LED Light Bulb Beam Angle Explained

Definition of Light Bulb Beam Angle

The beam angle is the degree of width that light emanates from a light source. Specifically: The angle between those points on opposite sides of the beam axis where the intensity drops to 50% of maximum.

LED lighting like most lights come with a variety of descriptions for the size of the area illuminated by the light bulb. Examples include LED flood light, LED spot light, narrow beam LED light, and wide beam LED strip lights. Each is a way of stating LED beam angle. Typically a narrow beam angle is a ‘spot’ of light and a broader beam angle ‘floods’ an area with light, called a flood light. LED beam angles are not used consistently by light bulb manufacturers. The information below is a summery of uses of the term beam angle. Please note that not all lamp shapes use the same terms.

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Names and Examples of Light Bulb Beam Angles

Description	Code	Typical MR16 Beam Angles	Typical PAR Beam Angles
Very narrow spot	VNSP	<7 degrees	<15 degrees
Narrow spot	NSP	5-15 degrees	15-30 degrees
Spot	SP	16-22 degrees	30-60 degrees
Narrow flood	NFL	23-32 degrees	60-90 degrees
Flood	FL	32-45 degrees	90-120 degrees
Wide flood	WFL	45-60 degrees	120-160 degrees
Very wide flood	VWFL	60+ degrees	>160 degrees

 

The actual angle assigned to each of these names differs from one bulb shape to another. For example, as you can see in the above table, an MR16 flood light is normally not as wide a beam angle as a PAR lamp flood light.

EagleLight LED lights use the following designations for describing beam angle of PAR and R bulbs:

 

• Narrow Spot: <30 degrees
• Spot: 30-45 degrees
• Narrow flood: 45-75 degrees
• flood: 75-120 degrees
• wide flood: 120+ degrees

 

EagleLight LED light bulbs use the following designations for describing beam angle of MR16 bulbs:

 

• Narrow Spot: 05-15 degrees
• Spot: 16-22 degrees
• Narrow flood: 23-32 degrees
• flood: 33-45 degrees
• wide flood: 45+ degrees