KelvinPlanHow much light each room needs, and what color it should be.

How many lumens for a 10 × 12 ft hallway?

Total light needed
960lumens
120 ft² × 8 foot-candles
hallway · 10×12 ft10 ft12 ft960 lumens total · about 2 fixtures · 2700–3000K
Room area120ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a hallway8foot-candles
Total lumens960lm
Colour temperaturelow level, even spacing2700–3000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)2bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)120 lm each8fixtures

Notes

  • Foot-candles are lumens per square foot at the work surface. Ceilings above 9 ft, dark walls or dark flooring all eat light — add roughly 10% per extra foot of ceiling height.
  • Spread the total across several fixtures rather than one bright source. One 960 lm fixture and 8 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 960 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A hallway is worked to 8 foot-candles. Across 120 ft² that is 960 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 960 lumens and 8 fixtures adding up to the same number light a room very differently. A single source throws hard shadows and glare; several spread the light and make the room feel larger. Aim for layers — ambient, task, and something low for the evening.

Color temperature

2700–3000K suits this room. Warmer light reads as relaxed and is what you want where people wind down; cooler light keeps edges and colors crisp, which matters where there is work to do.

Nearby sizes

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