An industrial LED luminaire quote is a list of commitments, not a description of a product, and any line you leave open the factory will close in the cheapest way available. Two quotes are comparable only when IP and IK rating, delivered lumens, input watts, CCT, CRI, driver model, supply voltage and certification scope are identical on both.
How to read the two IP digits
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Ingress protection is defined in IEC 60529 (EN 60529). On the first digit, 5 is dust-protected — dust may enter, but not in a quantity that interferes with satisfactory operation — and 6 is dust-tight. The second digit covers water:
- X4 — splashing water from any direction.
- X5 — water jets from a 6.3 mm nozzle.
- X6 — powerful water jets from a 12.5 mm nozzle.
- X7 — temporary immersion.
- X8 — continuous immersion under conditions agreed between manufacturer and user.
The second digit is cumulative only up to 6. A fitting marked only IP68 has not been shown to withstand water jets; if you need both, the marking must be dual-coded IP66/IP68. The rating covers the assembled fitting, gasket and gland included — ask which configuration the test report covers.
Impact rating
Impact resistance uses the IK code of IEC 62262 (EN 62262), IK00 to IK10. IK08 is a 5 joule impact, IK09 is 10 J and IK10 is 20 J, the top of the scale. The rating means little without the impact point: a die-cast housing passes tests the diffuser fails, so state that it applies to the light-transmitting surface.
Luminaire lumens vs chip lumens
Chip lumens are the sum of LED package flux from the LED maker’s datasheet at a stated drive current and junction or case temperature. Luminaire lumens, or delivered lumens, are measured on the complete fitting by absolute photometry under IES LM-79, at its actual input power. Between them sit the losses you pay for: optics, thermal derating, and driver losses.
Specify minimum delivered lumens and maximum system input watts from an LM-79 report, and ask for the photometric file in IES LM-63 format. For life, ask for the L70 or L80 figure with its B-value, plus the LM-80 data and TM-21 projection behind it. Package lumen maintenance is not luminaire life; drivers and seals often fail first.
Colour temperature and CRI in plain terms
Correlated colour temperature (CCT) in kelvin describes appearance: roughly 3000 K warm, 4000 K neutral, 5000 K and above cool. ANSI C78.377 defines the nominal CCT values and the chromaticity tolerance areas around them. CCT alone does not control consistency: two fittings both sold as 5000 K can look different side by side. Specify a MacAdam step or SDCM figure, or you get the factory’s stock bin.
The general colour rendering index Ra averages the scores for the first eight CIE test colour samples, R1 to R8. Deep red, sample R9, sits outside that average, so a fitting can hold Ra 80 with a poor or negative R9; if red matters, specify a minimum R9 as well. Higher CRI generally costs efficacy within the same LED family, so a CRI 90 quote and a CRI 70 quote cannot be compared on lumens per watt.
Driver quality and why it fails first
The driver puts electrolytic capacitors and heat in one box, and often fails before the LEDs fade. Capacitor life is governed by operating temperature; as a rule of thumb it halves for each 10 °C rise. A good driver in a badly ventilated housing still fails early, which is why IEC 60598-1 requires luminaires to be marked with a tc point. “High quality driver” is not a specification. Put on the quote:
- Driver make and model number on the bill of materials, or an approved list.
- Output current, constant-current tolerance, efficiency, and maximum case (tc) and ambient (ta) ratings.
- Power factor and total harmonic distortion at your supply voltage, not only at nominal.
- Surge withstand level, the test behind it (normally the IEC 61000-4-5 combination wave), and whether a surge protection device is fitted.
- Dimming protocol: 0–10 V, DALI to IEC 62386, DALI-2 or phase-cut. It changes the part number and cannot be added later.
- Whether the driver sits in a field-replaceable gear tray.
Input voltage and frequency for the destination market
North America runs 60 Hz, with 120 V and 277 V common commercially and 347 V in Canada from 600Y/347 V systems; drivers are often specified 120–277 V or 347–480 V. Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and India run a nominal 230 V at 50 Hz. Japan is 100 V, 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west. Confirm the declared frequency covers your market.
Which conformity marks apply to which market
- EU/EEA — CE. Self-declared by the manufacturer against the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU and RoHS 2011/65/EU; light sources also fall under EU ecodesign and energy labelling rules. Ask for the Declaration of Conformity naming the directives and harmonised standards applied, normally from the EN 60598 series.
- United States. A listing mark from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory — UL, ETL/Intertek or CSA — against UL 1598 for luminaires and UL 8750 for LED equipment, plus FCC Part 15 Subpart B. Many utility rebate programmes require a listing on the DesignLights Consortium Qualified Products List.
- Canada. Certification by a body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada: cUL, cETL or CSA.
- Australia and New Zealand. The RCM mark, with in-scope equipment registered before sale.
Certificates are issued per model and configuration: one for the 100 W version does not cover the 200 W.
What a Chinese factory needs from you
Two factories can only be compared when both answer the same brief:
- Destination market, supply voltage and frequency, phases, and protection class.
- Mounting height and method, and the distribution or target illuminance on a defined plane, not simply a wattage.
- Minimum delivered lumens and maximum input watts, evidenced by an LM-79 report, plus the IES file.
- CCT with a consistency tolerance, minimum Ra, and minimum R9 where colour fidelity matters.
- Required IP and IK ratings, and the environment behind them: washdown, salt, dust, chemicals, vibration, ambient temperature range.
- Driver make and model or an approved list, dimming protocol, and surge protection level.
- Housing material, finish and coating, which usually matter more for corrosion life than wall thickness.
- Which conformity marks are required, against which standards, issued by which body.
- Warranty term, what it covers, and whether spare drivers or gear trays are included.
- Order quantity, packaging, labelling and delivery terms.
- Documents to ship with the goods: test reports, certificates, wiring diagram, installation instructions.