How much light do you need?

Based on your facility, there are recommended light levels. The levels are based on a unit of measure called foot candles (fc) or lumens (lm). This rating quantifies how much light is in an area. The following selected footcandle ranges represent the Illuminating Engineer Society’s (IES) current illumination recommendations. Individual applicationa will determine exact footcandle levels. Please refer to the IES Lighting Handbook for more detailed evaluation.

Airplane Manufacturing Drilling, riveting 75 Screw fastening 75 Final assembly, hangar 100 Inspection 50-200 Welding 50 Assembly Rough easy seeing 20-50 Rough diffi cult seeing 50-100 Medium 100-200 Fine 200-500 (a) Extra fine 500-1000 (a) Auditoriums Social activities 5-10 Assembly only 10-20 Exhibitions 10-20 Automobile Manufacturing Final assembly, finishing 200 nspecting 200 Body & chassis assembly 100 Body parts manufacturing 100 Frame assembly 50 Banks Lobby general 10-50 Writing areas 20-70 Teller stations 50-150 Posting & keypunch 50-150 Barber Shops Beauty Parlors 50-100 Clothing Manufacturer Receiving, shipping 20-50 Storing 20-50 Winding, measuring 20-50 Pattern making, triming 50-100 Shops, marking 50-200 Cutting, pressing 100-500 (a) Sewing, inspection 200-500 (a) Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Impregnatingl 20-50 Insulating coil winding 50-100 Testing 50-100 Food Service Facilities Cashier 20-50 Cleaning 10-20 Dining 5-20 Food Displays 30-100 Kitchen 50-100 Foundries Annealing furnaces 20-50 Cleaning 20-50 Core making 50-200 Fine inspection 100-500 Medium inspection 50-100 Molding 50-200 Pouring, sorting 50-100 Garage-Motor Vehicles Storage 5	Traffic Lanes Parking garage 10 Service garage 10-20 Entrances 50 Repair area 50-100 Gymnasiums Assemblies 10 Exercise & recreation 30 Exhibitions, matches 50 Hospitals Rooms 10-30 Corridors 5-30 Emergency Rooms 50-100 Operating Rooms 100-200 Hotels Bathrooms 20-50 Bedrooms for reading 20-50 Stairs 10-20 Corridors, elevators 10-20 Front desk 50-100 Sewing 100-200 General linens 10-20 Loby general 10-20 Read/work areas 20-50 Iron & Steel Manufacturing Cellar, calcining 10-30 Stock, hot top, checker 10-30 Building, slag pits 20 Stripping yard 20 Control platforms, repairs 30 Mixer building 30 Rolling mills 30-50 Shearing 50 Sewing, tin plate 100-200 Motor/machine room 30 Inspection 100 Laundries Washing 20-50 Ironing 20-100 Library Reading, stacks 20-50 Repair & binding 20-50 Washing 20-50 Study & notes, cataloging 20-100 Card files 20-100 Machine Shops Rough bench 20-50 Medium bench 50-100 Rough grinding, buffing 50-100 Fine bench and work 200-500 (a) Material Handling Loading trucking 10-20 Picking stock classifying 20-50 Wrapping, packing, labeling 20-50 Offices Accounting 50-100 Audio-visual areas 20-50 Conference areas 20-70 Corridors, stairways 20 (k) Drafting 50-200	Offices (cont'd) General and private 50-100 Lobbies, lounges, reception 0-20 Mail sorting 50-100 Offset printing, duplicating 20-50 Spaces with VDT’s 75 Paint Shop Spraying, rubbing 20-50 Hand art, stencil 20-50 Fine painting & finishing 50-100 Paper Manufacturing Beaters, grinding 20-50 Finishing, cutting 50-100 Hand couting 50-100 Machine reel, inspection 100-200 Rewinder 100-200 Printing Photo engraving, blocking 20-50 Color inspecting 100-200 Presses 50-100 Proofreading 100-200 Composing room 50-100 Schools Reading, typing 20-100 Demonstrations 100-200 Sewing 20-100 Sheet Metal Works General 100 Tin plate inspection 100-200 Galvanizing, scribing 100-200 Stores Circulation, stockroom 10-30 Merchandising, serviced 30-100 Merchandising, self-svc 200 Textile Mills Cotton picking, carding 50 Cotton roving, spinning 50 Beaming & slashing 150 Drawing 200 Others 100 Warehousing, Storage Inactive 5-10 Active rough bulky 10-20 Active medium 20 Active fine 20-50 Welding General 20-50 Woodworking Rough sawing, bench work 20-50 Sizing, planing 20-50 Rough sanding 20-50 Med. quality machine work 20-50 Bench work 20-50 Cooperage 20-50 Gluing, veneering 20-50 Fine machine, bench work 50-100 Fine sanding & finishing 20-50
(a) Obtained with a combination of general light plus specialized supplementary lighting (k) Or not less than 1/5 the level in adjacent areas