Which LED High Bay Do I Need? Wattage, Number and Type by Ceiling Height
Which LED high bay fits your hall? A quick answer by mounting height, a table to estimate the number of luminaires, worked examples from real projects and current prices.
Short answer: choose the wattage by mounting height and the number by floor area and required lux. As a rule: 100W at 4–6 m, 150W at 6–8 m, 150–200W at 8–10 m and 200–240W at 10–12 m. For a workshop at 300 lux you need roughly one 150W high bay per 35 m² of floor. Round UFO high bays suit open halls; linear high bays suit racking aisles. Below you find the table, the quick calculation, real examples and the matching luminaires.
- Wattage follows mounting height: 100W (4–6 m), 150W (6–8 m), 150–200W (8–10 m), 200–240W (10–12 m).
- Number follows floor area × required lux. Storage: 150–300 lux. Workshop and production: 300–500 lux. Fine work and inspection: 750 lux.
- Type: UFO for open floors, linear for aisles between high racks, anti-glare (UGR<21) near screens or in sports halls.
- Price: a 150W high bay with Philips driver costs from €59.35, a 200W from €72.55 (incl. VAT).
- For a binding layout: send your floor plan for a free light study.
1. Which wattage for which mounting height?
The higher the luminaire hangs, the more light is lost before it reaches the floor. That is why the wattage, and with it the luminous flux, rises with the mounting height. The beam angle becomes narrower as the height increases, so that the light stays concentrated on the floor instead of on the walls.
| Mounting height | Wattage | Luminous flux (approx.) | Beam angle | Typical spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–6 m | 100 W | 15,000 lm | 120° | 4–6 m |
| 6–8 m | 150 W | 22,500 lm | 90° or 120° | 5–7 m |
| 8–10 m | 150–200 W | 22,500–30,000 lm | 90° | 6–8 m |
| 10–12 m | 200–240 W | 30,000–36,000 lm | 60° or 90° | 7–9 m |
| above 12 m | 240 W or more | 36,000 lm + | 60° | light study recommended |
Below about 4 m, high bays are usually too powerful and too glaring. There, LED tri-proof lights or light lines are the better choice; see LED Tri-Proof Lights. More about beam angles: LED Beam Angle Explained.
2. How many high bays do I need?
The number depends on how much light the work requires. The European workplace standard EN 12464-1 gives the minimum values; the full overview is in How Much Lux Do You Need?. With the table below you can estimate how many square metres one luminaire lights. The values include a maintenance factor of 0.8 and an average room utilisation of 0.6, so they are deliberately on the safe side.
| Luminaire | Storage (200 lux) | Workshop (300 lux) | Production (500 lux) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 W · 15,000 lm | 1 per 36 m² | 1 per 24 m² | 1 per 14 m² |
| 150 W · 22,500 lm | 1 per 54 m² | 1 per 36 m² | 1 per 22 m² |
| 200 W · 30,000 lm | 1 per 72 m² | 1 per 48 m² | 1 per 29 m² |
| 240 W · 36,000 lm | 1 per 86 m² | 1 per 58 m² | 1 per 35 m² |
Quick formula: number = (lux × floor area) ÷ (luminous flux × 0.8 × 0.6). Light walls, a white roof and an open floor need fewer luminaires; dark walls and high racking need more. A detailed calculation with spacing and maintenance factor is in Warehouse Lighting Calculation.
2.1 Worked example
A workshop of 30 × 20 m (600 m²), mounting height 7 m, target 300 lux. Mounting height 7 m → 150W. Table: 1 per 36 m² → 600 ÷ 36 = 16.7, so 17 luminaires. On a regular grid that becomes 3 rows of 6 = 18 high bays, about 5 m apart along the length and 6.7 m across. Cost with a 150W high bay with Philips driver: 18 × €59.35 = €1,068.30 incl. VAT.
3. Real halls: what was installed
These are halls we relit ourselves. They show which wattage was chosen at which height and what it delivered.
| Project | Use | Height | Luminaire | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I en Trans | Workshop | 6 m | 30 × 100 W | 500 lux |
| Distripond | Storage with racking | 6.5 m | 100 W | even light down to the bottom pallet |
| Gardendesign Bart Peters | Open hall, 800 m² | 7 m | 20 × 150 W | 1 luminaire per 40 m² |
| VS Rubber | Production | 8 m | 150 W | 510 lux |
| Willy Naessens | Storage hall | 8 m | 200 W | building materials on racking |
| Taura | Warehouse | 9 m | 100 W | 305 lux |
4. Which type of high bay?
| Your situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| Open floor, workshop, production | UFO or round high bay, 90° (120° at 4–7 m) |
| High racking with aisles under about 4 m | Linear high bay with an elongated optic, mounted along the aisle |
| Screens nearby, offices on a mezzanine, sports hall | Anti-glare high bay with UGR<21 |
| Zones that are often empty (storage, aisles) | High bay with motion sensor, saves an extra 30–60 % |
| Dimming or building management | Version with 1-10V, 0-10V or DALI |
| Explosive dust or gas | ATEX high bay; see Where to Buy ATEX LED Lighting |
The differences between round and linear are explained in UFO or Linear LED High Bay?. Replacing old 250W or 400W HQL and HQI lamps: see the wattage table in Replacing HQL, HQI and Sodium Lamps.
5. Current prices
| Luminaire | Wattage | Driver | Warranty | From (incl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LED High Bay 120°, 150 lm/W, 1-10V | 100 W | Philips | 5 years | €48.35 |
| LED High Bay 120°, 150 lm/W, 1-10V | 150 W | Philips | 5 years | €59.35 |
| LED High Bay 120°, 150 lm/W, 1-10V | 200 W | Philips | 5 years | €72.55 |
| LED High Bay 120°, 150 lm/W, 1-10V | 240 W | Philips | 5 years | €108.85 |
| LED UFO High Bay 90°, 1-10V | 150 W | Sosen | 5 years | €59.95 |
| Linear LED High Bay, 0-10V | 150 W | Sosen | 5 years | €81.35 |
Indicative prices incl. VAT; the product page shows the price for your country. Volume prices on request.
LED high bays by wattage
Frequently asked questions
Can I use fewer luminaires with a higher wattage?
Only up to a point. The total light output may be the same, but if the spacing becomes larger than about 1.2 times the mounting height, dark zones appear between the luminaires. Fewer, stronger high bays work at greater heights; at 5–7 m more luminaires with a lower wattage give more even light.
100W or 150W at 6 metres?
Both work. For storage at 200 lux, 100W is usually enough. For a workshop or production at 300–500 lux, 150W gives the same result with fewer luminaires. Example: 30 × 100W at 6 m gives 500 lux in the I en Trans hall.
Does racking change the choice?
Yes. High racks block light and create narrow aisles. Mount the luminaires above the aisles, not above the racks, and choose a linear high bay or a narrower beam angle so the light reaches the bottom pallet levels.
4000K or 6000K?
4000K is the standard for production and warehouses. 5000K suits inspection and quality control. 6000K is very cool and is mainly chosen out of personal preference; see LED Colour Temperature.
Do I need a light study?
For halls above about 500 m², with high racking or where a lux level must be proven, yes. We make a DIALux light study free of charge when you send the floor plan and mounting height.
What does an LED hall cost in total?
The luminaires for a hall of 600 m² at 300 lux cost around €1,100 incl. VAT. An overview per product type is in What Does LED Lighting Cost?.
Send us the floor area, mounting height and what happens in the hall. We calculate the number and type in a free light study and send a no-obligation quote at direct-import prices, 2–4× below comparable branded products. 5-year warranty.
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