How Many Lumens Do I Need for Outdoor Lighting?

Outdoor lighting is not only decorative, but it is very important for safety/security, ambiance, and drawing attention to the architectural beauty of your home. The one big question when figuring out your outdoor lights is this: how many lumens do I need for outdoor lighting?

Lumens are defined as the amount of light that a bulb produces. Lumens are very important when you are trying to determine how bright you want your outdoor lighting. If, for example, you have too few lumens, it won’t be bright enough, and can even feel unsafe. 

On the flip side, if you have too many lumens, your outdoor lights can feel blinding, or harsh instead of an inviting space. Understanding the proper lumens for your specific outdoor lighting needs is very important to find the right amount of brightness while creating ambiance.

In this article, we will review how many lumens you need for various outdoor lighting applications. These include outdoor wall lighting, path lighting, floodlighting, and landscape lighting. Whether you are looking for security lighting, accent lighting, or to illuminate your garden, we will provide you with the appropriate lumens for outdoor lighting.

1. How Many Lumens for Outdoor Wall Light?

Outdoor wall lighting is a great way to highlight the exterior of your home and provide lighting around doorways, porches, or patios. Deciding how many lumens you need for outdoor wall lighting consists of considering the purpose and the location of the light.

General Guidelines:

When it comes to providing ambient lighting on walls, you will generally need around 100 to 300 lumens. This will produce a soft, warm glow that will not overtake the space. 

For task lighting like you might find at the front door, you will need a more substantial amount of light. 300 to 500 lumens would be great for a front door area to ensure it is bright enough for safety and comfort. 

Here are some tips for the placement of outdoor wall lights:

If you are placing the outdoor wall lights near seating, for example, on a porch or patio, you will want to be in the range of 300 to 500 lumens so that seating areas and leisure areas can have sufficient light to talk and socialize. 

If the outdoor wall light is for decoration or near doorways, you will want to be in the range of 100 to 200 lumens so that you can provide a welcoming space without being overly bright.

2. How Many Lumens Do I Need for Outdoor Path Lighting?

Path lights are vital for directing guests through your garden or walkway and keeping them safe. They should provide enough brightness that individuals can safely walk without being overwhelmingly bright or blinding.

General Guidelines: 

For path lighting, approximately 100 to 200 lumen per light is recommended. This is enough light to be able to see where you are walking, without over-lighting the path.

If you have a larger path, or you simply want a more dramatic effect, you could be considering 200 to 300 lumen per light fixture. 

Additional Considerations: 

Spacing: The spacing of the path lights is important. Ideally, path lights should be spaced 6 to 8 feet apart for good light coverage. If you have a wider path or simply wish to have the area brighter, simply place the path lights closer together.

Color Temperature: For path lighting, you might consider warm white (2700K-3000K) lights to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Just like path lighting, outdoor staircases also need thoughtful illumination to ensure safe, confident footing at night while enhancing your exterior’s overall look. For staircase lighting options, consider using low-voltage step lights, LED strip lights along the stair edges, or sleek recessed fixtures built into the risers to softly highlight each step without glare, blending safety with style.

3. How Many Lumens Are Needed for Flood Lighting?

Generally, flood lights are intended to illuminate a large area of space like a driveway, parking spaces, and yards, but can also be used as security lights to light up those dark corners of your property. When calculating how many lumens flood lighting will need, you should consider the size of the area to be illuminated and the acceptable level of brightness.

General Recommendations:

For a small area (like a porch or a small yard), around 700 to 1,000 lumens will provide enough illumination for security or just general illumination.

In larger areas, or if you want to floodlight a large area of your backyard, a brighter flood light between 1,000 to 2,500 lumens will provide you with better coverage. Depending on the area you want illuminated, you may want to attach multiple flood lights.

If you are looking for higher-end lighting, which is generally for commercial or security purposes, 2,500 to 5,000 lumens or more may be needed.

Flood Light Placement:

Floodlights should be positioned high up (such as on the roof or tall enough pole for even illumination), especially over a large area like a driveway or yard.

Motion-sensor flood lights can also provide additional security benefits. These will turn on based on motion sensed in the area providing an immediate area of illumination and security.

4. How Many Lumens Should Landscape Light Be?

Landscape lighting is a way to improve any garden or yard by highlighting trees, shrubs, statues, and architectural features. About landscape light lumens, you want to find a happy balance between bright enough to highlight points of interest and soft enough to foster a calm setting. 

General Guidelines:

If you would like to highlight a tree or plant, generally speaking, you will use anywhere between 200 - 400 lumens. This is bright enough to highlight the focal point, but not too bright that it overshadows the beauty of the actual plant.  

If you would like to highlight architectural features or a statue, you will generally want to use 300-600 lumens. This range is enough to define the feature itself but not so much that sharp shadows are created.  

If you want just to build a slight ambiance around a seating area, garden pathways, etc. then between 100 - 200 lumens will just provide a soft glow. 

Other Landscape Lighting Suggestions:

When it’s your goal to highlight specific features of your landscape (such as a tree or water fountain), use directed lights (spotlights or flood lights) and alter the angle of the light for delivery and the brightness desired. 

If you’re looking to create a softer and more relaxing atmosphere, consider low-voltage lighting for your landscape lights. Low-voltage lights tend to produce fewer lumens than standard lighting but offer an elegant glow.

5.  Choosing the best lumens for outdoor light: A summary

Now that we have covered how many lumens for each of the types of outdoor lighting options, it is time to look at overall the best lumens to consider for outdoor lighting and how to find the one that is right for you. 

Outdoor Lighting Needs

100 to 300 lumens - perfect for soft ambient general lighting in areas outdoors such as patios or balconies.

• 300 to 500 lumens - Good for task lighting in areas outdoors such as lighting around doorways, seating areas, or workspaces. 

• 500 to 1000 lumens - For accent lighting outdoors, and are typically spotlights, flood lights, or security lighting in a larger area.

• Over 1000 lumens - Used for typically flood lights or larger area coverage, often with motion sensors for security.

Considerations for Finding the Best Lumen Output

• Area Size: Larger areas require lighting that has a higher output of luminance to receive quality illumination, especially if illuminating areas such as driveways or backyards.  

• Lighting Purpose: If you are focused mostly on ambiance, you can use lower lumens. On the other hand, if you are using outdoor lighting mostly for security purposes and task lighting, you’ll want to use brighter lights with more lumens. 

• Color Temperature: The color of the light is also a consideration when looking at lighting type, as the said color can impact how your lighting is perceived. Cool white light (5000K and above) is better for security and flood lights, while warm white light (2700K - 3000K) will produce inviting and relaxing areas. 

6. Other Factors to Consider When Determining Lumens for Your Outdoor Lighting

Once you have a good understanding of how many lumens I need for outdoor lighting, you still have to factor in other considerations:

1. Wattage + Energy Efficiency

LED lights are the most energy-efficient outdoor lighting that is available, have a high lumen output and use very little energy. It is always a good idea to make sure to choose energy-efficient lights when researching options, and your electric bill will thank you.

2. Placement of your Light

The placement of your outdoor lights will make a difference in how effective they are. For example, flood lights may not cover an area if they are placed too high, and path lights may leave gaps in brightness if they are spaced too far apart.

3. Dimming Features

Some outdoor lighting systems have dimming features, allowing you the possibility to adjust the brightness according to the time of day or the mood you want to create. This could be beneficial in social situations such as outdoor dining, or relaxing with friends or family.

4. Weather Resistance

When choosing outdoor lights, make sure that they are meant for outdoor use and specifically rated for outdoor use. You can notice the rating on the light (the more weather-resistant the light, the higher the IP rating). You want to look for an option that has a high IP rating and can withstand the weather such as rain, snow, and high humidity.

Conclusion

Finding out how many lumens for outdoor lighting is just one important factor developers and designers will need to consider to achieve an appropriate amount of brightness and ambiance in your outdoor space. Outdoor wall lights, flood lights, and landscape lights will each require a different number of lumens based on their intended purpose and the size of the area to be lit.

Keep in mind that the best lumens for outdoor lights are ultimately dependent on your preferences and the style of your space. Whether you would like to create an inviting cozy patio area or use flood lights to brighten up a large yard, knowing your ideal lumen output will help you ensure your outdoor lights are appropriate and provide sufficient light to meet your needs.

By following these guidelines for outdoor lumens, you will be positioned to create a bright, welcoming, enjoyable, safe, and comfortable outdoor space.