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

How many lumens for a 20 × 24 ft laundry room?

Total light needed
14,400lumens
480 ft² × 30 foot-candles
laundry room · 20×24 ft20 ft24 ft14,400 lumens total · about 18 fixtures · 3500–4000K
Room area480ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a laundry room30foot-candles
Total lumens14,400lm
Colour temperaturecolour accuracy matters for stains3500–4000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)18bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)480 lm each30fixtures

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 14,400 lm fixture and 30 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 14,400 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 480 ft² that is 14,400 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 14,400 lumens and 30 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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