Industrial lighting is where LED makes the most convincing financial case. The fixtures run long hours, they are expensive to reach and replace, and the old technology they replace — metal halide and high-pressure sodium — is extraordinarily inefficient. A warehouse relamping project typically pays for itself faster than almost any other efficiency measure.
How much light do you need?
European practice (EN 12464-1) sets typical targets:
- Storage aisles, infrequent access: 100–150 lux
- Aisles in constant use: 150–200 lux
- Picking and sorting: 300 lux
- Packing, inspection, quality control: 500 lux
- Workshop and assembly benches: 500–750 lux
A rough sizing method
Total lumens needed ≈ floor area (m²) × target lux ÷ 0.7. The 0.7 accounts for light lost to walls, dirt and fixture ageing over time.
A 1,000 m² warehouse at 150 lux therefore needs roughly 214,000 lm. At 130 lm/W that is about 1,650 W of LED — for example eleven 150 W high bays, or sixteen 100 W units. More, smaller fixtures give more even coverage; fewer, larger ones cost less to install.
Mounting height decides the beam angle
This is the detail people get wrong. The higher the fixture, the narrower the beam needs to be, or the light spreads out and arrives weak.
- 4–6 m: 120° wide beam
- 6–9 m: 90°
- 9–12 m: 60°
- Above 12 m: 60° or narrower, and consider linear high bays over aisles instead
In racked warehouses, aim to run fixtures along the aisles rather than across them. Light needs to reach down between the racking, not land on the top of it.
Colour temperature and CRI
4000 K neutral white is the standard choice — alert without being harsh, and it renders packaging and labels accurately. 5000–6000 K suits inspection areas where fine detail matters. CRI 80 is adequate for storage; specify CRI 90 where colour judgement is part of the job.
The numbers that justify it
Replacing a 400 W metal halide fixture (with ballast, drawing about 450 W) with a 150 W LED high bay saves 300 W per fixture. Running twelve hours a day, 300 days a year, that is 1,080 kWh saved per fixture annually — roughly €160 at typical Estonian commercial rates. Across twenty fixtures, about €3,200 a year.
Then add what you no longer spend: metal halide lamps need replacing every 10,000–15,000 hours, each swap requiring a lift and an electrician. LED high bays are rated for 35,000–50,000 hours. In many warehouses the avoided maintenance is worth as much as the electricity.
Two practical notes
Add sensors where traffic is intermittent. Aisles that are busy for two hours a day do not need full output for twelve. Motion sensors with a dimmed standby level typically cut consumption by a further 30–50%.
Check the IP and ambient temperature rating. Cold stores, damp production halls and dusty environments all need appropriate ratings — our high bays list both, along with the LED chip manufacturer, in the specification table.
If you send us your floor dimensions, ceiling height and what happens in the space, we will work out a fixture count and layout for you.