The garage is usually the room where lighting was an afterthought: one fluorescent tube in the ceiling, shadows over the workbench and darkness under the bonnet. This page gives you the actual numbers – how much light you really need and what it costs.
How much light does a garage need?
The standard recommends 300 lux for general lighting. Detailed work – servicing an engine, sanding, checking paintwork – needs 500–750 lux. For comparison: an ordinary ceiling light delivers 50–100 lux at floor level.
How many cells for your space?
| Room size | General 300 lx | Detailed work 500 lx |
|---|---|---|
| 20 m² | 3 cells · 72 W | 5 cells · 120 W |
| 30 m² | 5 cells · 120 W | 7 cells · 168 W |
| 40 m² | 6 cells · 144 W | 10 cells · 240 W |
| 60 m² | 9 cells · 216 W | 14 cells · 336 W |
The figures assume a 44 cm LED tube (6 W) and ordinary light-coloured surfaces. Dark walls eat light, so add one or two cells in that case.
Why a honeycomb rather than a linear fitting
Light arrives from several directions. A single long tube casts a hard shadow always the same way. A hexagon spreads light from six sides, so the shadow softens – you can see under the bonnet without a head torch.
The shape follows the room. Add cells where the light is needed: denser above the workbench, sparser over the storage corner.
Dimming. Stepless 0–100 % gives full output for work and a quiet mood when the garage doubles as a living room.
What the electricity costs
A 30 m² garage on general lighting draws 120 W. At two hours a day that is about €13 a year (€0.15/kWh). An old row of 4 × 58 W fluorescent tubes in the same room uses more than twice that and gives nowhere near the same light.
Detailing and workshop spaces
Inspecting paintwork needs even, shadow-free light all around the car. In practice that means two rows of cells along both sides of the vehicle, not one cluster in the middle of the ceiling. A colour temperature of 6500 K shows colours closest to daylight.
Design your own
Draw the shape you want, enter your garage dimensions and see the parts, power, illuminance at floor level and price straight away: Hexagon configurator.
Ready-made sets: Garage lighting.
