Detailed Guide to Warehouse Lighting Requirements

Basic Storage Area (Low Activity Frequency)

• Scenario: Long-term storage areas with minimal human intervention (e.g., bulk commodities, raw material stacking areas, high-bay warehouse upper racks).
  

• Lumen Requirement: 10 - 20 lumens/sq.ft (100 - 200 Lux)
  

• Characteristics: Occasional personnel entry for inventory checks or inspections, primarily relying on aisle lighting. Large cargo volumes or simple labeling, low demand for detailed identification.
  

• Note: For racks > 6 meters tall, add top supplementary lighting to avoid insufficient illumination below mid-level racks.

  
  

Aisles and Loading/Unloading Area (Medium Activity Frequency)

• Scenario: Main aisles, forklift traffic zones, loading/unloading platforms, pallet staging areas.
  

In automated warehouses, these areas also support equipment running on AGV Caster systems, which require stable floor lighting for safe navigation.

• Lumen Requirement: 20 - 40 lumens/sq.ft (200 - 400 Lux)
  

• Safety Focus: Forklift drivers must clearly identify obstacles, floor markings, and cargo edges to avoid collisions; loading areas require visibility of cargo placement inside trucks.
  

• Recommendation: Vertical illuminance (walls/rack faces) ≥ 100 Lux for easy rack label identification.

Manual Operation Area (High-Frequency Operations)

• Scenario: Picking zones (manual picking), packaging stations, order sorting areas, quality inspection zones.

• Lumen Requirement:

• General picking (cartons/large items): 30 - 50 lumens/sq.ft (300 - 500 Lux)

• Fine picking (small parts, electronic components, pharmaceuticals): 50 - 100 lumens/sq.ft (500 - 1000 Lux)
  

• Key Metrics: Color Rendering Index (CRI) ≥ 80 (ensures clear visibility of cargo colors and label text, avoiding sorting errors due to color distortion), glare control (UGR < 22 to prevent visual fatigue).

Special Function Areas

• Office/Control Room: 50 - 70 lumens/sq.ft (500 - 700 Lux), must meet office lighting standards, color temperature 4000K - 5000K (neutral white light to reduce visual fatigue).

• Cold Storage/Freezer Warehouse: Requires specialized moisture-proof, explosion-proof fixtures; lumen requirements align with functional area standards, but consider lamp efficiency in low temperatures (e.g., LED’s advantage in cold environments).

• Hazardous Materials Storage: Comply with explosion-proof standards (e.g., ATEX certification), lumens ≥ 20 lumens/sq.ft (200 Lux), avoid direct localized high-intensity lighting.