30×30 room:
how many lights?
20–72fixtures A 30×30 ft room is 900 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 20 to 72 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 30×30 ft footprint laid out as a living room at 150 lux, with iso-lux contours at 32 / 21 / 11 lux.
Schedule · by useOne 30×30 footprint, twelve commissioning targets
| Room type | Target | Total lumens | Fixtures | Grid | Spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 300 lx | 41,900 lm | 54 | 9 × 6 | 3.3′ × 5′ |
| Living room | 150 lx | 23,575 lm | 30 | 5 × 6 | 6′ × 5′ |
| Bedroom | 100 lx | 15,717 lm | 20 | 4 × 5 | 7.5′ × 6′ |
| Bathroom | 200 lx | 31,433 lm | 42 | 6 × 7 | 5′ × 4.3′ |
| Home office | 300 lx | 42,807 lm | 56 | 7 × 8 | 4.3′ × 3.8′ |
| Dining room | 150 lx | 21,403 lm | 30 | 5 × 6 | 6′ × 5′ |
| Garage | 150 lx | 23,575 lm | 30 | 5 × 6 | 6′ × 5′ |
| Hallway | 100 lx | 15,717 lm | 20 | 4 × 5 | 7.5′ × 6′ |
| Laundry | 200 lx | 27,934 lm | 36 | 6 × 6 | 5′ × 5′ |
| Basement | 150 lx | 23,575 lm | 30 | 5 × 6 | 6′ × 5′ |
| Workshop | 400 lx | 55,867 lm | 72 | 9 × 8 | 3.3′ × 3.8′ |
| Nursery | 100 lx | 15,717 lm | 20 | 4 × 5 | 7.5′ × 6′ |
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 30x30 room?
It depends what the room is for. A 30×30 ft (900 sq ft) living room needs about 30 fixtures at 800 lm; the same footprint as a kitchen needs about 54, because a kitchen is lit to roughly double the level. Pick the room type for the real answer.
How many square feet is a 30x30 room?
900 square feet, or 83.6 square metres.
