Light Level Recommendations for Indoor and Outdoor Lighting
Use this guide to find the recommended amount of foot candles needed to properly illuminate outdoor spaces such as construction sites,
storage yards, bulletin boards, sports fields, and areas for vehicular traffic. A foot candle is equivalent to one lumen per square foot or 10.764 lux.
Outdoor Lighting Foot Candle Chart
| Outdoor Lighting Areas |
Recommended Foot Candles |
| Storage Yards: Inactive |
1 |
| Railroad Yard Switch Points |
2 |
| Shipyard |
5 |
| General Building Construction |
10 |
| Storage Yards: Active |
20 |
| BULLETIN BOARDS |
| Loading Platforms |
20 |
| Light Surfaces |
20‑50 |
| Dark Surfaces |
50‑100 |
| SPORTS |
| Playground |
5 |
| Basketball Court: Recreational |
10 |
| Baseball: Recreational |
10‑15 |
| Tennis Court: Club |
10‑15 |
| Basketball Court: High School |
30 |
| PARKING LOTS / VEHICULAR TRAFFIC |
| Low Activity |
1 |
| Medium Activity |
2 |
| High Activity |
2 |
| AIRPORTS |
| Terminal Apron / Parking |
0.5 |
| Hanger Aprons |
1 |
This indoor light level guide provides foot candle recommendations by room type based on typical room sizes in footcandles.
Indoor Lighting Level Foot Candle Chart
| Indoor Lighting Area |
Recommended Foot Candles |
| Corridors / Stairways / Restrooms |
10‑20 |
| Storage Rooms |
10‑50 |
| Conference Rooms |
20‑50 |
| Gymnasiums |
30‑50 |
| Merchandising |
30‑150 |
| Cafeterias |
50 |
| Classrooms |
50‑75 |
| General Offices |
50‑100 |
| Manufacturing Assembly |
50‑100 |
| Areas with Video Display Terminals (VDTs) |
75 |
| Drafting / Accounting |
100‑200 |
| Basketball Court‑Recreational |
10 |
| Basketball Court‑High School |
30 |
If your application is not listed, please contact our sales or visit a location
so we can assist you with your lighting needs.
Available Lighting Products
See Our Other Helpful Lighting Guides:
Warning: When using this information to perform electrical work, call a licensed electrician and consult the NEC® for safety.
All licensed electricians have passed examinations covering the National Electric Code®, know state and local building codes, and may carry insurance to cover damages.