20×22 room:
how many lights?
12–36fixtures A 20×22 ft room is 440 square feet. How many lights it needs depends entirely on what happens in it — a kitchen is lit to roughly twice the level of a bedroom, so the same footprint ranges from 12 to 36 fixtures at 800 lumens each.
The footprint does not decide the count. The target illuminance does, and that is set by what the room is for.
SOURCE·IES lumen-method recommendations·published recommendations, quoted as ranges·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Plan above: the 20×22 ft footprint laid out as a living room at 150 lux, with iso-lux contours at 32 / 21 / 11 lux.
Schedule · by useOne 20×22 footprint, twelve commissioning targets
| Room type | Target | Total lumens | Fixtures | Grid | Spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 300 lx | 22,344 lm | 30 | 6 × 5 | 3.7′ × 4′ |
| Living room | 150 lx | 13,001 lm | 16 | 4 × 4 | 5.5′ × 5′ |
| Bedroom | 100 lx | 8,667 lm | 12 | 4 × 3 | 5.5′ × 6.7′ |
| Bathroom | 200 lx | 17,335 lm | 25 | 5 × 5 | 4.4′ × 4′ |
| Home office | 300 lx | 22,984 lm | 30 | 6 × 5 | 3.7′ × 4′ |
| Dining room | 150 lx | 11,492 lm | 16 | 4 × 4 | 5.5′ × 5′ |
| Garage | 150 lx | 13,001 lm | 16 | 4 × 4 | 5.5′ × 5′ |
| Hallway | 100 lx | 8,667 lm | 12 | 4 × 3 | 5.5′ × 6.7′ |
| Laundry | 200 lx | 14,896 lm | 20 | 5 × 4 | 4.4′ × 5′ |
| Basement | 150 lx | 13,001 lm | 16 | 4 × 4 | 5.5′ × 5′ |
| Workshop | 400 lx | 29,792 lm | 36 | 6 × 6 | 3.7′ × 3.3′ |
| Nursery | 100 lx | 8,667 lm | 12 | 4 × 3 | 5.5′ × 6.7′ |
At 800 lumens per fixture and an 8 ft ceiling. Open a room type for other fitting outputs, other ceilings and its own contour sheet.
SOURCE·IES lumen-method recommendations·published recommendations, quoted as ranges·REVIEWED JUL 2026
QueriesWhat this footprint is usually asked
How many recessed lights for a 20x22 room?
It depends what the room is for. A 20×22 ft (440 sq ft) living room needs about 16 fixtures at 800 lm; the same footprint as a kitchen needs about 30, because a kitchen is lit to roughly double the level. Pick the room type for the real answer.
How many square feet is a 20x22 room?
440 square feet, or 40.9 square metres.
