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What is a Foot Candle?
A great place to start is with the definition. For those of you who may not be familiar with them, a foot candle is how light intensity is measured. One foot candle is characterized as enough light to fill a square foot with one lumen of light.
If that sounds vaguely like the definition of a lumen, you aren’t wrong. Both lumens and foot candles are measurements of light intensity.
While lumens measure the quantity of light produced by a lighting fixture, foot candles measure the quantity of light that reaches a surface.
Along with other factors, foot candles permit facility managers and electricians to develop an effective lighting plan carefully and thoroughly.
After all, it doesn’t matter how much light a bulb emits if none of that light reaches the desired surface area.
COMMERCIAL and INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
Recommended Foot Candles for Manufacturing and Warehouse Facilities
| 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 – 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 |
Recommended Foot Candles for Automobile Manufacturing and Sales
| 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 Food Service Facilities
| 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 Work Shops
| General Work / Storage | 30 fc |
| Production Work with some detailed tasks | 50 fc |
| Production Work with fine detailed tasks | 70-90 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Hotels
| 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
| Washing | 20-50 fc |
| Ironing | 20-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Libraries
| 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 Garages and Garage Workshops
| Hobby Work | 30 fc |
| Work with limited detailed tasks | 30-50 fc |
| Work with fine detailed tasks | 70 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Printing
| 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 Retail
| 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 Woodworking
| Rough Sawing and Bench Work | 20-50 fc |
| Sizing, Planing, 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 Offices
How many foot candles do I need? The best practice is to choose approximately 20 foot candles for regular office spaces as well as for conference rooms. However, in areas where reading and detailed tasks are regularly performed – 50-foot candles are recommended.
| Open Cubicle Space | 30 fc |
| Private | 50 fc |
| Reception Areas | 10 fc |
| Conference Rooms | 30 fc |
| Video Conferences | 50 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Outdoors and Exterior Parking
The most common recommendation for parking lot foot candles is horizontal illuminance of minimum 0.2-foot candles, vertical illuminance of minimum 0.1-foot candles, and uniformity ratio of 20:1 maximum to minimum.
| Entrances | 5 fc |
| Parking Garage – Basic | 1 fc |
| Parking Garage – Ramps | 1-2 fc |
| Parking Lots | 2-5 fc |
| Vehicle Storage | 2-5 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Hospitals – Medical Facilities
| 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 Airplane Hangars
| General Work / Storage | 30 fc |
| Aircraft Maintenance with some detailed tasks | 30-50 fc |
| Aircraft Maintenance with 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
| 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 Clothing Manufacturers
| 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 Electrical Equipment Manufacturing
| Impregnating | 20-50 fc |
| Insulating, Coil Winding, Testing | 50-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Foundries
| 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
| 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 Machine Shops
| Rough Bench | 20-50 fc |
| Medium Bench, Rough Grinding, Buffing | 50-100 fc |
| Fine Bench | 200-500 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Paint Shops
| Spraying, Hand Art, Stencil | 20-50 fc |
| Fine Hand Painting and Finishing | 50-100 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Paper Manufacturing
| 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 Sheet Metal Works
| General | 100 fc |
| Tin Plate Inspection, Galvanized, Scribing | 100-200 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Textile Mills
| Cotton Picking, Carding, Roving, Spinning | 50 fc |
| Beaming and Slashing | 150 fc |
| Drawing | 200 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Schools
| 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 Distilleries
| 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 Convention Centers, Exhibition Halls and Venues
| Main Convention Area | 30-90 fc |
| Smaller Meeting Rooms | 30-50 fc |
| Stairways | 5 fc |
| Washrooms and Restrooms | 5 fc |
SPORT APPLICATIONS
Recommended Foot Candles for Baseball and Softball Fields
| Infield | Outfield | |
| Collegiate (Televised) | 100 fc | 70 fc |
| Collegiate | 70 fc | 50 fc |
| High School | 50 fc | 30 fc |
| Little League | 50 fc | 30 fc |
| Recreational | 30 fc | 20 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Batting Cages
| Professional Level | 65-100 fc |
| Training | 40-50 fc |
| Recreation Level | 20-30 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Tennis Courts
| College Televised | 90-120 fc |
| Competition Level | 50-80 fc |
| Club Level | 30-60 fc |
| Recreation Level | 20-35 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Pickleball Courts
| Competition Level | 50-80 fc |
| Club Level | 30-60 fc |
| Recreation Level | 20-30 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Padel / Paddleball Courts
| Competition Level | 50-75 fc |
| Club Level | 30-50 fc |
| Recreation Level | 20-30 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Horse and Riding Arenas
Recommended Foot Candles for Polo Fields
| Polo Field (Recreational) | 20-35 fc |
| Polo Field (Competitive) | 35-50 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Football Fields
| College Televised | 80-150 fc |
| College | 70-100 fc |
| Large High School | 50-70 fc |
| Smaller High School | 30-50 fc |
| Pop Warner | 30-50 fc |
| Recreational | 20-40 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Basketball Courts
| Community Center Courts | 30 fc |
| Backyard Courts | 10-20 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Indoor Hockey Rinks
| Professional Leagues | 100-150 fc |
| Junior League Televised | 70-10 fc |
| Junior League Un-televised | 50-70 fc |
| Recreational and Local Tournaments | 20-40 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Gymnasiums
| Assemblies | 10 fc |
| General Exercise and Recreation | 30 fc |
| Locker Rooms | 10-30 fc |
| Exhibitions, Matches | 50 fc |
| School Gyms | 30-50 fc |
| Public Gyms | 30-70 fc |
Recommended Foot Candles for Soccer Fields
| Recreational | 5-20 fc |
| Middle School | 20-30 fc |
| Small High School | 20-40 fc |
| Larger High School | 40-50 fc |
| College | 60-120 fc |
OSHA Lighting Requirements
OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created to protect workers by ensuring that working conditions were safe and as risk-free as possible.
To ensure that all industrial and commercial workplaces have effective and adequate lighting without being excessively bright (or without glare), OSHA developed standards as part of its safety initiative.
Glare and excessive lighting can cause headaches and eyestrain to individuals over time. Read more about OSHA guidelines from the United States Department of Labor.
| OSHA warehouse lighting requirements | 5 fc |
| OSHA emergency lighting requirements | 5 fc |
| OSHA temporary lighting requirements for construction | 5 fc |
| OSHA lighting requirements for manufacturing | 10 fc |
| OSHA industrial lighting requirements | 10 fc |
| OSHA outdoor lighting requirements | 3 fc |
| OSHA parking lot lighting requirements | 3 fc |
Foot Candles Calculator
What Is a Foot Candles Calculator?
A foot candles calculator is a simple tool that allows you to estimate the number of fixtures you will need to properly light an interior space. It’s a starting point to give you a rough estimate of the approximate fixture count.
Another (better) option is to ask us to do a Lighting Plan for you. We can do these for indoor and outdoor spaces. It will also give you a fixture count but will provide you with additional information like light balance and visually show you how well lit the area will be.
Scroll down a bit more on this page to ask for yours.
Foot Candles and Lighting Plans
Why Are Foot Candles Important?
Foot candles are an extremely important part of designing an effective lighting setup. They are the only way to tell if an area is receiving the intended light levels.
And, although this is important in any type of business, it’s especially important for commercial and industrial facilities to have appropriate lighting levels for both employee safety and efficiency.
It’s so important, in fact, that OSHA has specific foot candle requirements for certain spaces and industries.
Recommended Light Levels
Lighting systems are not equal. What may be ideal for one location may be unsuitable for another. For instance, a big box store does not need the same amount of light as a packaging warehouse. Even if two facilities have the same square feet, the activities carried out may be different. The work done in a building typically determines the fixtures needed for its associated lighting. This is why choosing lighting for a space should not be a “one size fits all” approach. Foot candles are required by OSHA for workplace lighting measurements. In this article, we’ll give foot candle recommendations for different types of environments.
Foot Candles versus LUX – What’s the difference?
Foot candles and lux are both light measurement readings. They are just represented by different scales. Essentially, 1 foot candle = 10.77 lux and 1 lux = .0929 foot candles.
Understanding Lighting Plans
A Photometric Study, or Lighting Plan, is a report detailing the light levels and light distribution for a location, either indoors or outdoors. It’s done by software that’s specifically created to do so.
Lighting Plans allow you to simulate a space, add lighting fixtures, and set mounting heights and fixture locations within the software model.
The software calculates light levels and how balanced the light is and produces a report showing average, maximum, and minimum foot candles.
For this discussion, the numbers we discuss are the average recommended foot candles. Just as important is the max/min ratio the study calculates. The higher this number is, the spottier the lighting.
So, it’s one thing to hit the recommended average. It’s another to design a lighting solution with even light distribution. A lighting plan study will provide you with this information.
How do lumens become a foot candle?
1. Understanding Lumens
What is a lumen? A lumen is a measurement of light created by one bulb, lamp, or fixture. We use lumens to indicate the brightness of a bulb or fixture – how much light it produces. Lumens are a far more accurate representation of the light’s capacity than watts used to make light.
The takeaway: lights produce lumens.
2. Converting Lumens to FC – or – foot candles to lumens
A foot candle (also known as fc, ft-c, or lm/ft2) is a light intensity measurement. One foot candle equals 10.76 lumens. You can convert foot candles to lumens by multiplying the number of foot candles by 10.76.
The calculation of foot candles for industrial lighting is made by taking the total number of lumens and multiplying that by 0.001496. For example, 538 lumens x 0.001496 watts = 0.805 watts per square meter so your 50 foot-candles would equal 0.805 watts per square meter.
In the simplest sense, you can install one light in a room above the floor and, while using a light meter, walk around the floor and take foot candle measurements. The amount of light directly under the installed fixture will be brighter than the light in the corners.
Using this same room, you can install four fixtures evenly throughout the room. As you walk around the room, everything is brighter. The light meter is showing higher foot candle measurements throughout the room. The corners are brighter.
That’s all this is. Lights produce lumens, and as you add more lights, the foot candle measurements will increase throughout the space.
The takeaway: the more lights you add, the higher the foot candle readings will be.
3. Lumens per Square Foot
What are lumens per square foot? By definition, one lumen per square foot is one foot candle. This means that:
20 lumens per square foot = 20 foot candles
40 lumens per square foot = 40 foot candles
80 lumens per square foot = 80 foot candles
Like the previous discussion of lux, lumens per square foot is an additional description of what a foot candle is.
So why do we think of lighting in terms of foot candles and not lumens per square foot? Mostly because the tools we use to create lighting plans provide us with results in foot candles. However, it’s easy to convert the foot candle measurements we provide to lumens per square foot measurements.
4. Lighting Plan Software – How it works
Lighting plan software is a computer-generated lighting model that understands the physical characteristics of how many lumens a light produces and how it distributes its light. The software allows you to install lights in a software “space” and run calculations by simulating foot candle readings on the ground. It’s extremely accurate, and the report generated provides details on light levels and light balance within the space.
The takeaway: we provide free lighting plans for our commercial and industrial customers, electricians, and electrical contractors. Scroll to the bottom of this page to ask for yours.
5. Understanding Light Efficiency – this is what saves you money
Even amongst LEDs, not all bulbs are created equal. Though they are all more efficient than options like fluorescents and metal halides, not every LED is equally efficient.
This is another reason why it’s important to pay attention to the lumens of an LED light instead of the watts. In many cases, a higher quality LED with lower wattage can produce a brighter light than one that has a higher wattage.
Let’s explain this by showing two different LED Lights.
The first fixture produces light at 130 lumens per watt. The second produces light at 180 lumens per watt.
To produce 20,000 lumens, the first light uses 153.84 watts of electricity. The second light only needs 111.11 watts.
That’s a difference of 42.73 watts. This is what saves you money on your lighting bill.
Both lighting products above create the same amount of light, or lumens.
Efficacy, or light efficiency, is another important thing to factor into a light purchase. A more efficient light may cost more at the time of purchase, but over the life of the product, your utility bill will be lower.
And the amount you save with a lower utility bill will far exceed any additional purchase cost. If you want to learn more about LED lumens and all that goes into them, we’ve summed it up nicely in this post.
How to choose the right fixture to meet the foot candle requirements
Now that you understand of what the foot candle levels might be for your project, how does that translate into buying the right fixture, or the right type of fixture? That’s where we can help. LED Lighting Supply provides two distinct services:
1. We provide free lighting plans.
2. We supply the lights for your project.
Determining the right light to produce the right amount of foot candles is not guesswork. We use industry-leading lighting plan software to calculate light levels within indoor and outdoor spaces to meet specific light levels the customer may have. Understanding foot candles is one thing. Picking the right fixture, the right number of fixtures, and achieving the right light levels with even, balanced, non-shadow lighting is another. That is why we provide lighting plans for our industrial and commercial end users, contractors, and electricians.
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About the Author
Cory Peterson is Director of Sales & Marketing 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.