Lighting a warehouse or workshop: sealed LED fixtures and floodlights

“I put two very powerful floodlights in the shed and now I see worse than before.” It happens, because the right light is not the strongest light: it is the light that reaches the bench without dazzling you. When you redo the lighting of a warehouse or a workshop, watts are the last thing to look at. First you decide how much light you need (lux), then how many lumens it takes to get it, and only at the end which fixture delivers it and with what degree of protection.

Vapour-tight fixture, batten or floodlight

The vapour-tight fixture for LED tubes is the classic solution for aisles, shelving and workshops: spread-out light, a closed body against dust and damp. The LED batten is more basic and suits dry, clean rooms such as storerooms or under-stair spaces. The wall-mounted LED floodlight lights one specific area: yard, loading area, façade.

The mistake behind that sentence is a typical one: floodlights, which have a narrow, intense beam, get used to light the inside. The result is dazzling spots and sharp shadows between one light and the next.

From our range, as shown on the online product pages:

• Plafoniere stagne per tubi LED: IP65, lengths 66.5, 126, 150 and 156 cm.
• Proiettori LED smile: aluminium, IP65, power ratings of 50, 100, 150 and 200 W, sizes from 190 x 186 x 29 mm to 400 x 325 x 32 mm.
• Proiettori LED: black aluminium, IP65, power ratings of 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 and 200 W.

How much light you need: the lux levels in UNI EN 12464-1

The reference for indoor workplaces is UNI EN 12464-1 (2021 edition, “Light and lighting – Lighting of work places – Part 1: Indoor work places”). It measures light in lux, that is lumens per square metre on the work plane, and it asks for a maintained value: the average must not fall below that number during the whole life of the installation, with aged LEDs and dusty optics. For each activity the standard also gives a second value, called “modified”, to be used when the context calls for it (clause 5.3.3). For the rooms we are talking about, these are the starting values, with the standard’s table in brackets:

• Warehouse and storage (table 12): 100 lx (150 lx the modified value), 200 lx if someone works there continuously. Minimum uniformity 0.40.
• Aisles between racking (table 13): 150 lx on the floor (200 lx modified), uniformity 0.50; plus 75 lx (100 lx modified) on the face of the rack, on the aisle side.
• Loading and unloading: loading and unloading area 200 lx (300 lx modified, table 13); loading ramps and bays 150 lx (200 lx modified, table 9).
• Dispatch, packing and handling (table 12): 300 lx (500 lx modified), uniformity 0.60.
• Workshop, rough and medium machining (tolerances of 0.1 mm and above, table 26): 300 lx (500 lx modified).
• Fine machining (tolerances below 0.1 mm): 500 lx (750 lx modified). Scribing and inspection: 750 lx (1,000 lx modified).
• Assembly: rough 200 lx, medium 300 lx, fine 500 lx, precision 750 lx.

From lux to lumens: how many fixtures you need

Lux is the light that reaches the work plane; lumens (lm) are the light that leaves the fixture. The rough calculation is this:

total lumens = lux × square metres ÷ (utilisation factor × maintenance factor)

The utilisation factor tells you how much of the fixture’s light really reaches the work plane: it depends on the optics, the mounting height and how light the ceiling and walls are. The maintenance factor allows for the ageing of the LEDs and for dust on the optics. You find them on the manufacturer’s photometric data sheet, or whoever designs the installation estimates them.

To see how the formula works, assume 200 lx over 100 m², with a utilisation factor of 0.6 and a maintenance factor of 0.8. On the plane you need 200 × 100 = 20,000 lm; to install you need 20,000 ÷ (0.6 × 0.8), that is about 41,700 lm. Then divide by the lumens of a single fixture and round up. Those two factors are only assumptions of the example: in your room they will be different.

That is why fixtures are compared in lumens, not in watts: the watt tells you how much it consumes, not how much it lights, and at the same wattage two models can give different luminous flux. On our online product pages you find power, IP rating and size; ask for the lumens of the model you are interested in in your quote request.

The IP rating depends on the environment

In a dry warehouse very little is enough. In a workshop that gets washed down, in a cold room or under an exposed canopy, the fixture must be truly sealed. The IP rating (standard EN 60529) has two digits: the first says how well the fixture is protected against dust and solid objects, the second against water.

• IP65: dust-tight and protected against water jets (tested with a 6.3 mm nozzle, 12.5 litres per minute). Enough for occasional splashes and jets.
• IP66: dust-tight and protected against powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle, 100 litres per minute). It is the rating to ask for where the room is often washed with plenty of water.
• IP67: dust-tight and able to withstand temporary immersion (up to 1 m, for 30 minutes).

Be careful with pressure washers. The IP66 test uses a lot of water but at low pressure (100 kPa, that is 1 bar); the IPX9 test uses jets of 80-100 bar with water at 80 °C. The water tests do not add up, so an IP66 fixture is not automatically IPX9: if you wash with a high-pressure washer or hot water, the data sheet must state IPX9.

On our online product pages the sealed fixture for LED tubes, the Proiettori LED smile, the Proiettori LED, the Proiettore strike and the solar floodlight with detector are declared IP65. The Proiettore strike magnetic is IP54: it withstands splashes but not jets, so it is not for a washing area. If you need IP66 or higher, say so in your request.

The IP rating applies to the fixture installed as instructed: cover closed, gaskets in place and cable gland tightened on the right cable. A fixture with water inside often has a banal cause: the cable enters through a hole without a gasket, or the cable gland does not suit the diameter of the cable.

Where forklifts run and pallets are moved, also look at the IK rating (EN 62262), which measures resistance to impact: IK08 corresponds to an impact of 5 joules, IK10 to an impact of 20 joules. On our online product pages the IK rating is not stated: ask for it if you need it.

Colour temperature and glare

Cool light (white tending towards blue) helps you see details in the workshop and in the warehouse. Warm light is more restful but less suited to precision work. Colour temperature is measured in kelvin (K): the higher the number, the cooler the light. In a working environment keep the same colour temperature throughout the room: mixing them tires the eye.

Then there is the colour rendering index, Ra: the standard asks for at least 80 in the warehouse, in the packing area and in the workshop (60 only for rough assembly). The lower it is, the more distorted the colours look.

For glare the rule is common sense: the source must not sit in the field of view of the person working. The standard measures it with the UGR index and sets its maximum limit: 25 for warehouses and the packing area, 19 for precision work. A floodlight aimed low at the workstations is wrong, even if it “gives plenty of light”.

Removing the old fluorescent tubes

This needs care. T8 tubes are 60, 120 or 150 cm long, like the old 18, 36 and 58 W fluorescent tubes, so in size the LED tube fits the same fixture. What changes is the wiring, and it depends on the type of LED tube:

• With the existing ballast (“plug and play”): it goes in place of the fluorescent tube and the ballast stays in the circuit, so it keeps consuming. The tube manufacturer publishes a list of compatible ballasts: check it before you buy.
• Connected directly to the mains: the ballast is removed (and the starter is removed or bypassed) and the fixture is rewired. On a fixture like this it is worth putting on a label warning about the LED tube, so that nobody fits a different tube by mistake.
• With an external power supply (driver): the ballast is removed and the driver is installed, which must be chosen as a pair with the tube.

Read the instructions of the tube you buy carefully and, if you are not qualified, have an electrician do it: wrong wiring can damage the tube and create a risk of electric shock or fire. It is often better to replace the fixture itself with one already designed for LED tubes. When you choose it, check which tube length the size you picked can take.

Outdoors and areas with no mains supply

For yards and entrances you find floodlights with a motion sensor, useful where the light is only needed when someone passes, and solar floodlights for spots where running a cable costs too much. Solar works if the panel sees the sun: under a north-facing canopy it will never charge enough, and in winter or under overcast skies the running time is shorter. The Proiettore solare con rilevatore is 10 or 30 W, IP65.

Outdoors the reference standard is a different one, UNI EN 12464-2 (“Outdoor work places”). Among the mobile site floodlights, the Proiettore strike is 30 or 50 W, IP65; the Proiettore strike magnetic is 50 or 70 W, IP54, so it should be kept away from water jets.

What I need to know

• Size of the room and the height at which the lights will be mounted: they are needed for the lumen calculation.
• What work is done underneath: storage, packing, workshop, fine work. This gives the lux to reach.
• Environment: dry, damp, dusty, outdoors. If it is washed, with what kind of jet and what water: this gives the IP rating (IP65, IP66, IPX9).
• Whether forklifts pass or pallets are handled, for the IK rating.
• If you are replacing an existing installation, and what type of fixtures are there: tube length, ballast, how many light points.
• For outdoors: whether there is a mains supply or a solar solution is needed.

---

We stock these

A few items from the range we keep. If you cannot find the size or the model you need, just ask: what you see online is only part of what we can source for you.

Browse the whole category: Lamps