LED High Bay Lights: How to Choose the Right Fixture for Warehouses and Industrial Spaces

If your warehouse, shop, or gym still runs metal halide or T5HO fluorescent high bays, you are paying more than you need to — and getting less usable light than a modern LED fixture can deliver.

LED high bay lights cut energy use by 50–75%, last 50,000 hours or more, and turn on instantly. The hard part is not deciding to upgrade. It is matching the fixture style, wattage, and controls to the space so the job performs on day one.

At LeanLight, we stock UFO and linear high bays, HID retrofit lamps, and high-bay occupancy sensors for contractors, facility managers, and wholesale buyers. This guide walks through the decisions that keep a project on budget and on spec.

What Is a High Bay Light?

High bay lighting is designed for ceilings roughly 15 feet and higher. Typical applications include warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing floors, gymnasiums, aircraft hangars, big-box retail, and agricultural buildings.

Low bay fixtures cover the same idea at lower mounting heights (usually under 15–20 feet). Many of the UFO fixtures we carry work as both high bay and low bay when you select a lower wattage.

The goal is even light on the floor and in the racks — not just a bright spot under the fixture.

UFO vs. Linear High Bay: Which Style Fits the Space?

UFO (round) high bays

UFO fixtures are compact, circular, and easy to hang from a hook or pendant kit. They throw a wide, circular pattern, which works well in:

• Open-floor warehouses
• Manufacturing cells
• Gyms and multipurpose rooms
• Shops with mixed work zones

A wattage- and color-selectable UFO is the most flexible SKU to keep on a truck. The Euri Lighting EUHB-150W3000sw lets you set 100W, 120W, or 150W and 3500K / 4000K / 5000K on site. For a one-for-one swap of a 400W metal halide, the LeanLight 200W color-select UFO is built for that job. Taller bays and higher light levels often step up to the Euri 240W UFO.

Linear high bays

Linear fixtures spread light in a long rectangle. Use them when the building is organized in aisles:

• Pallet racking and pick modules
• Manufacturing lines
• Grocery and big-box retail
• Replacing 4-lamp or 6-lamp T5HO fluorescent high bays

The Halco LHB-2-WS-50-U is a good example: 110W / 135W / 160W selectable, 0–10V dimming, and about 22,000 lumens at the high setting — enough to replace a 400W HID or a 4-lamp T5HO high bay.

Quick rule: open floor → UFO. Long racks and aisles → linear.

Shop the full mix in our High Bays collection.

How Much Wattage Do You Need?

Do not copy the old HID wattage onto the purchase order. A 400W metal halide system often draws closer to 450W once you include ballast losses. A modern LED high bay in the 110–200W range usually matches or beats that light level.

Use mounting height as the starting point, then adjust for rack height, task type, and existing fixture spacing.

Ceiling height	Typical LED wattage	Rough lumen target	Common use
15–20 ft	100–150W	14,000–22,000 lm	Shops, low-bay industrial, retail
20–25 ft	150–200W	20,000–28,000 lm	Most warehouses
25–30 ft	160–240W	22,000–34,000 lm	Manufacturing, tall storage
30–40 ft+	200–240W+	30,000+ lm	Hangars, high-clearance plants

Selectable-wattage fixtures are worth the small premium. You can hang one model across a building and turn output down in packing areas or up over shipping docks without ordering three SKUs.

HID to LED swap chart

Existing fixture	Typical LED replacement	Energy cut
250W metal halide	80–150W LED high bay	~60–70%
400W metal halide	150–200W LED high bay	~50–65%
4-lamp T5HO fluorescent	110–160W linear LED high bay	~50–60%
750W–1000W metal halide	240W+ LED high bay	~60–70%

These are planning numbers, not a photometric study. For a large facility, send us a count of fixtures, mounting height, and hours of operation and we will help size the order.

Three Upgrade Paths (Pick One Before You Bid)

Not every job needs a new housing.

1. New LED high bay fixture
Best when the existing fixture is rusty, yellowed, missing a reflector, or hard to relamp. You get a new driver, new optics, and usually 0–10V dimming. This is the cleanest long-term choice for most warehouses.

2. LED corn bulb / HID retrofit lamp
Best when the housing and socket are still sound and you want a fast lamp-for-lamp swap. Bypass the ballast and screw in a Type B corn bulb or high-bay retrofit lamp. See our LED corn bulbs collection and the earlier guide, LED Corn Bulbs: The Complete Guide to Replacing HID Lighting.

3. LED tubes in an existing T5HO or T8 high bay
Best when the fluorescent housing is in good shape and you want a lower first cost. Use Type B (ballast bypass) or hybrid A+B tubes so you are not tied to a failing ballast.

If the customer is paying for a lift either way, a new fixture or a corn-bulb retrofit usually beats chasing old fluorescent parts.

Specs That Matter on the Purchase Order

• Lumens and efficacy, not just watts. Look for 130–150+ lumens per watt on professional fixtures.
• 120–277V input. Covers most commercial panels without a special driver.
• 0–10V dimming. Needed if you plan occupancy sensors or a lighting control system.
• Color temperature. 5000K is the warehouse standard. 4000K is easier on the eyes in shops that also do detailed work. Color-select fixtures cover both.
• CRI 80+. Fine for storage and production. Step up only if color matching is part of the work.
• DLC listing. Required by most utility rebate programs. Confirm the model is on the current QPL before you promise a rebate.
• IP65 / wet rating. Useful in wash-down, damp, and some outdoor high-bay installs.
• Mounting hardware. Hook, pendant, chain, and V-hook options should be confirmed before the lift shows up.

Add Occupancy Sensors and Keep Saving After the Retrofit

Aisles, storage rooms, and loading docks do not need full light 24 hours a day. Fixture-mount high-bay sensors commonly cut run time another 20–40% after the LED upgrade.

The Leviton OSFHU-ITW is a PIR sensor built for 8–40 ft mounting heights. It includes three lenses: 360° low bay, 360° high bay, and 180° aisle. Pair it with 0–10V dimmable high bays so lights drop to a low level instead of slamming full off in a working aisle.

Browse other line-voltage and low-voltage options in our Occupancy Sensors collection.

What the Savings Look Like

A simple example using planning numbers:

• 40 fixtures replacing 400W metal halide (~450W system) with 150W LED
• 12 hours per day, 6 days per week
• $0.12 per kWh

Old load: 40 × 0.450 kW × 3,744 hours ≈ 67,400 kWh ≈ $8,090 / year
New load: 40 × 0.150 kW × 3,744 hours ≈ 22,500 kWh ≈ $2,700 / year
Energy savings ≈ $5,390 per year, before you count lamp changes, lift rentals, or rebates.

Add a sensor package in low-traffic aisles and the payback shortens again. Many commercial jobs land in the 1–3 year range. Check your utility for DLC-based rebates — LeanLight’s resource page on state incentives and utility rebates is a good starting point.

Why Buy High Bay Lighting from LeanLight?

We are a family-owned distributor in Mount Vernon, Georgia. The job is not to push a single brand. It is to get the right fixture to the job site without the usual distributor runaround.

• UFO and linear high bays from LeanLight, Euri Lighting, Halco, and Keystone
• HID retrofit lamps when a new housing is not required
• Leviton high-bay sensors and everyday electrical accessories
• Fast, free standard shipping in the contiguous United States
• Quantity discounts at 2, 5, and 10+ of the same item, plus project quotes
• DLC-listed options for rebate paperwork
• 30-day satisfaction policy

Business accounts can apply for additional discounts with a W-9. Details are on our Lighting Discounts page.

Ready to Spec the Job?

Start with the High Bays collection. If you already know the ceiling height and existing fixture type, we can narrow it to two or three SKUs.

Need bulk pricing or help matching wattage?

• Email: customerservice@leanlight.com
• Phone: 1-800-514-1735

Tell us mounting height, fixture count, existing lamp type, and hours of operation. We will recommend a fixture, a retrofit lamp, or a mix — and ship from Georgia.

LeanLight — Lighting, Electrical, Expertise. Serving contractors and facilities with quality products and honest advice since our founding in Mount Vernon, Georgia.