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

How many lumens for a 20 × 28 ft laundry room?

Total light needed
16,800lumens
560 ft² × 30 foot-candles
laundry room · 20×28 ft20 ft28 ft16,800 lumens total · about 21 fixtures · 3500–4000K
Room area560ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a laundry room30foot-candles
Total lumens16,800lm
Colour temperaturecolour accuracy matters for stains3500–4000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)21bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)480 lm each35fixtures

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 16,800 lm fixture and 35 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Where 16,800 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 560 ft² that is 16,800 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 16,800 lumens and 35 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

Read more