High Bay and Industrial Lighting

High bay is the category where the difference between a legal building and a workable one is largest. OSHA sets a floor of 5 footcandles for warehouses, corridors and exitways. Nobody picks stock accurately at 5 footcandles. The illuminance a warehouse actually needs to run well is several times that, and conflating the two is the most common mistake in retrofit proposals I see.

The other thing that separates a good high bay package from a cheap one is optics. At 24 or 30 feet of mounting height, beam distribution decides whether light lands on the aisle floor or on the top of the racking. Two fittings with identical lumen output and identical wattage can produce very different working conditions.

What to get right before you buy

• Separate the legal minimum from the design target. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.56 Table D-3 sets 5 footcandles for warehouses, corridors, hallways and exitways, and 10 for general construction plant and shops. Those are minimums for lawful operation. Design targets for picking, packing and machining are considerably higher. The governing design document is ANSI/IES RP-7-21, Lighting Industrial Facilities, with the illuminance recommendations in Annex A. Ranges circulating in trade press are useful for a first pass but should be confirmed against RP-7 for your task.
• Aisle layout drives optic choice, not mounting height alone. Racked aisles usually want a narrow or aisle-specific distribution so the light reaches the floor between the racking. Open floor wants a wider distribution. Getting this wrong shows up as dark aisles with a perfectly good average footcandle reading.
• Vertical illuminance matters in racking. Labels are read on the face of a carton, not on the floor. A layout optimised purely for horizontal footcandles can still make label reading hard.
• DLC listing is what unlocks rebate money. The DesignLights Consortium Qualified Products List is what utility programs reference. Products qualify at Standard or Premium, Premium being the higher-performance tier for efficacy, light quality and controllability. Current requirements moved to SSL V6.0 in November 2025. If a rebate is part of the project economics, check the QPL listing before ordering, not after.
• Controls are usually where the savings actually are. Occupancy sensing and high-end trim in a warehouse that runs one shift can save more than the lamp change did. Ask for fittings with integral sensor options rather than retrofitting sensors later.
• Ambient temperature and washdown. Cold storage, kitchens and process areas need fittings rated for the environment. A standard high bay in a freezer is a warranty conversation waiting to happen.

lines I represent in this category

31 of the 639 manufacturers in my index make high bay and industrial fixtures. Each link opens that manufacturer’s page, with the South Florida representative, the territory and how to get it priced.

Not seeing the line you were specified? Search all 639 manufacturers or look up the rep for your territory. I quote lines beyond the ones listed here.

What to send me for a price

• The floor plan, with racking layout if there is racking.
• Clear height to the underside of structure, and mounting height if it is already fixed.
• What happens in each area: bulk storage, pick and pack, machining, cold storage, loading dock.
• Any existing fittings you are replacing, with counts and wattage, if this is a retrofit.
• Whether an FPL or other utility rebate is being pursued, so I quote DLC-listed product.

Common questions

Related: Light poles and structures · Roadway and street lighting · Emergency and exit lighting · Office and commercial lighting · All categories

SESCO lines I represent for high bay and industrial lighting

4 of the 163 SESCO lines cover this category. Any of them can be priced from your fixture schedule.

Appleton · Benjamin Electric · L.C. Doane · SpecGrade

Not seeing a line? The full manufacturer index covers the whole market, or just send me the project.