Lighting Level Recommendations

Lighting Level Recommendations uses uses published recommended illuminance levels for a multitude of tasks and facility types from the Illuminating Engineering Society to demonstrate how to light a room. Following are the current recommended Illuminance categories and Illuminance values for lighting design. A general light level guide for businesses, facility managers, etc. Individual applications will determine exact foot-candle levels. Please refer to the IES Lighting Handbook for more detailed evaluation. see What to Know Before Purchasing Commercial Industrial Lighting

The amount of light falling on a surface is “illuminance”, and is measured in lux (metric unit = lumen/m2) or foot-candles (English unit = lumen/ft2). 1 footcandle equals 10.8 lux. This is the measurement you’ll work with the most for optimizing visual comfort because building regulations and standards use illuminance to specify the minimum light levels for specific tasks and environments. Besides the quantity, lighting should also be evaluated in terms of it’s quality, i.e. freedom from glare, shadows and correct distribution.

From Wikipedia “A foot-candle is a unit of illuminance or light intensity widely used in the lighting industry. The name “footcandle” conveys “the illuminance cast on a surface by a one-candela source one foot away.”