Recommended lux levels for rooms, and how many lights you need
A lux is one lumen of light falling on one square metre. The recommended lux level for a room is the average light needed on its working surface for the task done there: about 500 lux for an office desk or a classroom, 300 lux for a kitchen or a study, 150–200 lux for living and dining rooms, and 100 lux for bedrooms and corridors.
Lux level table
These are the maintained averages CivilOS's lighting designer works to — the same table, from the same code, so a design made there meets the numbers on this page. U0 is the uniformity (minimum ÷ average); UGR is the glare limit where the standard sets one.
| Room | Average (Ēm) | Uniformity U0 | Glare (UGR) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living / drawing room | 150 lux | 0.4 | — | IS 3646-1 · NBC 2016 Pt 8 (home, general) |
| Dining | 200 lux | 0.4 | — | IS 3646-1 · NBC 2016 Pt 8 (home, general) |
| Master bedroom | 100 lux | 0.4 | — | IS 3646-1 · NBC 2016 Pt 8 (home, general) |
| Bedroom | 100 lux | 0.4 | — | IS 3646-1 · NBC 2016 Pt 8 (home, general) |
| Kitchen | 300 lux | 0.6 | — | IS 3646-1 · NBC 2016 Pt 8 (home kitchen) |
| Toilet / bath | 200 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 25 | EN 12464-1:2021 (toilets) |
| Corridor / passage | 100 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 28 | EN 12464-1:2021 (corridors) |
| Staircase | 150 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 25 | EN 12464-1:2021 (stairs) |
| Store | 100 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 25 | EN 12464-1:2021 (store rooms) |
| Pooja room | 150 lux | 0.4 | — | IS 3646-1 (home, general) |
| Study | 300 lux | 0.6 | ≤ 19 | IS 3646-1 · NBC 2016 Pt 8 (study) |
| Office (writing, screen work) | 500 lux | 0.6 | ≤ 19 | EN 12464-1:2021 (offices) |
| Meeting / conference | 500 lux | 0.6 | ≤ 19 | EN 12464-1:2021 (conference rooms) |
| Classroom | 500 lux | 0.6 | ≤ 19 | EN 12464-1:2021 (classrooms) |
| Reception / lobby | 200 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 22 | EN 12464-1:2021 (entrance halls) |
| Shop / sales area | 300 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 22 | EN 12464-1:2021 (retail) |
| Utility / wash area | 200 lux | 0.4 | — | IS 3646-1 (laundry) |
| Parking (covered) | 75 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 25 | EN 12464-1:2021 (car parks) |
| Balcony / sit-out | 50 lux | 0.25 | — | design target |
| Warehouse / workshop | 200 lux | 0.4 | ≤ 25 | EN 12464-1:2021 (stores, general) |
How many lights does a room need? The lumen method
For a quick count, the lumen method gives the number of fittings:
N = (E × A) ÷ (Φ × UF × MF)
- E — the lux level you need
- A — the floor area in m²
- Φ — the lumens of one fitting (from its label)
- UF — utilisation factor, the share of light that reaches the working plane (about 0.5–0.7 for an ordinary room with light walls)
- MF — maintenance factor for dirt and lamp ageing (0.8 is typical indoors)
Example: an office 6 m × 5 m = 30 m², needing 500 lux, with 3,600-lumen panels, UF 0.6, MF 0.8:
N = (500 × 30) ÷ (3,600 × 0.6 × 0.8) = 8.7 → 9 panels, laid out evenly.
Why the average is not the whole story
A room can reach its average and still be badly lit: bright under the fittings and dim between them, or glaring at a screen. That is why the standards also set a uniformity (the minimum should be at least 0.4–0.6 of the average) and a glare limit. The lumen method cannot check either; a point-by-point calculation can.
CivilOS's Lighting & Lux calculates every room point by point, adds the light reflected off the walls, checks lux, uniformity and glare against this table, can light every room to standard with the fewest watts, and prints a lux report.
Calculate lux in CivilOS →Frequently asked questions
What is the recommended lux level for an office?
500 lux maintained average on the desk for writing and screen work, with a uniformity of at least 0.6 and a glare rating (UGR) of 19 or less, per EN 12464-1:2021.
What is the lux level for a bedroom?
About 100 lux general lighting, with brighter local light for reading. Living rooms are around 150 lux, kitchens 300 lux.
What is the lux level for a classroom?
500 lux on the desks, uniformity 0.6 and UGR 19, per EN 12464-1:2021.
How do I calculate the number of lights for a room?
Use the lumen method: N = (lux needed × area) ÷ (lumens per fitting × utilisation factor × maintenance factor). For a 30 m² office at 500 lux with 3,600 lm panels, UF 0.6 and MF 0.8, that is 9 panels.