Choosing The Beam Angle For Your LED Bulbs
Posted by Richard Clarke on 12th Mar 2012
Choosing an LED light with the correct beam angle for a particular room is really easy when you know what you’re looking for, and can make all the difference when furnishing your home.
What Is A Beam Angle?
Let’s start off with the basics. A beam angle is simply a measurement, in degrees, that refers to the width at which light is emitted from a bulb. Most light bulbs rely on a series of reflective mirrors that are designed to control the direction and spread of light.
Beam angles can vary considerably because of the many types and styles of bulb available, but, for the sake of simplicity, most manufacturers divide their products into 2 categories – “spots” and “floods”.
Spots
Spots are light bulbs that have relatively narrow beam angles – typically between 45o and 60o. They create a circle of light, known as a hotspot, with a small diameter that remains very bright over long distances.
Spotlights should generally be used where light distribution needs to be restricted or when precision placement is required. A common use for spotlights is as feature lighting, where attention is focused on a particular object, like an ornament or picture.
It can also be used as powerful task lighting.
Some great examples of brilliant quality spotlights are our GU10 LED and MR16 LED ranges. They rely on small reflective mirrors to concentrate their light source into narrow 45o beam angles.
Floods
Light bulbs with wider beam angles – typically 90o and above – are referred to as floods. As the name suggests, these do the exact opposite of the spotlights we just looked at, and are supposed to ‘flood’ an area with an even distribution of light.
This makes them a far better option for general illumination, and can help soften the appearance of shadows. They work well in particularly open, or large rooms, as they can fill the area quite well.
Their wide beam angle also means they can be spaced further apart, thereby reducing the number of bulbs required to light a room.
SMD LED, LED flood lights, LED panel lights and LED strip lights are all great examples of products we sell that have wide beam angles, ranging from 120o to 180o.
Things You Should Consider
The type of bulb you choose depends on a number of factors. As we mentioned earlier, spots work great when you want to highlight a particular object or area, whereas floods are better suited to wider, larger rooms.
Another factor you should consider when picking a bulb is the height of your ceiling. For example, narrow beam angles or around 45o to 60o should be used in rooms with tall ceilings – anything over 2.4 metres.
Rooms with lower ceilings, less than 2.4 metres in height, would be better off with wide beam angle bulbs installed – anything above 90o should be sufficient.
Remember that the beam angle should always be stated in the product description or specifications. If you can’t find it, then get in touch, you can give our team a call on 0116 321 4120, or email us at cs@wled.co.uk.
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