LED Guides
LED Street Light Buying Guide: Lumens, Lux, CRI and IP Ratings Explained
9 February 2026 · 8 min read
Two quotations for the same wattage can differ by 40% in real light on the road. These are the specifications that actually separate them, and how to read them on a datasheet.
Lumens per watt is the efficiency number that matters
A credible outdoor LED street light today delivers 130–160 lumens per watt at the fixture, not at the chip. Datasheets that quote only chip efficacy hide driver and thermal losses of 10–15%.
Ask for the fixture lumen output and the LM-80 or LM-79 test basis. If a supplier cannot give you fixture lumens, they are quoting chips.
Design to lux, deliver on uniformity
Indian road lighting practice follows broad average lux targets by road class. Uniformity — the ratio of minimum to average lux — matters just as much, because dark patches between poles are what people actually notice.
- Residential lanes: 5–10 lux average
- Collector and colony roads: 10–15 lux average
- Main and arterial roads: 20–30 lux average
- Target uniformity of 0.4 or better on main roads
Colour temperature, CRI and glare
4000K neutral white is the sweet spot for Indian streets: it renders colours better than 6500K cool white and produces noticeably less glare and less sky glow, while still reading as bright.
For street lighting a CRI of 70 is sufficient; for campuses, hotels and commercial frontages, specify CRI 80 or above.
Protection: IP, IK and surge
IP66 is the correct minimum for street lighting in India — it means dust-tight and protected against powerful water jets, which matters during monsoon and pressure-cleaning. IP65 fixtures are acceptable indoors or under canopies only.
Specify 10kV surge protection as standard on pole-mounted fixtures, and 20kV where lines are overhead and lightning-prone.
- IP66 enclosure, IK08 impact resistance
- 10kV/20kV surge protection device
- Die-cast aluminium body for thermal management
- Driver accessible without cutting sealed gaskets
Frequently asked questions
How many lumens does a 100W LED street light give?
A good 100W LED street light delivers 13,000 to 16,000 fixture lumens, which corresponds to 130–160 lumens per watt.
Is 4000K or 6500K better for street lighting?
4000K neutral white is generally better: less glare, less sky glow and better colour rendering, with brightness that still reads as clear white on the road.
What does IP66 mean on a street light?
IP66 means the fixture is completely dust-tight and protected against high-pressure water jets from any direction — the right minimum for outdoor pole-mounted lighting in India.
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