The Different Types of High Bay Commercial Lighting

High bay lights are one of the most common commercial lighting choices because of their brightness and variety in beam angles. High bays are fixtures specifically for taller ceilings, typically with heights of 12 to 45 feet. Their lumen count, or light intensity, is high enough to disperse light over long distances.

In the past, fluorescent and incandescent bulbs were the standard for high bay fixtures. Now, most bay lights are LED retrofits for outdated and inefficient lamps.

Why LEDs?

LED high bay lights are some of the best options for commercial and industrial lighting on the current market. LED technology is superior to traditional incandescent and fluorescent bulbs for many reasons, such as:

Low-Cost Operation and Maintenance. Because LED bulbs are energy efficient, they draw less power than other bulbs to produce the same amount of light. By using less electricity, they cost less to operate and waste less energy, lowering utility costs.
Long Lasting. LED bulbs have more than 50,000 hours of life, which can be up to forty times longer than their traditional counterparts. Replacing or fixing high bay lights often requires special equipment to access them, like scaffolding and hydraulic lifts. But, the long lifespan of LED bulbs reduces the need for frequent maintenance and lowers or eliminates high repair costs.
Light Quality. Lighting manufacturers use various metrics such as color temperature and lumen-to-watt output to determine light performance. Compared to incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, LEDs have the highest performance. Their color rendering index and light efficiency make their quality of light truer and brighter than other bulbs.

Different varieties of LED high bay lights are suitable for both commercial and industrial applications. Some of the main variations include UFO, linear, and vapor tight fixtures.

UFO High Bay

UFO high bay lights are named as such because of their round, saucer-like shape. They provide circular, widespread illumination with beam angles ranging from 90 to 120 degrees. Lower beam angles are better for ceilings over 20 feet because a more concentrated beam can reach the floor from such heights. High bay lights with wider beam angles are better for lower ceilings between 12 and 20 feet.

UFO LED light fixtures are the easiest to install because they only need to hang or mount from one point. They work best in open areas like factories, warehouses, retail stores, and hangars. You may also see some UFO LED high bays in large restaurants that light individual tables.

Linear High Bay

Linear high bay LED lights are fixtures with long, vertical lamps that provide rectangular lighting. They are most common in open spaces with lots of aisles or shelving, like grocery stores and warehouses.

The purpose of linear lighting is to light long stretches of space without gaps between fixtures. Circular high bay lights often leave shadows on the ground between each beam, which can hinder efficiency and safety in a space. Linear high bay lights combat this issue by preventing these gaps with elongated light.

The standard beam angle for linear high bay lights is 120 degrees, which provides a wide wash of light. This allows their spacing to be further apart, and requires less fixtures overall to illuminate a large space.

Linear LED high bays have various mounting capabilities, such as flush-mount and suspended. Flush-mount fixtures mount directly to the ceiling, while suspended fixtures hang from the ceiling via chains or cables. Suspended mounts work best in spaces with unfinished ceilings or an open, industrial aesthetic.

Vapor Tight High Bay

Vapor tight high bay lights, also called “wet location” fixtures, are light fixtures designed to withstand harsh conditions. They are sealed and gasketed to protect their bulbs and wiring from water, dust, fumes, corrosion, and other harmful elements.

Vapor tight fixtures come in many varieties, with both UFO and linear shapes and sizes. The only thing that separates them from normal UFO and linear high bays is their specially designed durable structures.

Vapor tight LED fixtures are ideal for outdoor spaces that have a lot of exposure to dirt and moisture. They are also great for indoor spaces like factories or food processing plants where exposure to chemicals or fumes is high. Other spaces like car washes, parking garages, and swimming pools are where you might see vapor tight light fixtures installed.

How to choose high bay lights

When choosing high bay lights, the four main factors to look at are wattage, lumens, spacing, and beam angle.

Wattage

When replacing metal halide bulbs with LEDs, it's important to know that there is a difference in wattage equivalents. LEDs are more efficient than metal halide bulbs, so they use less watts to produce the same amount of light. The lower the wattage, the less power the bulb is going to use.

For most LEDs, they save roughly 70% of the energy metal halides use. So, for a 400W metal halide bulb, the LED equivalent would be a 120W LED bulb, a 750W metal halide would equate to a 250W LED, and so on.

LED high bay lights have 100 watts or more, otherwise they are classified as low bay lights. So to keep utility costs low, choose high bay bulbs that are closer to that lower-end threshold.

Lumens

However, regardless of wattage, the lumens determine the true brightness of your light. If the lumen count is too low, you will not have adequate lighting in your space.

The general rules to follow for lumen count according to ceiling height are:

10-15 foot ceiling: 10,000 to 15,000 lumens
15-20 foot ceiling: 16,000 to 20,000 lumens
25-35 foot ceiling: about 33,000 lumens

Spacing

Spacing is also an important factor to consider when choosing commercial lighting. Different ceiling heights allow for different spacing and light distribution. Higher fixtures cover a larger area but provide less direct light.

With 15-foot ceilings, high bay lights should be no more than 15 feet apart to ensure there are no dark spots.
For 20-foot ceilings, 15-18 feet of space in between each fixture is ideal for even lighting.
30-foot ceilings can have lights 20 to 25 feet apart and still get bright illumination.

Beam Angle

Beam angle determines how widespread the bulb's illumination is. The lower the ceiling, the wider the beam angle can be. The higher the ceiling, the more narrow the beam angle can be. Beam angle degree measurements are better summarized in different lighting categories.

Spot: 5 to 18 degrees
Narrow: 18 to 30 degrees
Narrow Flood: 30 to 60 degrees
Flood: 60 to 90 degrees
Wide Flood: 90 to 120 degrees

Different high bay lights can fall into any of these categories. The most common beam angles for high bay lights are 60 degrees, 90 degrees, and 120 degrees. This is because most spaces that use high bay lighting need wide washes of light rather than direct, concentrated spot lighting.

For a more detailed guide on how to choose commercial lighting for your space, check out our Commercial Lighting Guide.