LED Lighting Layout Calculator | Commercial Indoor Lighting Plans

What is a Lighting Layout Calculator?

A lighting layout calculator / indoor lighting layout tool is a simple estimation tool that determines the number of lights you might need – provided that you know the size of your space, the foot-candle requirements, and the lumens developed by the fixture you would like to use.

How Accurate Will the Results Be if I Use a Light Layout Calculator?

The issue with simple light layout calculators is that they provide basic data: the number of fixtures you will need. They do not calculate or show where the lights should be located, the foot candle readings across the floor, or how balanced the lighting will be. This calculation does not take into account any optic that might be installed on the fixture, which will greatly affect the light balance.

So, the calculator should be used as a rough estimate tool, and not as a tool that you should make a final decision based on.

What is a LED Light Layout Calculator?

An Indoor LED Lighting Layout Calculator is a software tool that allows you to enter room dimensions, fixture count, and approximate foot candles you are hoping for and then calculate the number of fixtures you might need.  It’s a starting point.

A better option is to create a lighting plan for the indoor space. The lighting plan will also provide you with the number of fixtures, but it will also visually detail where the lights should be installed or located, how bright the light will be on the floor or work plane, how many feet from the floor they are, and how well-balanced the light will be across the entire space.

How does a LED Lighting Layout Calculator Differ from a Lighting Plan?

A lighting plan is a sophisticated tool designed to calculate light levels (foot candles or lux) within an area or space. It also provides light balance measurements that are a ratio of Average Foot candles /  Minimum Foot candles. Achieving proper light balance is as important as achieving proper light levels. For example, in a warehouse, a high bay lighting layout tool / lighting plan will show you light levels across the physical floor. The light balance calculation will ensure the light feels proper across the space as you walk it.

What will you be missing if you Just Use a LED Lighting Layout Calculator?

A lighting layout calculator is a confirmation, based on lumens, whether the fixture you are using will work and provide you a count of the fixtures you’ll need within the space to meet the foot candle requirements.

However, how the lighting is balanced will be different based on the optic used. A high bay with a 30-degree option mounted at 20 feet is going to provide less balanced light than the same high bay with a 120-degree optic.

A simple lighting calculator will not provide you with light balance calculations. A high bay light layout tool will provide you with this valuable information.

What Lighting Layout Tool Do You Use to Create Indoor Lighting Plans?

We use industry-leading software by Lighting Analysts and have several lighting plan design engineers trained in using the software.