What Is a Foot Candle and a Practical Guide to Lighting Levels by Application
Written by Cory PetersonLast 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).
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) defines illuminance standards that help establish appropriate foot-candle levels for different applications. These standards work in conjunction with OSHA’s workplace lighting requirements to ensure both safety and productivity in various environments.
On this page:
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 Commercial Projects
Recommended Foot Candles for Airplane Hangars
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| General Work / Storage | 30 fc |
| Aircraft Maintenance (some detailed tasks) | 30-50 fc |
| Aircraft Maintenance (fine detailed tasks) | 70-100 fc |
| Drilling, Riveting, Screw Fastening | 75 fc |
| Final Assembly | 100 fc |
| Inspection | 50-200 fc |
| Welding | 50 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Banks
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| ATM | 10-40 fc |
| Lobby | 10-50 fc |
| Writing Areas | 20-70 fc |
| Teller Stations, Posting, and Keypunch | 50-150 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Billboards
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Level 1 Billboard | 20 fc |
| Level 2 Billboard | 50-60 fc |
| Level 3 Billboard | 100 fc |
* Note: Average / Minimum Foot Candle Ratio should be < 4.0. A better target of 2.0 would mean the billboard is uniformly lit.
Recommended Foot Candles for Convention Centers & Exhibition Halls
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Main Convention Area | 30-90 fc |
| Smaller Meeting Rooms | 30-50 fc |
| Stairways | 5 fc |
| Washrooms and Restrooms | 5 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Commercial Kitchens
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| General Kitchen Area | 50-75 fc |
| Specialized Work Stations | 50-150 fc |
| Cooking Stations and Grills | 100-200 fc |
| Storage and Refrigeration | 20-50 fc |
Get your Free Commercial Kitchen Lighting Plan
Recommended Foot Candles for Data Centers
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Server Rooms | 30-50 fc |
| Repair Areas | 50-75 fc |
| Storage Areas | 20-30 fc |
| Hallways and Corridors | 20-30 fc |
Get your Free Data Center Lighting Plan
Recommended Foot Candles for Food Service Facilities
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Cashier Stand | 20-50 fc |
| Cleaning Areas | 10-20 fc |
| Dining Areas | 5-20 fc |
| Food Courts | 30 fc |
| Food Displays | 30-100 fc |
| Kitchen, Food Prep | 50-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles For Garage / Workshops
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Hobby Work | 30 fc |
| Work with limited detailed tasks | 30-50 fc |
| Work with fine-detailed tasks | 70 fc |
Get your Free Garage / Workshop Lighting Plan
Recommended Foot Candles for Hospitals – Medical Facilities
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Hallways | 5-30 fc |
| Patient Waiting Areas | 10 fc |
| Nurse Stations | 30 fc |
| Hospital Lobby Areas | 5 fc |
| Medical Record Areas | 50 fc |
| Stair Areas | 10 fc |
| Rooms | 10-30 fc |
| Emergency Rooms | 50-100 fc |
| General Nursing Station | 30 |
| Operating Rooms | 100-200 |
Recommended Foot Candles for Hotels
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Bathrooms | 20-50 fc |
| Bedrooms – Reading | 20-50 fc |
| Corridors, Elevators, Stairs | 10-20 fc |
| Front Desk | 50-100 fc |
| Linen Room – General | 10-20 fc |
| Linen Room – Sewing | 100-200 fc |
| Lobby, General | 10-20 fc |
| Reading and Working Areas | 20-50 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Laundries
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Washing | 20-50 fc |
| Ironing | 20-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Libraries
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Ordinary Reading, Stacks | 20-50 fc |
| Book Repair and Binding | 20-50 fc |
Study and Note Taking, Cataloging, Card Files, Checkout Desk | 20-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Machine Shops
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Rough Bench | 20-50 fc |
| Medium Bench, Rough Grinding, Buffing | 50-100 fc |
| Fine Bench | 200-500 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles For Offices
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Open Cubicle Space | 30 fc |
| Private | 50 fc |
| Reception Areas | 10 fc |
| Conference Rooms | 30 fc |
| Video Conferences | 50 fc |
Get your Free Commercial Office Lighting Plan
Recommended Foot Candles for Parking Lots and Parking Garages
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Entrances | 5 fc |
| Parking Garage – Basic | 1 fc |
| Parking Garage – Ramps | 1-2 fc |
| Parking Lots | 2-5 fc |
| Vehicle Storage | 2-5 fc |
Get your free Parking Lot Lighting Plan and Design
Recommended Foot Candles for Retail Stores
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Circulation Area Stockroom | 10-30 fc |
| Department Store | 20-80 fc |
| Discount Warehouse, Drug/Convenience | 25-100 fc |
| Merchandising, Self-Service | 200 fc |
| Shopping Mall | 30 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Schools
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Classrooms | 30-50 fc |
| College Lecture Halls | 50-100 fc |
| Hallways | 10 fc |
| Smaller School Gymnasiums | 30-50 fc |
| Larger School Gymnasiums | 50-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Security Fences
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| High-Security Areas (Prisons – for example) | 5 fc |
| Low-Security Areas | 1-2 fc |
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.
Get your Free Warehouse Lighting Plan and Design
Recommended Foot Candles for Woodworking
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Rough Sawing and Bench Work | 20-50 fc |
| Sizing, Planning, Rough Sanding, Medium Quality Machine and Bench Work, Gluing, Veneering, Cooperage | 20-50 fc |
| Fine Bench and Machine Work, Fine Sanding, and Finishing | 50-100 fc |
| Workshop | 30-75 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Pole Barns
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Storage or light-duty occasional work and maintenance | 20-30 fc |
| Pole barn used as workshop / mechanical area | 30-50 fc |
| Fine Detail Work | 50-75 fc |
Get your Free Pole Barn Lighting Plan and Design
Recommended Foot Candle for Industrial Projects
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
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Collegiate (Televised) | Infield 100 fc | Outfield 70 fc |
| Collegiate | Infield 70 fc | Outfield 50 fc |
| High School | Infield 50 fc | Outfield 30 fc |
| Little League | Infield 50 fc | Outfield 30 fc |
| Recreational | Infield 30 fc | Outfield 20 fc |
Get Your Free Baseball Field Lighting Design
Get Your Free Softball Field Lighting Design
Recommended Foot Candles for Basketball Courts
Indoors
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Recreational | 30-50 fc |
| High School Level | 40-70 fc |
| College and Professional Level | 70-120 fc |
Outdoors
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Recreational | 10-30 fc |
| Competitive Play | 20-60 fc |
Get Your Free Basketball Court Lighting Design
Recommended Foot Candles for Batting Cages
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Professional Level | 65-100 fc |
| Training | 40-50 fc |
| Recreation Level | 20-30 fc |
Get Your Free Batting Cage Lighting Design
Recommended Foot Candles for Tennis Courts
Indoor Tennis Courts
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| College / Televised | 90-120 fc |
| Competition Level | 60-90 fc |
| Club Level | 40-70 fc |
| Recreation Level | 25-40 fc |
Outdoor Tennis Courts
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| College / Televised | 70-100 fc |
| Competition Level | 50-80 fc |
| Club Level | 30-60 fc |
| Recreation Level | 20-35 fc |
Get your free Tennis Court Lighting Design
Recommended Foot Candles for Pickleball Courts
Indoor Pickleball Courts
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Competition Level | 60-80 fc |
| Club Level | 40-60 fc |
| Recreation Level | 25-35 fc |
Outdoor Pickleball Courts
| Task / Area | Recommended Foot Candles |
|---|---|
| Competition Level | 50-70 fc |
| Club Level | 20-50 fc |
About The Author
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.
