Dec 31, 2025

How to Design Warehouse Lighting with LED UFO High Bay Lights？

Warehouses are the backbone of supply chains—they require lighting that’s not just bright, but strategically designed to support inventory management, picking efficiency, safety, and cost control. Poorly designed warehouse lighting leads to dark spots, glare, wasted energy, and reduced productivity—while the right design transforms operations. LED UFO High Bay Lights have become the gold standard for warehouse lighting, thanks to their compact design, directional illumination, and energy efficiency. But how do you design a warehouse lighting system with LED UFO high bays that meets your space’s unique needs?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the entire process of designing warehouse lighting with LED UFO high bay lights—from calculating lighting requirements to selecting fixtures, optimizing layout, and integrating smart controls. Whether you’re designing a new warehouse, retrofitting an existing space, or upgrading from traditional high bays, this article will help you create a lighting system that’s efficient, effective, and SEO-optimized for queries like “LED UFO High Bay warehouse lighting design,” “warehouse lighting layout LED UFO,” “UFO High Bay warehouse design guide,” and “LED warehouse lighting design tips.”

Core Principles of Warehouse Lighting Design with LED UFO High Bays

Before diving into the design process, it’s critical to align with key principles that ensure your lighting system delivers maximum value:

Brightness & Uniformity: Warehouse lighting must provide consistent lux levels (light intensity) across the entire floor—no dark corners or overlit “hot spots.” LED UFO high bays’ precision optics make this achievable.

Energy Efficiency: Warehouses operate 12–24 hours daily, so energy costs are a major expense. LED UFO high bays (130–180 lm/W) cut energy use by 50–80% vs. metal halide, a non-negotiable for design.

Safety & Compliance: OSHA requires minimum lux levels for warehouses (e.g., 20 lux for general storage, 50 lux for picking areas). LED UFO high bays’ low glare and high CRI (≥80) support compliance and reduce accidents.

Scalability & Flexibility: Warehouse layouts change (e.g., new shelving, expanded storage), so the lighting design should adapt easily—LED UFO high bays’ compact size and versatile mounting options enable this.

Low Maintenance: High-ceiling warehouses (15–40ft) make maintenance costly. LED UFO high bays’ 50,000–100,000-hour lifespan eliminates frequent replacements, a key design consideration.

These principles guide every step of the design process, ensuring your lighting system is both functional and cost-effective.

Step-by-Step Guide to Designing Warehouse Lighting with LED UFO High Bays

Designing warehouse lighting with LED UFO high bays requires a systematic approach—follow these 6 steps to get it right:

Step 1: Assess Your Warehouse’s Lighting Needs & Constraints

Start by documenting your warehouse’s unique characteristics and requirements—this foundational step ensures your design is tailored to your space:

Warehouse Dimensions: Measure total square footage, ceiling height (critical for LED UFO wattage selection), and layout (open floor, racking rows, aisles, workstations).

Operational Activities: Identify tasks performed in each zone—different activities require different lux levels:

Warehouse Zone	Recommended Lux Level	Key Activity
General Storage (racked)	20–50 lux	Inventory storage, occasional access
Picking Zones (case/piece)	100–200 lux	Order picking, barcode scanning
Packing/Shipping Areas	200–300 lux	Packaging, labeling, quality checks
Loading Docks	150–200 lux	Loading/unloading, safety-critical
Maintenance Areas	300–500 lux	Equipment repairs, detailed work

Existing Infrastructure: Note current lighting (if retrofitting), electrical capacity, mounting points (ceiling beams, trusses), and HVAC systems (LED UFO’s aerodynamic design avoids airflow disruption).

Environmental Factors: Is the warehouse dusty, humid, or exposed to temperature extremes? Choose LED UFO high bays with IP65+ weather resistance for durability.

Step 2: Calculate Required Lumens & Fixture Quantity

Once you know your lux needs, calculate how many LED UFO high bays you’ll need using the lumen method—a standard formula for lighting design:

Formula: Total Required Lumens = (Warehouse Area in sq. ft. × Target Lux × Maintenance Factor × Coefficient of Utilization) ÷ 10.764

(Note: 1 lux = 1 lumen/sq. meter; 1 sq. ft. = 0.0929 sq. meters, so divide by 10.764 to convert sq. ft. to sq. meters)

Maintenance Factor (MF): Accounts for lumen depreciation over time—use 0.8 for LED UFO high bays (they retain 70%+ brightness after 50,000 hours).

Coefficient of Utilization (CU): Measures how much light reaches the floor (vs. wasted on ceilings/walls)—for warehouses with high ceilings (15–40ft) and light-colored walls/ceilings, use 0.6–0.8 (LED UFO’s directional design boosts CU).

Example Calculation:

50,000 sq. ft. warehouse, 25ft ceiling, picking zone (150 lux target), MF=0.8, CU=0.7

Total Required Lumens = (50,000 × 150 × 0.8 × 0.7) ÷ 10.764 ≈ 380,860 lumens

If using 150W LED UFO high bays (33,000 lumens each):

Fixture Quantity = 380,860 ÷ 33,000 ≈ 12 fixtures (round up for uniformity)

Step 3: Select the Right LED UFO High Bay Fixtures for Your Warehouse

Not all LED UFO high bays are created equal—select fixtures that align with your design needs:

Wattage & Lumens: Match wattage to ceiling height (critical for reaching target lux):

15–20ft ceilings: 70–100W (14,000–21,000 lumens) – small warehouses, low racking.

20–30ft ceilings: 100–150W (21,000–33,000 lumens) – medium warehouses, picking zones.

30–40ft ceilings: 150–200W (33,000–42,000 lumens) – large warehouses, high racking.

Beam Angle: Choose based on zone type:

120° Wide Beam: Ideal for open floors and general storage—maximizes coverage (300–400 sq. ft./fixture).

90° Medium Beam: Perfect for aisles and targeted zones (e.g., conveyor belts)—reduces light spill and boosts intensity.

60° Narrow Beam: For very high ceilings (35+ft) or deep racking—focuses light downward to reach far floors.

Key Features:

CRI ≥ 80: Ensures true-to-life colors for barcode scanning and inventory accuracy.

DLC Certification: Qualifies for utility rebates (saves 10–30% on upfront costs).

Dimming/Motion Sensor Compatibility: Enables energy savings in low-traffic areas.

IP65+ Rating: Protects against dust and moisture (essential for industrial warehouses).

Step 4: Optimize LED UFO High Bay Layout for Uniformity

The layout of your LED UFO high bays directly impacts brightness uniformity—follow these best practices:

Mounting Height: Install fixtures at the recommended height for their wattage (e.g., 150W fixtures at 20–30ft). Avoid mounting too low (causes glare) or too high (wastes light).

Spacing Rule: Space fixtures 1.5–2x the mounting height apart. For example:

25ft mounting height → 37.5–50ft between fixtures.

This ensures overlapping light coverage, eliminating dark spots.

Aisle-Specific Layout: For warehouses with narrow aisles (8–12ft), install fixtures directly above aisles (not racking) with 90° beam angles—this directs light to the floor where it’s needed, not into racking gaps.

Edge Coverage: Place fixtures 5–10ft from warehouse walls to avoid dark edges—use wide-beam fixtures here to extend coverage.

3D Layout Tools: Use lighting design software (e.g., Dialux, AGi32) to simulate the layout—these tools show lux levels, uniformity, and glare, helping you adjust spacing before installation.

Step 5: Integrate Smart Controls to Boost Efficiency

LED UFO high bays’ compatibility with smart controls takes your design to the next level—reducing energy use by an additional 30–50%:

Motion Sensors: Install in low-traffic zones (e.g., back storage, unused aisles) to dim lights to 30% or turn them off when no motion is detected.

Dimming Systems: Use 0–10V or DALI dimming to adjust brightness for different tasks (e.g., 100 lux for night shifts, 200 lux for peak picking hours).

Lighting Management Systems (LMS): For large warehouses, use IoT-enabled LMS (e.g., Philips Signify, Lutron) to:

Schedule lighting (on/off based on shift times).

Monitor energy use and fixture performance.

Troubleshoot remotely (reduce maintenance downtime).

Daylight Harvesting: If your warehouse has skylights or windows, integrate photocells to dim LED UFO high bays when natural light is available—saves 15–25% on energy.

Step 6: Ensure Compliance & Leverage Rebates

Finalize your design by confirming compliance with safety standards and maximizing cost savings:

OSHA Compliance: Verify that all zones meet OSHA’s minimum lux requirements (check OSHA 1910.303 for details). LED UFO high bays’ uniform lighting makes compliance easy.

DLC Certification: Choose DLC Premium fixtures to qualify for utility rebates (

$10-$

30 per fixture). A 10-fixture project could earn

$100-$

300 in rebates.

Tax Incentives: Take advantage of the federal 179D tax deduction (up to $1.80/sq. ft.) for energy-efficient commercial lighting—LED UFO high bays qualify.

Local Codes: Check for regional requirements (e.g., California’s Title 24, New York’s NYSERDA standards) to avoid design revisions.

Real-World Warehouse Lighting Design Example with LED UFO High Bays

Let’s apply the above steps to a real-world scenario: a 75,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Texas with 28ft ceilings, 10ft-wide aisles, and the following zones:

General Storage (50,000 sq. ft.): 50 lux target.

Picking Zones (20,000 sq. ft.): 150 lux target.

Packing Area (5,000 sq. ft.): 250 lux target.

Design Solution:

Fixture Selection:

General Storage: 100W LED UFO High Bays (21,000 lumens, 120° beam, IP65, DLC Premium).

Picking Zones: 150W LED UFO High Bays (33,000 lumens, 90° beam, IP65, DLC Premium).

Packing Area: 150W LED UFO High Bays (33,000 lumens, 90° beam, CRI 90, dimmable).

Fixture Quantity Calculation:

General Storage: (50,000 × 50 × 0.8 × 0.7) ÷ 10.764 ÷ 21,000 ≈ 12 fixtures.

Picking Zones: (20,000 × 150 × 0.8 × 0.7) ÷ 10.764 ÷ 33,000 ≈ 6 fixtures.

Packing Area: (5,000 × 250 × 0.8 × 0.7) ÷ 10.764 ÷ 33,000 ≈ 2 fixtures.

Layout:

General Storage: 12 fixtures spaced 40ft apart (2x 20ft mounting height), 8ft from walls.

Picking Zones: 6 fixtures above aisles, 35ft apart (1.5x 23ft mounting height).

Packing Area: 2 fixtures centered above the zone, 25ft apart.

Controls: Motion sensors in general storage, dimming in packing area, daylight harvesting near skylights.

Savings:

Energy savings: 65% vs. 400W metal halide ($18,000/year).

Rebates:

$25/ f i x t u re \times 20 f i x t u res =$

500.

Maintenance savings: $9,000/year (no bulb replacements).

Result: A uniform, energy-efficient lighting system that meets OSHA standards, reduces operational costs, and improves picking accuracy by 10%.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Warehouse Lighting Design with LED UFO High Bays

Mistake 1: Choosing the Wrong Wattage: Installing 70W fixtures in a 30ft ceiling leads to insufficient brightness—always match wattage to ceiling height.

Mistake 2: Overcrowding Fixtures: Too many fixtures waste energy and cause glare—follow the 1.5–2x spacing rule.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Controls: Skipping motion sensors or dimming means missing out on 30–50% energy savings.

Mistake 4: Neglecting CRI: Low CRI (≤70) makes barcode scanning difficult—opt for CRI ≥80 for warehouse zones.

Mistake 5: Forgetting Rebates: Non-DLC fixtures don’t qualify for rebates—adds unnecessary upfront costs.

Final Thoughts: Designing Warehouse Lighting That Delivers Results

Designing warehouse lighting with LED UFO high bays isn’t just about installing fixtures—it’s about creating a system that supports your operations, reduces costs, and ensures safety. By following the step-by-step guide, selecting the right fixtures, optimizing layout, and integrating smart controls, you’ll build a lighting design that’s efficient, effective, and scalable.

Key takeaways for successful warehouse lighting design:

Start with a thorough assessment of your warehouse’s needs and constraints.

Use the lumen method to calculate fixture quantity—avoid guesswork.

Match LED UFO wattage and beam angle to zone type and ceiling height.

Prioritize uniformity and control compatibility for long-term value.

Leverage rebates and tax incentives to offset upfront costs.

If you need help designing your warehouse lighting system, calculating fixture quantities, or selecting the right LED UFO high bays, contact our lighting experts for a free personalized design plan. Let’s transform your warehouse with lighting that works as hard as your team!