Warehouse Light Fixtures Compared: Linear vs UFO vs Low Bay vs Strip

Four fixture types cover almost every warehouse: linear high bay, UFO high bay, low bay and strip. They are not interchangeable — each throws light differently, and the one that suits an open floor is the wrong choice down a racking aisle. This page compares them side by side so you can pick on beam distribution and output rather than on price alone.

Once you know which type you need, our warehouse lighting guide covers where each one goes — aisles, docks, cold storage, pick stations — along with lumen output and spacing by ceiling height.

At a Glance

Fixture	Beam distribution	Typical ceiling	Best suited to
Linear High Bay	Rectangular, directional along its length	20 ft and above	Racking aisles, production lines, anywhere light follows a run
UFO High Bay	Round, symmetrical	20 ft and above	Open floor, staging areas, wide unobstructed spaces
Low Bay	Wide, diffused, lower output	Under 20 ft	Mezzanines, workshops, storage rooms, parking structures
Strip	Linear, broad and even	Any height, usually surface or suspended	Pick and pack benches, corridors, retail-facing areas

Ceiling heights are a guide. Fixture naming is inconsistent across the industry — see the note at the end on why you should specify from lumen output rather than the product name.

Linear High Bay

The rectangular shape is the point. A linear high bay throws light along its length rather than in a circle, which means it can follow a racking run or a production line and put output where the work is instead of spreading it evenly across the floor.

They mount by chain, cable or directly to the ceiling, and most carry selectable wattage and colour temperature so one part number covers several areas. Look at the beam distribution on the spec sheet, not just the lumen figure — an aisle-specific optic makes a visible difference on the shelf faces.

Verdict: the default for any warehouse with racking. If most of your floor is aisles, start here.

UFO High Bay

UFO high bays are round and throw a symmetrical circle of light, typically around 120 degrees. That makes them efficient over open floor where there is nothing to shadow the beam, and they hang from a single hook so installation is quick.

They are also the compact option — a UFO takes up less ceiling space than a linear fixture of comparable output, which matters where sprinklers, ducting or conveyors compete for room. Many accept a reflector to narrow or widen the spread after install.

Verdict: best over open floor and staging. Less effective down aisles, where a round beam wastes output on the floor.

Low Bay

Low bay fixtures are built for ceilings under roughly 20 feet. Lower output, wider spread, and usually a diffuser to soften the source — which matters because at that height a bare high-output fixture is uncomfortably bright in someone's eyeline.

Beyond warehouses they suit mezzanines, workshops, storage rooms and parking structures. Worth knowing that several fixtures in our low bay range are named as high bays, which is an industry-wide naming quirk rather than a mistake.

Verdict: the right answer under 20 feet. Putting a high bay in that space usually means glare and wasted output.

Strip Lighting

Strip fixtures give broad, even light along a line and come in several formats depending on where they go:

Industrial strip — the workhorse, used across large open areas and retail floors
Staggered — for tight spaces that still need strong output
Mini — from around 13 inches, for cabinets and awkward gaps
Side mounted — for display cases, coves and shelf edges

In a warehouse their main use is task lighting over pick and pack benches, where a high CRI matters because staff are reading labels and inspecting goods.

Verdict: a supplement rather than a primary source. Use over benches and in corridors, not as general floor lighting.

How to Choose Between Them

Three questions settle it in most buildings:

How high is the ceiling? Above roughly 20 feet you are looking at high bays; below, low bays. That single measurement rules out half the options.
Is the floor open or racked? Open floor suits UFO fixtures with their symmetrical spread. Aisles suit linear fixtures aligned along the run, so light reaches the shelf faces rather than the floor.
Are there task areas? Benches, inspection points and pack stations need their own light on top of the general scheme, and that is where strip fixtures come in.

Most warehouses of any size end up using two or three of these together rather than one throughout.

Go by Lumens, Not the Product Name

Fixture naming is not applied consistently across the industry. The same product may be sold as a high bay by one manufacturer and a low bay by another, and UFO-style fixtures are frequently labelled high bay regardless of the mounting height they are rated for.

Work from the lumen output and the rated mounting height on the spec sheet. As a guide, the ranges we specify from are 12,000 to 21,000 lumens at a 10 foot ceiling, 22,000 to 35,000 at 20 feet, 35,000 to 40,000 at 30 feet, and 40,000 or more at 40 feet and above. Our warehouse lighting guide has the full table alongside the matching fixture spacing.

Why LED Over Fluorescent or HID

If you are still running fluorescent or metal halide, the case for switching is straightforward:

Lower energy draw for the same light output
Longer life — commercial LED fixtures are commonly rated 50,000 to 100,000 hours
No warm-up, so they work with occupancy sensors that HID cannot support
Cold weather performance — unlike fluorescent, which struggles to start at low temperatures
Dimmable, and controllable across zones
Stable output rather than the gradual fade metal halide shows over its life

The maintenance saving is the one most often underestimated. Re-lamping a fixture at 30 feet means a lift, a cleared floor area and often after-hours labour — so cutting how often that happens is worth more on many sites than the energy saving. Where the housings are sound, high bay retrofit kits convert an existing fixture without replacing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between linear and UFO high bay lights?

The beam shape. A linear high bay is rectangular and throws light along its length, which suits racking aisles and production lines where you want output following a run. A UFO is round and throws a symmetrical circle, typically around 120 degrees, which suits open floor. Both work at the same ceiling heights — the choice is about the shape of the space beneath them, not how high it is.

When should I use low bay instead of high bay?

Below roughly 20 feet. At that height a high-output fixture sits close enough to be uncomfortably bright and wastes output, whereas a low bay gives a wider, softer spread at lower output. Mezzanines, workshops, storage rooms and parking structures are the usual candidates. Be aware that naming is inconsistent, so check the rated mounting height on the spec sheet rather than relying on the product name.

Are strip lights bright enough for a warehouse?

As general floor lighting in a high-ceilinged warehouse, usually not — that is what high bays are for. Strip fixtures work well as task lighting over pick and pack benches, in corridors, and in lower-ceilinged areas where their broad even distribution suits the space. Treat them as a supplement to a high bay scheme rather than a replacement for one.

Can I mix fixture types in one warehouse?

Most buildings of any size should. A typical layout runs linear high bays down the racking aisles, UFO fixtures over open floor and staging, low bays under mezzanines, and strip lighting over benches. The one thing to keep consistent is colour temperature — mixing 4000K and 5000K across a floor is immediately visible and makes a well-specified building look unplanned.

How long do LED warehouse fixtures last?

Commercial LED fixtures are generally rated between 50,000 and 100,000 hours depending on the product. Ambient temperature is the main variable — a fixture running in an unventilated ceiling space or a hot process area will not reach the same figure as one in a climate-controlled building, so check the rated ambient on the spec sheet against your actual conditions.

Not Sure Which Fixture Suits Your Building?

Send us your ceiling height, floor dimensions and racking layout and our specialists will recommend a fixture type and run a free photometric layout showing count, placement and the light levels you will actually achieve. For over 20 years we have supplied commercial and industrial lighting contractors — tell us what the space does and we will work from that.

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