The Education of LED Tube Lights

What length LED tube do I need?

But what length do you need? Some applications are more obvious than others. For example, if you're trying to replace your fluorescent tube in your desk lamp, you obviously don’t need an 8 foot LED tube. However, some applications are not so cut and dry. What size tube would you need for your garage? If you aren’t in a position to measure your current bulb, this table should help you have an idea of what length you may need.

	1 foot	2 feet	3 feet	4 feet	5 feet	6 feet	8 feet
Retail	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Commercial	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Office	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Desk Lamp	x
Reach in Cooler	x	x				x	x
Walk in refrigerator	x				x	x	x
Display	x
Accent Lighting	x				x	x	x
Special Projects	x				x	x	x
Under Cabinet	x	x
Cabinet	x
Light Boxes	x			x		x
Signage Boxes	x
Production Area	x	x					x
Car Park		x	x	x
Garage		x				x	x
Ceiling						x	x
Hallways						x	x
Railroad						x
Buses						x
Warehouses							x
Cubicles							x
Workbenches							x
Freezers		x			x		x
Vending Machines							x
Cove Lighting							x

What is the difference between a T5, T8, T10, and T12 tube?

You replace a T5 with a T5. But what does it all mean? What does T5 represent? The “T” stands for Tubular. The number that follows “T”, in this case being 5, represents the diameter of the tube. The diameter is measured in 1/8 of an inch. A T8 tube is 8/8 in diameter which is 1 inch. HomElectrical offers T5, T8, T10, and T12 tubes.

T2 = 2/8 = ¼ inch
T5 = 5/8 inch
T8 = 8/8 = 1 inch
T12 = 12/8 = 1 1/2 inch

Shop all LED Tubes

Are you interested in replacing your old fluorescent tubes with LED tubes? Check out LED Fluorescent Tube Replacement Guide

What is color temperature?

LED bulbs do not produce heat, therefore when we are talking about color temperature we are not talking about the actual temperature of the bulb, but instead the color that is being produced. The temperature is measured in Kelvin’s and represents the atmosphere you are trying to set.

Warm White

LED lights that fall between the temperatures 2700K and 3000K are your warmer/softer white lights. Perfect for hospitality environments.

Natural White

LED lights between 3500K – 4100K work well for kitchen and bathroom areas with its white color illumination.

Natural Daylight

LED lights with a temperature between 5000K – 6500K are best for commercial and industrial application because the light produced is closer to natural daylight.

Need help choosing the right light fixture for your building project or renovation? Check out our Commercial Lighting Application Guide for More Help!

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Falyn Eaden

Working as Project Management Officer at CORL Technologies and armed with a B.S. in English & Professional Communication and an M.S. in Cyber Security, Falyn works to create environments that protects and represents the world around us. He loves life, fast-paced environments, flag football, eating and exploring new things.