LED Lighting Supply / Blog / What Is a Foot Candle and a Practical Guide to Lighting Levels by Application
What Is a Foot Candle and a Practical Guide to Lighting Levels by Application
Written by Cory Peterson Last Updated Jan 6, 2026 Published on Nov 23, 2020
What is a Foot Candle?
A foot-candle measures light intensity, equivalent to one lumen of light per square foot. It measures the light that reaches a surface, while lumens measure the quantity of light produced by a fixture.
Footcandles, equivalent to approximately 10.764 lux, are vital for measuring light intensity in commercial, industrial, and sports lighting. They define the required lighting levels for various environments, ensuring safety and functionality.
Compliance note: OSHA regulations focus on workplace safety requirements and may reference minimum lighting needs in certain contexts, but most recommended foot-candle targets used for design work come from lighting engineering guidance (such as IES recommended practices) and project-specific risk and task requirements. Always confirm requirements with your facility safety team, the project engineer, and the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).
How to Use Foot-Candle Recommendations (So You Don’t Over or Underlight)
Foot-candles measure illuminance on a surface (light reaching the work plane), not total light produced by the fixture.
Most targets are specified as average maintained foot-candles, meaning the design accounts for normal light loss over time (dirt, aging, temperature, etc.).
Uniformity matters: two spaces can have the same average fc but feel very different if one has dark spots. Many projects target an Avg/Min ratio of ≤ 4:1 (and tighter where tasks are critical).
Where you measure matters: offices and many task areas use a work plane around 30 inches above the floor. Aisles, corridors, and outdoor areas may use ground plane or task-specific measurement locations.
Glare control matters: higher fc isn’t always “better” if it creates discomfort or reduces visibility. Optics, mounting height, and shielding are often as important as lumen output.
Best practice: Use these tables to set a starting target range, then validate with a photometric lighting plan based on your layout, mounting heights, reflectances, and fixture distribution.
Where These Foot-Candle Ranges Come From
The values below are commonly referenced target ranges used in lighting design and are intended for general planning. Final targets should be confirmed using IES recommended practices (when applicable), facility safety requirements, and project-specific conditions (inspection tasks, camera coverage, hazards, reflectances, glare limits, and operating hours).
Important Notice
This guide is for general educational use only. Recommended foot-candle targets vary by task, facility policies, reflectance, mounting height, glare limits, and maintenance factors. Do not treat these tables as a substitute for a site-specific lighting design, safety review, or code compliance evaluation.
Recommended Foot Candles For Warehouses and Manufacturing
Manufacturing
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Coarse Material Processing
10 fc
Medium Material Processing
30 fc
Fine Material Processing
50 fc
Extra Fine Material Processing
50-100 fc
Wrapping, Packaging and Labeling
30 fc
Picking Stock
30 fc
Simple Assembly
15-60 fc
Medium Assembly
25-100 fc
Difficult Assembly
50-200 fc
Complicated Assembly
50-200 fc
Exacting Assembly and Inspection
150-600 fc
General Food Processing
75 fc
Warehousing
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Warehousing – Inactive Area
5-10 fc
Warehousing – Active – Large Items
10-20 fc
Warehousing – Active – Small Items
15-60 fc
Warehousing – Active – Medium Items
20 fc
Warehousing – Active – Fine Items
20-50 fc
Shipping and Receiving Area
30 fc
Receiving and Shipping Dock
5-20 fc
Receiving and Staging
15-60 fc
Maintenance and Shop Areas
50 fc
Cold Storage
10-30 fc
Open Warehouse
10-30 fc
Warehouse with Aisles
10-30 fc
The U.S. Department of Energy’s commercial building guidelines emphasize that proper warehouse lighting can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% when upgrading from high pressure sodium or metal halide systems to LED technology, while maintaining the recommended foot-candle levels for safe operations.
Industrial environments often require specialized lighting that meets both safety and classification requirements. The National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code) provides detailed requirements for hazardous location lighting installations. Additionally, fixtures used in these environments must be tested and certified by UL (Underwriters Laboratories) to ensure they meet the necessary safety standards for their specific classification.
Industrial Note: Lighting Level Targets vs Hazardous Location Requirements
Foot-candles describe how much light you need for tasks and safety. Hazardous location classifications (NEC/UL/ATEX/IECEx) describe what equipment you are allowed to install based on ignition risk. These are related to the project but are not the same requirement.
Recommended Foot Candles for Automobile Manufacturing and Sales
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Final Assembly, Finishing, Inspection
200 fc
Body and Chassis Assembly
100 fc
Body Parts Manufacturing
100 fc
Frame Assembly
50 fc
Showroom
25-100 fc
Service Area
25-100 fc
Sales Lot (Exterior) – Lighting Zone 3 (urban)
10-40 fc
Sales Lot (Exterior) – Lighting Zone 2 (suburban)
10-30 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Clothing Manufacturers
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Receiving, Storage, Shipping, Winding, Measuring
20-50 fc
Pattern Making, Trimming
50-100 fc
Shops, Marking
50-200 fc
Cutting, Pressing
100-500 fc
Sewing, Inspection
200-500 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Distilleries
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Malting
20-30 fc
Barrel Filling
20-30 fc
Sorting, Washing, Packing
30-40 fc
Filtering
50 fc
Bottling
50 fc
Inspection
100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Electrical Equipment Manufacturing
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Impregnating
20-50 fc
Insulating, Coil Winding, Testing
50-100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Foundries
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Annealing Furnaces
20-50 fc
Cleaning
20-50 fc
Core Making
50-200 fc
Inspection – Fine
100-500 fc
Inspection – Medium
50-100 fc
Molding
50-200 fc
Pouring, Sorting
50-100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Iron & Steel Manufacturing
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Stock, Hot Top, Checker Cellar, Calcining
10-30 fc
Building, Slag Pits, Stripping Yard
20 fc
Control Platforms, Repairs, Mixer Building
30 fc
Rolling Mills
30-50 fc
Shearing
50 fc
Tin Plate
50 fc
Motor Room, Machine Room
30 fc
Inspection
100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Paint Shops
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Spraying, Hand Art, Stencil
20-50 fc
Fine Hand Painting and Finishing
50-100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Paper Manufacturing
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Beaters, Grinding
20-50 fc
Finishing, Cutting
50-100 fc
Hand Counting
50-100 fc
Paper Machine Reel, Inspection
100-200 fc
Rewinder
100-200 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Printing
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Photo Engraving, Etching, Blocking
20-50 fc
Color Inspecting
100-200 fc
Presses
50-100 fc
Proofreading
100-200 fc
Composing Room
50-100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Sheet Metal Works
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
General
100 fc
Tin Plate Inspection, Galvanized, Scribing
100-200 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Textile Mills
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
Cotton Picking, Carding, Roving, Spinning
50 fc
Beaming and Slashing
150 fc
Drawing
200 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Water Treatment Plant
Task / Area
Recommended Foot Candles
General Work Areas
20-30 fc
Control Rooms
50-75 fc
Chemical Handling Areas
30-50 fc
Maintenance Areas / Workshops
50-100 fc
Labs
75-100 fc
Recommended Foot Candles for Sports Projects
Recommended Foot Candles for Baseball and Softball Fields
Cory Peterson is Vice President of Marketing & Sales Operations at LED Lighting Supply where he focuses on improving customer experience and revenue operations. Cory writes about commercial & industrial lighting, along with topics important to contractors and facility managers. In his free time, Cory enjoys traveling, snorkeling, exercise and cooking.
Written by Cory Peterson
