How to Choose the Best High Bay LED Lights for Your Space

High bay LED lights are designed for ceilings 15–40 feet high, offering reliable and energy-efficient illumination for large areas. They focus light more directly, creating strong, long-range illumination, and are ideal for use in large indoor spaces like warehouses, gymnasiums, aircraft hangars, and manufacturing plants. Selecting the right fixture is paramount to meeting your facility's lighting requirements. These steps will walk you through the factors you need to consider when selecting a high bay fixture for your space.

1. Comparing Fixture Types: UFO vs. Linear High Bay Lights

High bay LED lights come in two main styles:

• UFO High Bay Lights: These have a circular, compact design. They are ideal for open areas like warehouses and factories where light needs to be concentrated downward.
• Linear High Bay Lights: These rectangular, elongated lights are perfect for aisles, retail spaces, or assembly lines where even, widespread light is required.

2. Matching Mounting Height to Lumen Output

The height of your ceiling determines the required lumen output for effective illumination:

• 10–20 ft ceilings: choose fixtures with 10,000–15,000 lumens. 120-degree beam angle will work best.
• 20–30 ft ceilings: choose fixtures with 20,000-30,000 lumens. 90 - 120 degree beam angle would be a good choice
• 30+ ft ceiling: choose fixtures 30,000+ lumens, and consider a tighter beam angle.

3. Beam Angle Selection

The beam angle determines how light is distributed:

• 60°–90°:  Focused, narrow beam angles are best for tall ceilings or tasks requiring concentrated lighting.
• 120°:  Wide beam angles provide even light distribution for shorter ceilings or open spaces.

4. Determining Foot Candle Needs

Commercial and industrial areas have specific lighting requirements:

• Warehouse Lighting/storage: 20–30 foot candles.
• Manufacturing/assembly lines: 50–100 foot candles.
• Aircraft Hangars: 30–80 foot candles.
• Gymnasiums: 50–80 foot candles.
• Cold Storage and Freezers: 20–30 foot candles
• Distribution Centers: 30–50 foot candles
• Auto Repair Shops and Garages: 50–100 foot candles
• Sports Arenas and Recreation Centers: 70–100 foot candles
• Industrial Inspection Areas: 100–150 foot candles
• Food Processing Facilities: 50–100 foot candles

These requirements help guide your choice of fixtures based on lumen output and beam angle.

5. Color Temperature

Choose a color temperature that suits your space:

• 4000K (Neutral White): Balanced and comfortable lighting for retail or general spaces. These are an excellent choice for replacing fluorescent lighting.
• 5000K (Daylight): Crisp, bright light for industrial applications and areas requiring excellent visibility. A good choice for replacing metal halide lighting.

6. Voltage Compatibility

The high bay LED fixtures on our page support:

• 120–277V: Standard voltage suitable for most applications.
• 277–480V: High-voltage options for industrial or larger commercial spaces.

7. Durability and Environmental Resistance

For challenging environments, ensure the fixture meets the following standards:

• Ingress Protection (IP) Ratings: IP65 to IP69K protects against dust and water, suitable for demanding environments.
• Impact Resistance (IK Ratings): IK01 to IK10 ensures fixtures withstand physical impacts in high-traffic industrial settings.

8. Energy Efficiency and ROI

All LED Lighting Supply high bay lights listed on our page are:

• Highly energy-efficient, offering long lifespans (50,000+ hours) to reduce maintenance costs.
• Designed to maximize lumens-per-watt performance, lowering energy bills with lower energy consumption.
• DLC-certified for potential rebates and compliance with energy-saving initiatives.
• energy savings and lower utility bills

Energy savings between 50-90% are available when converting to LED from fluorescent and metal halide lighting and utilizing built-in controls like motion sensors.

9. Control Options for Advanced Efficiency

Some fixtures offer features like:

• Dimmable Options: Adjust brightness levels to match tasks or reduce energy use during downtime.
• Motion Sensors: Automatically turn lights on and off based on activity in the area.

These options enhance energy efficiency and extend fixture lifespans.

10. LED Lighting Supply Adjustable LED High Bays

Some of the fixtures we offer are adjustable so you can configure them on site. We offer these adjustments on some of the high bays above

• Color Adjustable: Select the color temperature you want.
• Adjustable Wattage: Select the lumen output you want and the desired brightness.
• Beam Angle Adjustable: Select the beam angle that works best for your space.

Why Choose Us? Let Us Create Your Custom Lighting Plan

With over 17 years of experience in commercial and industrial lighting, we know how to create optimized lighting solutions for any application. If you’re unsure about the best choice for your space, we’re here to help.

What Our Custom Lighting Plan Offers

• Analyzing your space, mounting heights, and lighting requirements.
• Recommending the best high bay lights for your needs.
• Designing a detailed lighting layout to ensure even, effective coverage while reducing shadows.
• Providing expert advice to fit your budget and maximize energy efficiency.

By choosing our expertise, you’ll eliminate all the guesswork and get a lighting solution that works perfectly for your application. Contact us today to get started!

What are the Benefits of using LED Lighting Supply High Bay Lighting?

• Long Life: LED Lighting Supply high bay lights provide years of maintenance-free life without bulb or ballast changes reducing or eliminating maintenance costs
• Energy Efficiency and Reduced Energy Bills: Using LED Lighting Supply high bays, you can expect to reduce your energy costs and lighting bills by 50% to 75% with lower energy consumption versus traditional lighting. And if you add motion sensors, you can expect even more savings.
• Controls Ready: Many of our high bay lights are motion sensor ready. This allows you to dim / turn off a high bay when the area is void of activity and movement.
• Quick Pay Back / ROI: LED Lighting Supply LED high bays will provide energy savings and create a short ROI over conventional light sources. And the higher the utility cost per kWh, the faster the payback.
• Environmental Impact: There are no harsh chemicals like mercury in our LED high bays. So while you should properly dispose of them at the end of life, there are no costly charges like there are with fluorescent lighting.
• Safer Areas: Our LED lights are reliable and produce high-quality lighting for a long period compared to metal halide and fluorescent lighting. It keeps the areas lit by LED high bays safer and well-lit.
• Instant On: Our LED High Bay Lights turn to 100% the moment you hit the light switch.
• Impact Ready: We offer IK-rated high-impact LED High Bays that excel in durability and withstanding tough environments.
• High-Quality Color Rendering Light Source: all our lights are 70 CRI or better.
• Easy to install: There is nothing difficult about installing and wiring LED Lighting Supply high bay lights. All instructions are included. And we're ready to answer any question you may have.
• Certified and Tested: LED Lighting Supply high bays are either UL or ETL Listed. Many are DLC Listed for rebates.

Need Help? Talk to an LED High Bay Expert.

With so many options and fixtures available, it's hard to decide what option is going to meet your needs and requirements. The sales engineers of LED Lighting Supply are experts in High Bay Lighting. Use our experience and tell us your needs, and we will provide you with the best LED High Bay lighting options for your project or application. We can provide you with a free lighting plan to make sure the area is well-lit and the lighting is balanced.

Completed Commercial Lighting and Industrial Lighting Projects using LED Lighting Supply High Bay LED Lights

High Bay LED Lights FAQ

What Are High Bay LED Lights?

LED High Bays are ceiling-mounted LED Fixtures designed to light up large interior spaces, like warehouses, gyms, and aircraft hangars. Ideally, they are mounted 20 feet or higher.

What are the Different Types of LED High Bay Lights?

There are two main types: UFO and linear. UFOs are round, small fixtures that are a good replacement for metal halide high bays. Linears are larger, rectangular fixtures that are a good replacement for fluorescent high bays.

What are the Benefits of LED High Bay Lighting?

• Long Life: Years of maintenance-free life without bulb or ballast changes reducing or eliminating maintenance costs
• Energy Efficiency and Reduced Energy Bills: You can expect to reduce your energy costs and lighting bills by 50% to 75% with lower energy consumption versus traditional lighting. And if you add motion sensors, you can expect even more savings.
• Controls Ready: Motion sensors, used alongside dimmable LED lights, can turn the lights to full power when motion is detected and off / dimmed when the area is void of movement.
• Quick Pay Back / ROI: The savings in energy will create a short ROI. And the higher the utility cost per kWh, the faster the payback.
• Environmental Impact: There are no harsh chemicals like mercury in LED high bays. So while you should properly dispose of them at the end of life, there are no costly charges like there are with fluorescent lighting.
• Safer Areas: LED lights are reliable and produce high-quality lighting for a long period compared to metal halide and fluorescent lighting. It keeps the areas lit by LED high bays safer and well-lit.
• Instant On: LED Lights turn to 100% the moment you hit the light switch.
• Impact Ready: We offer IK-rated high-impact LED High Bays that excel in durability and withstanding tough environments.
• High-Quality Color Rendering Light Source: all our lights are 70 CRI or better.
• Easy to install: There is nothing difficult about installing and wiring our high bay lights for new installations or replacing old high bays. All instructions are included.
• Certified and Tested: Our LED high bays are either UL or ETL Listed. Many are DLC Listed for rebates.

What Are Some Common Applications for High Bay LED Lights?

These rugged LED High Bay Lighting fixtures can be used in many applications like:

Warehouse Lighting Manufacturing Facilities Factories Auditoriums Auto Body Shops and Work Shops Car Washes

Gymnasiums Indoor Sports Fields and Dome Industrial Facilities and Food Processing Plants Machine Shops Retail Stores Parking Garages

What Are the Key Differences Between High Bay vs Low Bay Lighting?

The fixtures look very similar but there is one key difference: low bay lights are low-power versions of high bay lights. Secondly, you should only install low bay lights with ceiling heights below 20 feet and high bay lights above 20 feet ceiling heights.

How Much Energy Can You Save with Energy Saving High Bay Lighting?

You can expect to save 50% when converting from metal halide or fluorescent lighting. If you add motion sensors, you can expect to save up to 90% in areas where motion is less common.

What Is the Coverage Area for High Bay Lights?

It depends on power, lumens, beam angle, and mounting height. The best way to determine the light coverage of a high bay light is to create a lighting plan. The lighting plan will determine the perfect fixture to get the coverage you need.

Which High Bay Is Better: Round or Square?

The shape of the LED fixture is not important in determining which may be better. Focus on the quality of light, reliability, and dependability of the fixture, the warranty, and the trustworthiness of the supplier.

Are High Bay Lights Waterproof?

Some are, but not all. Our LED UFO fixtures on this page are IP-rated with a rating of IP65 or higher. Our linear fixtures are not IP-rated and should not be used in wet locations where waterproof lighting is needed.

What Color Temperature Is Best for High Bay LED Lights?

Our primary recommendation is 5000K, and a good second option is 4000K. We also recommend color-adjustable high bays that allow you to select and customize the color temperature you want.

What Is the Typical Lifespan of High Bay LED Lights?

The high bays on this page will easily last for 50,000 hours or more. If you use high bays 12 hours a day, 365 days a year, that equals 4380 hours of use per year. Over 50,000 hours, that's 11.5 years of expected life.

Do High Bay LED Lights Get Hot?

While LEDs are far more efficient than other types of lighting, they do produce some heat. Most of the energy consumed by LED lights is converted into light. Most of the LED high bay lights we sell will get 'warm to the touch', while others will get a little hotter. However, none will get as hot as a metal halide light that could burn you if touched.

What's the Recommended Mounting Height for a High Bay fixture?

Any ceiling with a height of 20 feet or higher is perfect for these fixtures. For high ceilings (> 30 feet), you might need a more powerful high bay or consider using a tighter beam angle (60 or 90 degrees.

What Type of LED Is the Best Replacement for a Metal Halide High Bay?

UFO LED Lights are the best one-for-one replacement for metal halide high bays. They can easily replace any metal halide wattage from 250 Watts to 2000 Watts and provide energy savings of 50% or greater.

What Type of LED Is the Best Replacement for a Fluorescent T5 / T8 High Bay?

Linear LED High Bays to match the style of fluorescent high bays. They are rectangular. These lights can easily replace any fluorescent high bay one-for-one and provide better lighting without the need to replace any bulbs or ballasts. LED lights have the added benefit of not flickering and not humming.

What Types of Controls are Commonly Used on LED High Bays?

The most common type of control is motion sensors. They will turn the LED High Bay to full power when motion is detected, and dim the High Bay when the area is void of motion.

What are Wattage Adjustable and Color Adjustable LED High Bay Lights?

These lights have onboard toggle switches that allow you to select the light output and the color temperature. This takes the guesswork and risk out of selecting the right power and color temperature.

What are Commercial Grade and Industrial Grade LED High Bays?

Our High Bays are designed to last a long time. The wattages offered range from 100 Watts to 600 Watts. They have larger heat sinks, reliable drivers, and more LED Chips driven below max capacity. But this also means they cost a bit more because there is just more material used in making the high bay. Our commercial and industrial customers want reliability, dependability, and quality. That's why we stay away from offering the ultra-cheap high bays. And if one of our high bays has an issue, we're here to help.

How Do You Wire LED High Bay Fixtures?

Most of our LED High Bays are equipped with a whip/cord. Our customers usually hard wire out lights into a junction box, or install a plug that allows them to use an existing socket. A qualified electrician will easily be able to install our high bays using either approach.

How Do You Hang High Bay Lights?

Eye Hook: Common on UFOs, these allow you to hang or suspend the UFO from the same mounting like metal halide lights.
Chain or cable: This allows you to hang the high bays from chains or cables attached to the ceiling. Common in linear panel high bays.
Pendant: Suspending the lights from a rigid pendant or rod attached to a junction box mounted on the ceiling.
Surface: Directly mounting the lights to the ceiling. The best option for low-ceiling applications.
Yoke: Attach the lights to yoke brackets or mounting arms installed on the ceiling or walls.

How Can I Purchase Your LED High Bays?

Many of our high bays are available to purchase online, however, we are also here to help and guide you if you have questions or specific needs. We would be more than happy to provide a free lighting plan so you can see how well our lights will work in your space.