Factory Light Fixtures: Choosing the Right Type for Your Environment

Not every factory light belongs in every factory. A fixture that performs well over an assembly line will fail in a wash-down area, and putting a standard high bay into a space with flammable dust is a safety failure rather than a design one. This guide covers the four fixture types used in industrial facilities — high bay, explosion-proof, vapor tight and task — and which environment each one belongs in.

If you are working out light levels, ceiling-height spacing and OSHA minimums instead, start with our guide to factory lighting layout and standards.

By Warehouse Lighting

Safety, Glare & Environment

Industrial factory lighting fixture types

The Four Factory Fixture Types

Frequently Asked Questions

Factory light fixtures on a manufacturing floor

Safety, Glare and Environment

Three things drive fixture selection in an industrial building: whether the environment will destroy a standard fixture, whether the light quality supports the work being done, and whether the installation meets the regulations that apply to the space. Get the environment wrong and the fixture fails. Get the light quality wrong and productivity and eye strain suffer. Get the regulation wrong and it is an inspection problem.

Worker Safety

Proper factory lighting is indispensable for the safety and well-being of workers. Complying with lighting standards for manufacturing set out by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) in the U.S. or the International Organization for Standardization ISO is not just a regulatory requirement; it is central to worker safety.

Inadequate or poor-quality lighting leads to accidents, mishandling of equipment, and long-term issues like eye strain and fatigue. Well-planned industrial lighting improves visibility so workers can navigate the floor and execute tasks with precision. Emergency lighting and exit signage is a separate requirement, marking egress routes and hazardous areas for faster response in a critical situation. For the specific foot-candle minimums OSHA sets by area type, see our factory lighting standards guide.

Eliminating Glare and Shadows

Glare and shadow are the most overlooked aspects of industrial lighting, and both hamper visibility while contributing to eye strain and fatigue. Placement and orientation of fixtures matter more here than raw output. The aim is uniform illumination that reaches all corners and surfaces, leaving no room for shadow formation. In task-focused areas, supplementary task lighting offsets shadows cast by machinery or by the workers themselves.

Uniformity is worth more than average light level. A floor averaging 40 foot-candles with deep shadows between fixtures performs worse in practice than one averaging 30 evenly.

The Four Factory Fixture Types

Industrial facilities use four broad fixture families, and the choice between them is driven almost entirely by the environment rather than by preference. Below is what each one is built for, what to look for on the spec sheet, and the applications each suits.

1. LED High Bay Lights

LED high bay lights are the default for open industrial space with ceilings of roughly 20 feet or more. Two shapes dominate: linear high bays, which follow rows of equipment or shelving, and UFO high bays, which are round and throw a wider, more symmetrical pattern. Below 20 feet, low bay fixtures give better spacing and less glare.

What to look for

Lumens per watt: the efficacy figure that drives your operating cost
Beam angle: narrow for tall ceilings and aisles, wide for open floor
Selectable wattage and CCT: one part number covering several areas
DLC listing: usually required for utility rebate eligibility

Best suited to

Manufacturing and assembly floors
Warehouses and distribution centers
Loading and unloading areas

Explosion proof LED factory lighting for hazardous areas

2. Explosion-Proof Lighting for Hazardous Locations

Explosion-proof LED fixtures are built to operate where flammable gases, vapors, liquids or combustible dust may be present. The housing is designed to contain and cool any ignition that occurs inside the fixture so it cannot propagate to the surrounding atmosphere. This is the one fixture category where the wrong choice is a safety failure rather than a performance one.

Understanding Class and Division

In the U.S., hazardous locations are classified under the National Electrical Code by what is present and how often. Getting this right is what determines which fixture you can legally install:

Class I — flammable gases or vapors. Refineries, chemical plants, solvent handling, paint spray areas.
Class II — combustible dust. Grain elevators, flour and feed mills, coal handling, metal powder processing, woodworking.
Class III — ignitable fibers and flyings. Textile mills, cotton processing, sawmills.

Each class is then split by how often the hazard is present:

Division 1 — the hazard is present during normal operation.
Division 2 — the hazard is present only under abnormal conditions, such as a container failure or ventilation loss.

Division 1 fixtures are substantially more expensive than Division 2, so the classification of your specific area matters commercially as well as legally. Classification is determined by the facility, typically by an engineer or the authority having jurisdiction — not by the fixture supplier. Confirm your area classification before ordering, because a Division 2 fixture installed in a Division 1 area is a violation regardless of how it performs.

European and international projects use the ATEX and IECEx zone system instead of Class and Division. If you are specifying for a facility outside the U.S., or for a multinational operator, check which system governs.

What to look for

Class, Division and Group markings on the fixture label, matched to your area classification
Temperature (T) code: the maximum surface temperature, which must sit below the ignition temperature of the material present
Housing material: typically copper-free aluminum or stainless steel
IP rating: for dust and water ingress in the same environment

Best suited to

Chemical plants and oil refineries
Grain storage and handling facilities
Paint, varnish and solvent manufacturing
Woodworking and textile operations with airborne dust or fibers

3. Vapor Tight Fixtures

Vapor tight fixtures are sealed against moisture, dust and vapor. They are not explosion-proof and should not be substituted for it — they solve a durability problem rather than an ignition one. Where a standard fixture would corrode, fill with dust or fail on a wash-down cycle, vapor tight is the answer.

What to look for

IP rating: IP65 handles wash-down and driven rain; higher ratings for submersion or pressure washing
Housing: fiberglass, polycarbonate or stainless steel for corrosion resistance
Gasket material: check chemical compatibility if cleaning agents are aggressive
IK rating: impact resistance where forklifts or moving equipment are nearby

Best suited to

Food and beverage processing, especially wash-down areas
Refrigerated and cold storage
Car washes and outdoor loading docks
Parking structures and tunnels

4. Task Lighting

Task lighting is focused illumination at the point of work — inspection, assembly, reading gauges, fine detail. Overhead fixtures alone cannot deliver the light level a close-tolerance task needs, and the worker's own body casts a shadow onto exactly the surface they are working on. Commercial-grade strip lighting is the most common form in industrial settings.

What to look for

High CRI: 90+ where color or finish is being judged
Adjustability: so light can be aimed at the work rather than the bench
Low flicker: important near rotating machinery, where flicker can make moving parts appear stationary

Best suited to

Inspection and quality control stations
Workbenches and assembly positions
Machine shops and tool rooms

Frequently Asked Questions About Factory Light Fixtures

Below are the questions we get most often about specifying industrial fixtures. For light level targets and layout spacing, see our factory lighting standards and layout guide.

What is the difference between explosion-proof and vapor tight fixtures?

They solve different problems and are not interchangeable. A vapor tight fixture is sealed to keep moisture, dust and vapor out, which protects the fixture. An explosion-proof fixture is built to contain an ignition inside its own housing so it cannot ignite the surrounding atmosphere, which protects the building. A vapor tight fixture installed in a classified hazardous location is a code violation no matter how well sealed it is.

How do I know what Class and Division my facility is?

Area classification is determined by the facility, normally by an electrical engineer or the authority having jurisdiction, and it should be documented before fixtures are specified. Class describes what is present — gases and vapors are Class I, combustible dust is Class II, fibers and flyings are Class III. Division describes how often — Division 1 during normal operation, Division 2 only under abnormal conditions. Ask for the classification drawing rather than inferring it from the type of plant.

Why should I choose LED for a factory?

Higher output per watt, far longer life, no warm-up, and no flicker from a quality driver. The maintenance saving is the one that gets underestimated in an industrial building: re-lamping a fixture at 30 feet means a lift, a cleared floor area, and often after-hours labor, so cutting the frequency of that is worth more than the energy saving on many sites.

Are there rebates for upgrading factory lighting to LED?

Often, yes. Many utilities and states offer rebates on qualifying commercial fixtures, usually requiring a DLC or DLC Premium listing to pay out. Industrial rebates are frequently calculated per watt reduced, so a high bay retrofit across a large floor can return a meaningful share of project cost. Most programs require pre-approval before installation begins, so start that paperwork before the fixtures go up.

What is the typical lifespan of an LED industrial fixture?

Commercial LED fixtures are generally rated between 50,000 and 100,000 hours depending on the product, which at industrial run hours translates to years of continuous operation. Ambient temperature is the main variable — fixtures running in hot process areas or unventilated ceiling spaces will not reach the same figure as those in a climate-controlled building, so check the rated ambient on the spec sheet against the actual conditions.

Specifying Fixtures for an Industrial Facility?

Hazardous location and wash-down environments are where fixture selection gets expensive to get wrong. Our lighting specialists can match fixtures to your area classification and environmental conditions, confirm ratings against your spec, and provide free lighting design and layout assistance. Browse the full range or get in touch with your classification drawing and we will work from that.

Shop Factory Lighting