Technical

LED Downlight Specifications Explained

Kitchen interior ceiling with downlights

LED Downlights are fast becoming the most popular general-purpose interior light fitting in Aussies’ homes. With a huge range of manufacturers and models available — all with different specifications and features — making an informed choice can feel overwhelming.

Living room with downlights on ceiling

You may know your lumens from your watts, but do you have a good grasp of lesser-known specifications like UGR, IC, and CRI ratings? How about integrated vs separate driver designs? In this guide, we’ll break down these and more features of LED downlights so that you can confidently choose the right product for your project.

An Introduction to LED Downlights

LED Downlights are a ceiling-mounted luminaire – popular for their versatility and efficiency. As the name suggests, they project a downward cone of light and can be used for both general area lighting and spotlighting.

As they’re small in size and easy to install, LED downlights are highly adaptable to different room sizes and layouts, and no matter the interior design and décor, their slim design makes them an easy choice for both homeowners and builders alike.

Lastly, LED lights are both long-lasting and energy efficient, saving money over time in reduced running and maintenance costs when compared to older lighting technologies like halogen or compact fluorescent.

Types of Downlights

The first thing to consider when choosing a downlight is the form-factor. There are three main styles of LED downlight:

1. Recessed Downlights

Recessed Downlights are the most common style of downlight. The main body of the light is recessed into the ceiling and the outer fascia is flush with the ceiling’s surface. The lens itself may be flush with the fascia or be further recessed into the housing.

AT9012 Recessed LED Downlight in White

2. Surface Mounted Downlights

Surface Mounted Downlights mount onto the ceiling surface and are ideal for circumstances where space in the ceiling cavity is minimal or non-existent. They can also be chosen as a stylistic preference when ceilings are high enough, and are commonly used as spotlights, for example over a kitchen bench.

AT9064 Surface Mounted LED Downlight in Black

3. Adjustable Downlights

Adjustable Downlights feature a pivot or gimbal fitting that allows the angle of the light to be changed. This can be used for more accurate spotlighting or to accommodate a raked or sloped ceiling.

AT9020 Adjustable Angle Downlight

Key Downlight Specifications

The following are the key technical specifications to understand when purchasing LED downlights. This information is almost always found on the box or in the product description online.

Wattage and Lumen Output

The brightness of a light is measured in lumens. While wattage correlates to light output, two downlights with the same wattage may have slightly different lumen ratings due to differences in the design and the efficiency of the components.

A lower wattage light with similar lumen output to a different model is preferred because it consumes less energy.

Colour Temperature

Example of the three main LED colour temperatures

Measured in Kelvin (e.g. 3000K), colour temperature refers to the perceived colour of the light emitted by the fixture, ranging from warm white to cool daylight. A switchable colour temperature is a desirable feature, as the downlight’s tone can be changed without needing to replace the entire fixture.

Beam Angle

Graphic comparing the beam angle of 4 common downlights at the height of a standard ceiling

The beam angle determines the spread of light, from broad and diffused to tight and focused. For standard-height ceilings, angles of 60 degrees and above are considered suitable for general area lighting and will help provide a soft, diffused light. For example, the popular general purpose LED Downlight, the Atom AT9039, features a 90-degree beam angle. Position these lights so that beams overlap, preventing obvious shadows. It’s worth noting that wider angle downlights can cause more glare as you are more likely to be looking directly at the light source.

Narrow beam angles (30 degrees or less) will concentrate the light to create more of a spotlight effect, with tighter angles required for spotlighting if ceilings are higher. Spotlights can be used to light up work areas and tables and to create dramatic contrast between light and shadow.

IP Rating

Ingress Protection (IP) Rating refers to how well a light fitting resists water and dust.

  • Low Protection (IP20): Suitable for dry interior spaces.
  • Moderate Protection (IP44): Resists splashing water, perfect for bathrooms, kitchens, and undercover outdoor areas.
  • High Protection (IP55+): Desirable for outdoor use.

Dimensions

It sounds obvious, but it’s important to take note of the amount of space available for the installation and choose accordingly.

When retrofitting LED downlights, you need to either choose a downlight that suits the existing cutout size, use an adaptor plate, or modify the existing cutout. The standard cutout size in homes in Australia is 90mm, with 70mm also common.

The amount of vertical clearance available above the ceiling is another important factor. Slim profile downlights are available for when ceiling space is limited.

Warranty Support

Reliability matters. Homeowners expect downlights to last several years, so choosing a reliable manufacturer with good warranty support can save potential headaches down the track. Downlights should have at least 3 years warranty and a hassle-free resolutions process.

Atom Lighting offers a 5-year VIP warranty, with 2 years in-home support for select products.

Other Important LED Downlight Specifications

The following are less commonly understood features of LED downlights, but they can be crucial in finding the right downlight for your project. Once you have the key details mentioned above sorted, consider the following:

IC Rating

Covered and Abutted LED Downlight

Insulation Contact (IC) Rating refers to whether a downlight can be safely installed in contact with ceiling insulation without risk of overheating or even fire. IC-4 (or IC-F) is the highest rating, and these luminaires can be in full contact with insulation (covered and abutted). This can make installation faster and easier and maintains the continuity of the ceiling insulation, reducing thermal losses from the home.

TA Rating – Maximum Ambient Temperature

TA Rating is a compliance standard that determines at what temperature a light was tested for its lifespan. The industry standard is 25°C, which as we know, is a lot cooler than common temperatures in Australian ceiling spaces! Atom Lighting tests its downlights at 40°C, ensuring they will go the distance in local conditions.

Rear label of Atom downlight showing TA Rating

This information may not always be on the packaging but can usually be found on the product label – laser etched on the downlight.

Dimmability

If fittings are intended to be used with a dimmer switch, the luminaires need to be dimmer compatible. Most residential downlights are designed for use with a phase-cut dimmer, but compatibility will depend greatly upon the brand and type of dimmer selected. Generally, Atom Lightings’ LED downlights are compatible with modern trailing-edge dimmers from leading brands.

Colour Rendering Index (CRI)

Colourful vegetables diced on a wooden chopping board

CRI is a scale between 0 and 100 that indicates how realistically colours will appear under the emitted light, with a CRI of 100 indicating perfect colour representation. A rating of 80 and above is desirable for areas like kitchens, offices, bathrooms, and wardrobes where accurate colours are important.

LED Lifetime

Many LED Downlights will list an estimated LED lifetime in hours. This is not the point at which the LED is expected to stop working entirely, but rather the point at which it is expected to have a reduced lumen output.

As heat is the biggest killer of LEDs, the temperature a light was tested at to determine its lifetime is important. This is the previously mentioned TA Rating and should be found in the product specifications.

Learn more about LED lifetimes here.

Unified Glare Rating (UGR)

Some downlights are designed with glare-reduction in mind and may list a UGR, for example, “UGR  < 19”. Features of low-glare downlights include recessed LED’s, diffuser lenses, and faceted reflectors. A natural consequence of a recessed LED design is a tighter beam angle. If this is not desirable, consider using a greater number of dimmer lights to reduce glare intensity, rather than fewer brighter ones.

Integrated or Separate Drivers

AT9029 TRI

The driver is the electronic componentry that controls the LED light and is either integrated into the light housing or contained in a separate inline unit. Drivers are responsible for controlling how much power gets to the luminaire and therefore controls dimming functions as well as normal, safe operation.

Firstly, it’s important to ensure that the downlights you purchase do come with an LED driver. While uncommon, some models may require a driver to be purchased separately and wired to the luminaire.

LED Downlight AT9039
Separate Driver Downlight

There are pros and cons to each design and the differences can be technical. Practically speaking, the following are some key differences between each style:

  • Installation: Integrated downlights can be simpler to install as everything is contained in one piece, whereas with a separate driver design, you may need to make accommodations for the driver’s location in the ceiling space.
  • Size: Integrated downlights are usually larger in size and may not be suitable in ceiling spaces with low clearances. A separate driver downlight, however, can be made very slim indeed.
  • Replaceability: Separate driver designs allow a faulty driver to be replaced without having to change the luminaire. This can prevent mismatched light fittings or needing to replace all downlights if the original model is no longer available. The driver may need to be changed if faulty or to change the dimming function, such as for a DALI system.
  • Quality: While not a rule, separate driver downlights tend to be higher specced than integrated downlight models. By separating the luminaire and driver, heat transfer between the parts is reduced which can improve luminaire stability over time.

Fire Ratings

Some LED Downlights are fire rated which means the luminaire has been designed to slow fire from reaching into the ceiling cavity and spreading between floors. Fire ratings often come into play in commercial building projects, multi-residential sites, and double-story homes.

Mastering Downlights for your Project

With LED downlights potentially lasting tens of thousands of hours, getting the choice right at the beginning is essential, and understanding some of these less commonly known features can make a big difference in performance and reliability.

Chances are, LED downlights will play a role in your next lighting project, so be sure to take a look at our range and get in touch with our team if you have any questions about our products.

Related products

AT9012 TRI

11W LED Downlight Tri-Colour Supplied With Dimmable Driver

$0.00

AT9039 Slim

7W LED Low Profile Downlight With Dimmable Integral Driver - Tri Colour

$0.00

AT9064

10W Dimmable LED surface mount downlight

$0.00

Helios – AT9095

7W LED low glare UGR<19 downlight -Tri-Colour

$0.00

Stay up to date. Join our mailing list