Low bay lighting setups, as the name suggests, are more commonly used where there’s less vertical distance for the light to cover. In these situations, lower mounting positions will often allow for a shallower lighting angle, making it easier to illuminate vertical surfaces or to create specific lighting effects in smaller zones.
High bays are most often found in warehouses, gantries, above a large shop or conference floors, at sports facilities, in expansive factory or workshop environments…anywhere that needs uniform, brilliant illumination to maximise visibility and light quality over a wide area.
Apart from the different mounting altitudes, another key contrast between high bay and low bay light setups is that high bays tend to rely on more careful consideration of layout, fittings and components. High bay lighting must be chosen and positioned to ensure the light they cast is strong, uniform, and equally effective at hitting both vertical and horizontal surfaces from a wider angle.
To achieve this, high bay lighting tends to demand more exacting placement of lamps and reflectors. When configured properly, high bay setups can achieve superb quality and intensity of light across the entirety of a wide, tall space.
High Bay vs Low Bay lighting
When considering low bay vs high bay lighting, some key points to keep in mind are:
Low Bay lighting
typically lower-powered and used for indoor spaces where the mounting position is less than 20 feet from the floor; above this height, they tend to produce spotting or pooling effects on distant floors
individual luminaires are usually located closer to one another than in most high bay setups
generally demands less intricate planning to achieve proper illumination of vertical surfaces (such as goods stacked on shelves), due to casting its light at a shallower angle
fixtures often incorporate a ‘designer’ look, as they’re more easily visible from ground level than most high bay mounts
High Bay lighting
more powerful and better suited to larger or taller spaces, typically with ceiling heights of 20-45 feet
ideal for use in harsher or more corrosive indoor environments, such as above manufacturing floors, where higher concentrations of airborne particulates may occlude weaker lighting or cause damage to less robust fittings
can require careful positioning and/or use of reflectors in order to achieve appropriate illumination of vertical surfaces, especially when mounted at the highest point of a bay
can also be positioned at lower mounting heights where necessary, in order to achieve more intense illumination over a narrower distribution area
generally high bay LED lights are sold in a range of simpler, more industrial styles