ‘How to Determine how many Lumens you’ll need to properly
light your space’. So clear, so brilliantly explained…..at least 100,000 lumens
worth!

0 Reply

Virgílio  2 years ago

Thank you for such crystal clear text and the usefull tool available that allow us to
do quick calculations.

2 Reply

Paul  2 years ago

I found this article while researching about IES profiles for a game developer. We
have the ability to use IES profiles for each light source in our development tools,
but I needed to find a good source on how much lighting to use in each “room” to help
narrow down… Read more »

2 Reply

Terry B  2 years ago

Hi David, This is such a helpful and well-written blog entry. Perhaps you can offer
me a suggestion. I am looking for a lamp for a bedside table, specifically to have
enough light to be able to do light reading or paperwork (eg, paying bills) before
going to sleep. I… Read more »

1 Reply

David Hakimi  1 year ago

 Reply to  Terry B

Author
Hi Terry,

If you would like to use the lamp with all other lights off in the room, and
still be able to read, I’d double that lumen count to 400 at least. 400-500
lumens to be safe.

Glad you found the post useful. Good Luck.

2 Reply

Paul  1 year ago

I just wanted to say what an absolute gem of a website you have here. I live abroad
and am not able to purchase from yourselves, but just wanted to say thank you for
such as awesome blog and help.

8 Reply

Sam  1 year ago

Hi, you should check the calculator on this page – the output for meters compared to
feet is way off.

0 Reply

John McHardy  1 year ago

First let me say how grateful I a that I found this blog – your explanation of how to
determine the total amount of light required for a rec room I am building was easy to
understand and has moved me significantly closer to understanding how many led pot
light… Read more »

1 Reply

David Hakimi  1 year ago

 Reply to  John McHardy

Author
Hi John, Great questions. Here’re the answers. 1. You wrote that “one could
see with better clarity in a room lit with LED lumens compared to one lit
with the equivalent number of fluorescent, incandescent or halogen lumens.“.
Is there a conversion factor to be used when making LED bulb… Read more »

0 Reply

John McHardy  1 year ago

 Reply to  David Hakimi

David Thank you for the prompt replies as I expect you are a rather busy
person ! I think I understand what you are saying about beam spread….. if
a 600 lumen down facing ceiling led light fixture has a 45 degree beam
spread then the light circle diameter would… Read more »

0 Reply

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