LED Flood Lights vs Spotlights: Which is Better for Your Lighting Design?

When designing landscape lighting, it's important to consider various types of lights that will help achieve the desired effect. Whether it's enhancing the visual appeal of your yard, highlighting key features, improving safety, or directing traffic, you may use a combination of wall washes, spotlights, floodlights, and streetlights. Among these, spotlights and floodlights are the most common lighting choices. However, understanding the differences between the two and determining which one suits your needs can be challenging. To add more complexity, one manufacturer’s spotlight may be another’s floodlight. Therefore, understanding beam angles and how they affect lighting design is essential.

Outdoor LED Stadium Flood Light for Tennis Courts

Table of Contents

Outdoor Flood Lighting: What are Spotlights?
Outdoor Flood Lighting: What are Floodlights?
The Difference Between Floodlights and Spotlights
Conclusion

1. Outdoor Flood Lighting: What are Spotlights?

Spotlights typically have a narrow beam angle, often no more than 45 degrees, with some even as narrow as 25 degrees. These lights are used to direct light at a specific object or area, such as highlighting a statue, tree, or architectural feature. For example, a spotlight above a garage door or directed at a feature in your garden are typical applications.

Spotlights are ideal when you want to limit the light to a small, defined area. They are commonly used in landscape lighting designs where both light and shadow are used to create a dramatic effect. Since spotlights allow you to precisely direct the light, they are perfect for designs that require focus on specific features without spilling light onto neighboring areas or causing light pollution.

2. Outdoor Flood Lighting: What are Floodlights?

Floodlights, in contrast, have a wider beam angle than spotlights, typically ranging from 45 to 120 degrees. They are designed to illuminate larger areas, such as a parking lot, large deck, or patio. The primary function of a floodlight is to provide even, diffuse light over a wide area.

Floodlights are not meant for highlighting specific objects. Instead, they are used for general illumination of large spaces, such as driveways, gardens, or outdoor events. If you are aiming to create the effect of moonlight washing over your garden or patio, floodlights are the ideal choice, especially when mounted on structures like trees or buildings.

To simplify the distinction: spotlights focus light on a specific object or area, while floodlights are used to light up a broader area. This can be a key consideration when planning your lighting design.

3. The Differences Between Floodlights and Spotlights

3.1 Form of Illumination

Floodlights emit a highly diffuse light that spreads in all directions, covering a large area within the light’s range.
Spotlights, on the other hand, produce a focused beam of light that can be directed precisely at a specific target or area, minimizing light spill and glare.

3.2 Beam Angle

The beam angle (also called beam pattern) is the primary difference between floodlights and spotlights. It refers to the width of the light emission or distribution, i.e., the angle at which the light spreads. The beam angle determines the intensity of the light at various distances and is crucial for selecting the right lighting for your project.

Spotlights have narrow beam angles (usually under 45 degrees). These lights provide a focused beam, ideal for specific features such as sculptures, doorways, or trees.
Floodlights offer wider beam angles (greater than 45 degrees), which are suitable for general illumination of large areas like lawns or parking lots.

While knowing the beam angle helps, it’s even more helpful to understand the beam width at a given distance. You can calculate the beam width using the following formula:

Beam Angle x 0.018 x Distance from bulb = Beam Width

For example:

A 120-degree floodlight placed 10 feet from the target will have a beam width of:
120° x 0.018 x 10 feet = 21.6 feet wide.
A 40-degree spotlight placed 20 feet from the target will have a beam width of:
40° x 0.018 x 20 feet = 14.4 feet wide.

This formula helps in planning the coverage area and ensuring you get the desired lighting effect for your space.

4. Conclusion

Hongzhun offers a wide range of floodlights with varying beam angles, including 25°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, and 120° options, as well as polarized lenses for custom lighting effects. While Hongzhun refers to any light with a beam angle of 25°, 30°, or 45° as a floodlight, these lights technically fit the spotlight category based on their narrower beam. True floodlights at Hongzhun have beam angles of 60°, 90°, or 120°.

A real-world example of this distinction can be seen in sports lighting, such as for soccer fields. A typical soccer field (105x68m) requires uniform illumination across the field. To meet this, different beam angles are used on the poles: narrower angles are used for longer distances, while wider angles are used for areas with shorter distances. This ensures the field is evenly lit without over-illumination.

In short, while some products may be labeled as floodlights but technically function as spotlights, understanding your specific lighting needs—whether you require focused light on a small area or broad illumination for a larger space—is key to selecting the right lighting solution.

Explore Hongzhun' best-selling floodlight series, perfect for both floodlighting and spotlighting, depending on your specific project requirements.

Project：
Integrated Solar Street Light in Commercial Street Light in Algeria
400W 1000W High Mast LED Stadium Flood Light from 2018 In Vietnam
150W 200W LED Solar Street Light in South Africa
150W Solar Street Light Outdoor on Residential Area in Nigeria
Split Type Solar Power Street Light in The Philippines in 2024