Lightolier · Genlyte Solutions · Signify
Lightolier Downlights and Track, and What the Old Names Are Now
Lightolier is still made and I still quote it. What has changed is the naming. If you are holding a drawing that says Lytespan, or specifying Lytecaster from memory, the catalog has moved underneath you. This page is the current families with real numbers off the sheets, and an honest translation of the legacy names.
- LyteCaster LED 4, 5 and 6 in
- Calculite LED gen 3
- AccuRender Ra up to 94
- R9 up to 67
- up to 106 lm/W
- 0-10V · DALI · DMX · EcoSystem
- dim-to-warm 3000K to 1800K
- Interact and Dynalite
The reason most people land here
The old name on your drawing, and what to order now
Lightolier has been in buildings since 1904 and South Florida is full of it. A renovation set will often carry a fixture type copied from a drawing that is twenty or thirty years old. The brand is alive, the factory is Genlyte Solutions inside Signify, and I hold the line here — but several of the names people specify from memory are not what the current catalog calls things.
| What the drawing says | Where it stands today |
|---|---|
| Lytecaster | Alive and current. LyteCaster LED, 4, 5 and 6 in apertures in round and square, up to 2000 lm, on a shallow 3-1/2 in frame. There is also a 3 in LyteCaster LED Accent. This is the one legacy name that survived intact. |
| Lytespan (track) | Not listed on the current Genlyte track-lighting page. The track systems shown there now are Basic and Advent. Heads are sold as OmniSpot, Alcyon, MS Series, LumaShine, BoldFlood, CorePro, Core, Performance, Gimbal and Par Ring. Send me the head and track profile you have and I will tell you what mates to it. |
| Calculite | Alive and now the specification-grade flagship, currently at gen 3. Do not assume a Calculite catalog number from an old set still builds — the generation change moved the options. |
| Lightolier Controls | Controls are now Interact (wireless) and Dynalite (wired, and the one that talks to shades, DMX and AV). Both are mine. |
What I could not confirm. Genlyte’s current track page does not list Lytespan, but the absence of a name from a web page is not a discontinuation notice. I have not seen a written end-of-life bulletin for it. If you are matching existing Lytespan track, send me a photo of the track profile and the head, and I will get an answer from the factory rather than guess from a catalog page.
LyteCaster LED, read off the AccuRender sheet
The workhorse downlight, in numbers
The one people search by name. Shallow frame, which is why it keeps winning renovations where the plenum is tight.
| Item | LyteCaster LED |
|---|---|
| Apertures | 4 in, 5 in and 6 in, round and square |
| Lumen packages | 4 in: 650 or 1000 lm · 5 in: 1000 or 1500 lm · 6 in: 1500 or 2000 lm |
| Wattage | 7 to 18W max, efficacy up to 103 lm/W |
| Color temperature | 2700K (927), 3000K (930), 3500K (935), 4000K (940), 5000K (950) |
| Color rendering | CRI 90+ standard; AccuRender Ra up to 94, R9 up to 67; color consistency 2 SDCM or better |
| Dimming | Phase control (ELV/TRIAC) at 120V; 0-10V universal 120-277V |
| Frame | New construction with screws or nails, and a remodeler frame; 3-1/2 in shallow height |
| Trims | Open downlight in clear diffuse or white; baffle downlight in white; white flange throughout |
| Listings | cULus listed Type I.C.; wet location rated; ENERGY STAR certified with exceptions |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Signify’s own claim on the AccuRender brochure is up to 25% more energy savings versus a competitor 90 CRI product. That is their number, not mine, and it is a comparison against an unnamed competitor — treat it as a starting point for a real side-by-side rather than something to put in a submittal.
The one to watch on this family is Type I.C.. LyteCaster LED is IC rated. Calculite gen 3 in the 4 in square is not, and it caps ceiling thickness at 2 in. If the drawing has insulation over the plenum, that difference decides which family you can use.
Calculite LED gen 3, from the C4SDL sheet
The specification-grade family, in numbers
Figures below are the 4 in square downlight (C4SDL). Other apertures and shapes in the family differ — I check the exact sheet at quote rather than reusing one across the range.
| Item | Calculite LED gen 3, 4 in square |
|---|---|
| Lumen packages | 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 lm |
| Wattage | 6.0W at 500 lm narrow up to 28.9W at 3000 lm narrow, across 120–347V |
| Efficacy | up to 106 lm/W (1000 lm narrow) |
| Color temperature | 90 CRI at 2700K, 3000K, 3500K, 4000K, 5000K; dim-to-warm 3000K to 1800K |
| Color rendering | Ra up to 94, R9 up to 67, Rf up to 92 TM-30, Rcs,h1 up to minus 5% TM-30; 2 SDCM or better |
| Beam distributions | Narrow 45 degrees, medium 58 degrees, wide 69 degrees |
| Glare | UGR 0 to 3 depending on configuration |
| Dimming | 0-10V to 1% (standard Z10); DALI to 0.1%; DMX with RDM to 0.1%; Lutron EcoSystem PEQ0 to 0.1% up to 2000 lm; Lutron EcoSystem LDE1 to 1%; EldoLED Solo 0-10V to 0.1%; electronic phase forward and reverse |
| Frames | 4 in non-IC square new construction, remodeler, Chicago Plenum (LC suffix), flex install, and a retrofit configuration for legacy luminaires |
| Ceiling | Non-IC; maximum ceiling thickness 2 in (51 mm) |
| Lifetime | L90 at 60,000 hours on most configurations |
| Listings | cULus wet location; RoHS; CEC Title 24 JA8; CCEA on LC-suffix frames; Red List Declare label, ID SIG-0021 |
| Domestic content | BAC and BABAF compliant options available — confirm per configuration |
| Warranty | 5 year limited |
Two things on that sheet matter more than the lumen table. The retrofit configuration for legacy luminaires is what makes Calculite a real answer for a building already full of old Lightolier. And the Chicago Plenum variant exists, which matters if the job is ever bid outside Florida on a CCEA requirement.
The rest of the downlighting range
Eight families, and what each one is for
| Family | What it is |
|---|---|
| Calculite | The specification-grade family. Performance and visual comfort in discreet apertures, currently gen 3, with AccuRender optics. |
| LyteCaster | 4, 5 and 6 in round and square, up to 2000 lm, shallow frame for tight plenums. IC rated. |
| LyteCaster LED Accent | The 3 in modular accent version, used across commercial and residential. |
| LyteProfile | 3, 4 and 6 in round and square on the UniFrame platform. The simpler, lower-cost route when Calculite is more fixture than the room needs. |
| ModuLyte | 4, 6 and 8 in, built for renovation, retrofit and new construction with field-selectable options. The 8 in aperture is the one that matches a lot of older openings. |
| SlimSurface | 5/8 in thick, mounts to a standard J-box on ceiling or wall. The answer when there is no plenum at all — common in South Florida concrete construction. |
| OmniSpot LED Recessed Multiples | Recessed multiples using the same LED engine and reflectors as the OmniSpot track heads, so a track head and a recessed head can be matched on one job. |
| Alcyon LED Recessed Multiples | A three-part vertical recessed system for targeted accent light. Also sold as a track head. |
The pairing worth knowing is OmniSpot and Alcyon: both exist as a track head and as a recessed multiple on the same optics. On a gallery, lobby or retail job where some of the accent light is on track and some is recessed, that is how you keep the beam and the color matched across both.
Track
Ten head families on Basic and Advent track
Lightolier effectively invented specification track lighting, and the head range is still the deepest part of the catalog. The current track systems on the Genlyte page are Basic and Advent.
| Head family | What it is for |
|---|---|
| OmniSpot LED | High center beam candlepower and efficacy. The accent workhorse, and it has a matching recessed multiple. |
| Alcyon LED | Three-part system for high-performing targeted illumination. Also available recessed. |
| MS Series | The widest configuration menu with specification-grade optics. |
| LumaShine Series | Customizable beam angles, colors and lumen packages — the one to reach for when the architect wants something the standard menu does not cover. |
| BoldFlood LED | Flood and wall wash rather than accent. |
| CorePro LED Mini Cylinder | Mini cylinder with a range of CRI and CCT options. |
| Core | General purpose, 1050 lm, 90 CRI, 3000K. |
| Performance | Selectable CCT and two output levels — useful when the CCT is still being argued about at submittal. |
| Gimbal LED | Takes a 250W PAR-38 lamp. |
| Par Ring | Accessory ring. |
If you are adding heads to existing track, the profile is the first question, not the head. Photograph the track section end-on and send it with the schedule.
The job this line keeps winning here
Renovating a building that is already full of Lightolier
South Florida built a great deal between 1970 and 2005, and a large share of the specification-grade downlighting that went into it was Lightolier. Those buildings are now on their second or third interior. The recurring job is not a new tower — it is a lobby, a corridor or a floor of offices where the ceiling is staying and the fixtures are not.
That is a favorable position for this line for reasons that have nothing to do with lumens:
- Aperture match. ModuLyte reaches 8 in and LyteCaster covers 4, 5 and 6 in. Old openings tend to be large, and a family that stops at 6 in forces patching that nobody budgeted.
- A published retrofit path. Calculite gen 3 lists a retrofit configuration for legacy luminaires. That is a factory answer rather than a field improvisation.
- Shallow frames. LyteCaster is 3-1/2 in. In a renovation the plenum is whatever it is, and depth is usually what kills a substitution.
- No plenum at all. SlimSurface is 5/8 in on a J-box, which is the honest answer in concrete construction where there is nothing above the slab.
- Dimming that meets what is already there. Phase, 0-10V, DALI, DMX and Lutron EcoSystem are all on the Calculite sheet, so the existing control system usually does not have to be replaced with the fixtures.
The honest limit: on a straightforward new-construction interior with no legacy constraint, this line competes on merit like any other and sometimes loses on price. It is strongest exactly where the building is already telling you what will fit.
Questions
Questions I get about Lightolier
Is Lightolier still in business?
Yes. Lightolier is a Signify brand, made by Genlyte Solutions, and it is on my line card for Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe. The confusion usually comes from the naming rather than the brand: some of the names people specify from memory are no longer what the current catalog calls things, which is what the translation table at the top of this page is for.
Is Lytecaster discontinued?
No. LyteCaster LED is current, in 4, 5 and 6 inch apertures in round and square, up to 2000 lumens, on a shallow 3-1/2 inch frame, plus a 3 inch LyteCaster LED Accent. It is the one legacy Lightolier name that carried straight through to the LED catalog.
What replaced Lytespan track?
The current Genlyte track-lighting page lists Basic and Advent track systems and sells heads under OmniSpot, Alcyon, MS Series, LumaShine, BoldFlood, CorePro, Core, Performance, Gimbal and Par Ring. Lytespan is not named there. I have not seen a written end-of-life bulletin, so if you are matching existing Lytespan track, send me a photo of the track profile end-on and I will confirm with the factory what mates to it rather than guess.
Is Calculite IC rated?
The 4 inch square Calculite LED gen 3 is non-IC and caps ceiling thickness at 2 inches. LyteCaster LED is cULus listed Type I.C. If there is insulation over the plenum, that difference decides the family before anything else does. Other Calculite apertures vary, so I check the specific sheet at quote.
What is AccuRender?
It is Signify’s name for the color-rendering package on these families. The published figures are Ra up to 94 CRI, R9 up to 67, Rf up to 92 on TM-30, and color consistency of 2 SDCM or better. The brochure also claims up to 25% more energy savings against a competitor 90 CRI product, which is their comparison against an unnamed product — useful as a starting point, not as submittal language.
Can Lightolier run on my existing dimming system?
Usually. The Calculite gen 3 sheet lists 0-10V to 1%, DALI to 0.1%, DMX with RDM to 0.1%, Lutron EcoSystem in both PEQ0 and LDE1, EldoLED Solo, and electronic phase forward and reverse. LyteCaster is narrower: phase control at 120V and 0-10V at 120-277V. Send me the control system with the schedule and I will tell you which driver code you need.
Are Lightolier fixtures Buy American compliant?
The Calculite gen 3 sheet lists BAC and BABAF compliant options, meaning it depends on the configuration rather than the family. If the job is federally funded, send me the specification language and I will get written confirmation from the factory for the exact catalog number.
What is the warranty?
Five years on both LyteCaster LED and Calculite LED gen 3 as published. Terms change between sheet revisions, so I confirm against the current sheet at quote rather than quoting a blanket figure.
Can you get Lightolier pricing outside South Florida?
No. SESCO holds this line for Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe and I am the rep here. For a job elsewhere I will point you to the agency that holds it in that territory.
What do you need from me to price a Lightolier package?
The fixture schedule and the reflected ceiling plan. For a renovation, also tell me the existing aperture size, the plenum depth, whether there is insulation above the ceiling, and what dimming system is already in the building. Those four answers usually decide the family before the lumen package does.
Next step
Send me the schedule, and the old drawing if you have it
If the set carries legacy Lightolier types, send those pages too. Half the work on a renovation is translating what was there into what builds now, and I would rather do that before it is a submittal problem than after.
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