How to Choose the Most Suitable Lamp Post Height?

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How to Choose the Most Suitable Lamp Post Height

Do you know the standard lamp post height for different applications? Some people don’t, and others can only find a general range of height. But which value is the best height for your street lights? This passage can offer you the standards for different kinds of street lights and guide you in deciding the most suitable lamp post height.

Roadway street lights

  • Standard

For freeways, expressways, etc., the height of the street lights should be 10-15 meters for 10 to 15-meter roads.

  • What to consider when choosing the height
  1. Road width: Higher street lights can cast the light for a longer distance. If the roads in your project are wider than the standard ones, you can consider higher street lights.
  2. Placement of the lights:
    • Single-side: Height≥Road width
    • Staggered: Height≥0.7*Road width
    • Opposite: Height≥0.5*Road width
  3. Light uniformity: Since the illumination area of higher street lights is wider, the lighting is more uniform. This is especially crucial for roadways. Uneven lighting will lead to visual fatigue and affect the safety of driving. Besides, if the street lights are too low, there will be blind spots on the roads because the light cannot cover them.

Decorative street lights

  • Standard

These street lights can be found in parks and landscapes where the lighting requirements are not very high. In addition to providing illumination, decorative street lights can also beautify the streets. 3–5 meters is enough for them to light up the parks whose roads are 3–5 meters wide. This can be the same for residential areas with narrow streets.

  • What to consider when choosing the height
  1. Safety: The height of the street lights should be appropriate to ensure safety. Lighting uniformity is generally more important than brightness, so the street lights should not be too high. If you use lower street lights, they should be closer to each other. In addition, high street lights may have weaker wind resistance, which is a threat to passersby.
  2. Lighting effect: At some places, people apply vintage lamp posts as a part of the landscape. Lower street lights bring out the best of the lighting effect.
  3. Animal protection: Street lights may violate the physiological routine of the animals, especially the birds. Therefore, the street lights should not be too high in these parks, where many animals live.

Parking lot lamp post height

  • Standard

The typical height of parking lot street lights can be 6-12 meters.

  • What to consider when choosing the height
  1. Size: The range of height is wide for parking lot lights because the size of parking lots is different. For your reference, a 6-meter-high street light may cover an area with a width of 15 meters and a length of 9 meters. The area the street lights cover varies depending on their lighting distribution scheme. For large parking lots, 15-20-meter-high mast lights can also be an ideal choice.
  2. Safety: Parking lot safety is as essential as that of roadways and parks, and they all emphasize lighting uniformity. On the one hand, the drivers need to see clearly while entering the parking lots and parking their cars. Higher street lights can also prevent glare. On the other hand, the uniform lighting high street lights provide can help combat theft.

Lamp post height for industrial areas

  • Standard

The street lights in some special areas, like the ports, are extremely high. Their height can range from 20 to 50 meters. For some regular areas, like the logistics parks, they can use regular 10 to 15-meter street lights.

industrial lamp post height
  • What to consider when choosing the height

Some street lights need to be high enough to provide sufficient and uniform light because industrial areas often cover a large area. But if the area is not as large, you can consider choosing shorter ones. Street lights in industrial areas often need to be resistant to corrosion, smoke, moisture, vibration, impact, etc., so the materials they use are expensive. If shorter street lights can fulfill your requirements, choosing them can save more money.

Conclusions

In the above passage, we talk about how to choose the best height for different street lights. The height is not a fixed value because the installation areas are various. Deciding the most suitable height is helpful to create optimal lighting. Use our calculator to easily calculate the height and spacing of your lights! While choosing the street lights, height is only one of the factors to consider. To learn more, you can visit other blogs on our website or contact us at any time!

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Victor Guo

Lead electrical engineer with 17+ years of experience designing electrical street lighting systems, monitoring electrical-related work at site, and discussing proposal and lighting implementation options. Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Knowledgeable in LED lighting design, project management, safety and compliance.
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