GARAGE

Which LED panel do you choose for a garage or workshop?

31 October 2026
4 min read
Welk led-paneel kies je voor een garage of werkplaats?

Choose a non-dimmable panel with IP44 and plenty of lumens per watt. In a garage the light goes on and off, nothing more, so dimmable is money wasted. Moisture and dust are there, though, and that is exactly what the IP rating is about.

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Three things that are different here than in the house

No atmosphere is needed. You want to see what you are doing. That means: choose for lumens, not for looks, and set the color temperature to neutral or cool rather than warm. You see colors and dirt better at 4000K than at 3000K.

It is colder and damper. An unheated garage gets close to the outdoor temperature in winter, and on a rainy day a wet car drives in. That causes condensation.

There is dust. Sawdust, grinding dust, tire wear. It settles on the light plate and eats into the light output over the years.

That is why IP44

IP44 means resistant to splashing water and to objects from one millimeter. For an indoor space where condensation can form and dust hangs, that is the sensible minimum. The difference with other ratings is in What is the difference between IP44 and IP65?

Three panels in our range have it: the Pura 60x60, the Pura 120x30 and the Vasto 120x60.

Which one for which space

For an ordinary single-car garage the Pura 60x60 is the logical choice: 4250 lumens from 25 watts, or 170 lumens per watt. That is the most efficient panel we carry, and in a space where the light is on for hours a day, that counts.

For a workshop or a double garage the Vasto 120x60 is more interesting: 6500 lumens from 50 watts from one fixture. With two of them you light a sizeable space without hanging a grid of small panels.

If you want to light a long, narrow space, the Pura 120x30 with 4000 lumens from 25 watts is the shape that suits it.

When a fluorescent-style tube is smarter

If there is already a fluorescent fixture on your garage ceiling, the cheapest route is often: replace the tube and leave the fixture. A 150 centimeter T8 tube gives 3190 lumens from 22 watts and costs a fraction of a panel.

That only works if the fixture is sound and you can take the ballast out. How to do that is in How do you convert a fluorescent fixture to LED?

If there is nothing there yet, a panel in a frame is neater and needs less maintenance than hanging a new fluorescent fixture.

Mounting without a suspended ceiling

A garage rarely has a suspended ceiling. So you need a surface-mounting frame, or you hang the panel from cables. Which situation calls for what is in When do you need a surface-mounting frame for an LED panel?

In a low garage, mind the height: a panel in a frame comes down a few centimeters, and with an up-and-over garage door above it, that can be just too much.

How much light

For working on the car or doing jobs, plan on more light than for parking alone. One Pura in a single garage is enough to park a car; if you want to work there, it is two, or one Vasto. The method is in How many LED panels do you need for an office?

Everything is in LED panels and LED tubes.

What IP rating does an LED panel in a garage need?

IP44. That is resistant to splashing water and to dust from one millimeter, enough for an unheated space with condensation and work dust. The Pura and the Vasto have that rating.

Is an LED panel or a tube cheaper for a garage?

If there is already a fluorescent fixture, replacing just the tube is cheapest: a 150 centimeter T8 gives 3190 lumens from 22 watts. If there is nothing yet, a panel is neater and needs less maintenance.

Does a garage panel need to be dimmable?

No. In a garage or workshop the light goes on and off. The non-dimmable version is ten to eleven euros cheaper and does exactly the same.