DENO LED Lighting

How wide are LED strips, and which width should I choose?

Most tape is 8 mm or 10 mm wide and carries one row of LEDs. A wide LED strip runs 18 mm, 20 mm, 36 mm or 64 mm and carries two, three or four rows: 18-20 mm gives 2,600-3,600 lm/m, 36 mm up to 6,000 lm/m and 64 mm over 8,000 lm/m at 45 W/m. Choose using three inputs in this order — the internal width of the profile, the lumens per metre the scheme needs, and the wattage the thermal design can absorb. Above 20 W/m an aluminium profile is mandatory at any width.

Start from the profile, not the tape

The channel is the hard constraint on almost every project. Measure the internal width and subtract clearance for the coating and for the cable at the feed point, then shortlist widths that physically fit. Ordering a 64 mm board for a 40 mm channel wastes a tooling cycle; a slightly narrower board with a higher drive current is usually the better compromise.

Where the profile is still to be selected, work the other way: pick the width that reaches the lux target at a relaxed drive current, then choose a profile with matching internal width and a diffuser depth appropriate to the emitter pitch.

Practical width bands

Indicative mapping used on DENO projects:

  • 18 mm — two rows, retrofit into standard mid-size profiles, 20–24 W/m
  • 20 mm — two dense rows, best balance of output and profile availability
  • 36 mm — three rows for high-bay coves, facades and long-throw wall washing
  • 64 mm — four rows, maximum output linear modules and backlit surfaces

Industry references and standards

More wide PCB answers