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

How many lumens for a 10 × 12 ft laundry room?

Total light needed
3,600lumens
120 ft² × 30 foot-candles
laundry room · 10×12 ft10 ft12 ft3,600 lumens total · about 5 fixtures · 3500–4000K
Room area120ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a laundry room30foot-candles
Total lumens3,600lm
Colour temperaturecolour accuracy matters for stains3500–4000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)5bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)450 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 3,600 lm fixture and 8 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 3,600 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A laundry room is worked to 30 foot-candles. Across 120 ft² that is 3,600 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 3,600 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

3500–4000K 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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