Not all warehouses are the same. A high-bay distribution centre with 12m ceilings and narrow aisles is very different from a low-clearance storage facility with wide open areas. Getting the lighting right requires understanding these differences.

Here’s how I approach warehouse lighting design.

Understanding the Task

First question: what actually happens in the space?

Storage only: Goods are placed and retrieved, but no detailed work happens. Lower lux levels are acceptable.

Order picking: Workers need to read labels, identify products, check quantities. Higher lux levels and attention to vertical illumination.

Packing and processing: Detailed work at workstations. May need very high lux levels in specific areas.

Vehicle movement: Forklifts and other equipment. Safety considerations dominate.

AS/NZS 1680.1 provides general guidance on illumination levels. For warehouses, typical recommendations are:

• Bulk storage areas: 50-100 lux
• Active storage (order picking): 150-300 lux
• Packing areas: 300-500 lux
• Loading docks: 150-200 lux

But these are horizontal lux at floor level. Vertical illumination on racking faces matters too for picking accuracy.

The Racking Configuration Problem

Here’s where generic lighting designs fail.

Imagine a warehouse with:

• 10m ceiling height
• Racking up to 8m high
• 2.5m wide aisles between racks

If you mount highbays at ceiling height and they have a wide beam angle, most of the light hits the top of the racks and the floor. The vertical faces of the racking—where the labels and products actually are—get much less light.

The result: Floor lux readings look fine, but workers in the aisles can’t read bin labels without torches.

Beam Angles and Mounting Heights

LED highbays come with different optical distributions:

Wide beam (90-120°): Light spreads broadly. Good for open areas, poor for tall aisles.

Medium beam (60-90°): Balanced spread. Suitable for many applications.

Narrow beam (30-60°): Concentrated light. Good for high mounting over specific areas.

Asymmetric beam: Light directed more to one side. Useful for aisle lighting.

For warehouses with tall racking:

• Consider mounting fittings lower (on cross-beams between aisles rather than at peak height)
• Use narrower beams to get light down into aisles
• Or use asymmetric optics to throw light at racking faces

A Practical Example

Scenario: Distribution warehouse, 9m clearance height, selective pallet racking to 7m, 2.8m aisles.

Option A: Standard approach

• 150W highbays at 9m with 90° beam
• One row of fittings per aisle
• Result: 180 lux at floor, but only 80 lux on vertical racking faces at mid-height

Option B: Optimized approach

• 100W highbays mounted at 6m on racking cross-members
• 60° beam angle
• Staggered positions down each aisle
• Result: 200 lux at floor, 150 lux on vertical racking faces

Option B uses less total wattage and delivers better results where it matters. The installation is slightly more complex (mounting on racking requires coordination), but the outcomes are superior.

Calculating Requirements

For detailed designs, you need lighting software (Dialux, Relux, AGi32, or manufacturer-specific tools). These let you model the space, place fittings, and see predicted lux levels on all surfaces.

But for rough planning:

Fittings per area: Total lumens needed ÷ lumens per fitting ÷ utilization factor ÷ maintenance factor

Where:

• Total lumens needed = Target lux × area × uniformity allowance
• Utilization factor = How much light actually reaches the work plane (typically 0.4-0.6)
• Maintenance factor = Light loss over time from dirt and depreciation (typically 0.8)

For a 5,000 sqm warehouse targeting 200 lux average:

• Total lumens = 200 × 5,000 × 1.25 = 1,250,000 lumens
• With 0.5 utilization and 0.8 maintenance = 1,250,000 ÷ 0.5 ÷ 0.8 = 3,125,000 installation lumens
• At 20,000 lumens per highbay = 156 fittings

This is a rough check. Proper design software accounts for room geometry, racking obstructions, fitting mounting positions, and many other factors.

Racking Type Considerations

Selective pallet racking: Standard configuration with aisles. Lighting approach depends on aisle width and racking height.

Very narrow aisle (VNA): Aisles under 2m. Often uses turret trucks or rail-guided equipment. Lighting needs to be carefully positioned to avoid shadows from mast movement.

Drive-in/drive-through: Forklifts enter the racking structure. Fittings need to be positioned where vehicles won’t hit them.

Cantilever racking: For long goods. More open structure means conventional lighting approaches often work.

Mezzanine levels: Multi-level warehouses. Each level needs its own lighting design.

The Controls Opportunity

Warehouses often have variable occupancy. A distribution centre might have 50 people during the day shift and 5 during overnight replenishment.

Zoned lighting controls can deliver significant savings:

• Aisle-by-aisle occupancy sensing
• Different light levels for different shifts
• Loading dock zones that respond to door position
• Emergency egress lighting always available

The key is designing zones that match operational patterns. If picking happens in random aisles, individual aisle sensing makes sense. If operations move systematically, larger zones might be fine.

Don’t Forget These Areas

Warehouse lighting projects often focus on the main storage areas and overlook:

Loading docks: Critical for safety. Need good vertical illumination on dock faces and trailer interiors.

Offices and break rooms: Different requirements entirely—see AS/NZS 1680.1 for office lighting.

External yard areas: If trucks maneuver outside, adequate area lighting is a safety requirement.

Charging areas: Forklift battery charging stations need adequate light for safe operation.

Racking inspection: If racking inspections are performed (and they should be), workers need enough light to see damage.

Getting It Right

1. Start with the operations: Understand what happens where before specifying fittings.

2. Consider vertical illumination: Floor lux isn’t the whole story in racked environments.

3. Model properly: For complex spaces, invest in a proper lighting design, not just rules of thumb.

4. Match beam angles to geometry: Not all highbays are created equal. Select optics for the application.

5. Plan for controls: The energy savings from good controls can exceed the savings from LED conversion.

6. Mock it up if possible: Install a few sample fittings in one aisle and check the results before committing to a full rollout.

Warehouse lighting isn’t complicated, but it does require thought. A design that looks efficient on paper doesn’t help if workers can’t see what they’re doing.

Take the time to get it right.