Lighting Spec Sheets and IES Files: Submittal Guide

Make each document answer one review question

A specifying engineer needs a package that connects the selected fixture to the calculation, installation and procurement record. A cut sheet is the starting point, not the entire submittal. Each document answers a different question and should identify the same configuration.

The specification sheet summarizes the product's published characteristics and options. A photometric file supplies distribution data for lighting calculations. An installation document addresses the permitted assembly and connections. Listing or qualification evidence answers its own defined question. None automatically supplies the information missing from another.

Start with the fixture tag used on the drawings. Under that tag, identify the model, optic, wattage setting, CCT, voltage, mounting and accessories. Reviewers should not have to infer those selections from highlighted paragraphs on several unrelated sheets.

If the schedule only names a family, close the configuration gap before running a final calculation or approving an alternate. Otherwise, the designer may calculate one item, purchasing may order another and the installer may receive a third.

Understand the photometric file and its limits

The IES standards directory identifies LM-63 as a format for electronic transfer of photometric data and related information. It also identifies LM-79 as an optical and electrical measurement method for solid-state lighting products. A file format and a test method serve different purposes.

A polar diagram helps a reader understand distribution, but a picture of that diagram is not the electronic file used by calculation software. Request the underlying configuration-matched data when the design needs it.

Keep the original file name and supplied revision in the record. Add your project tag without removing the source identity.

Match the file to the selected setting and optic

Check the model identity and the configuration represented in the file or associated report. Compare output, input power, optic and any stated color condition with the proposed schedule. If those fields differ, ask the supplier to explain the relationship before using the data.

For field-selectable equipment, the highest-output setting is not automatically the selected installation condition. Nor should the designer assume every optic has the same distribution at a different wattage. Document any scaling method and its basis; do not quietly edit the file until its numbers resemble the schedule.

The AR07 area-light page includes separate model rows and distribution information. The MFP01 flat-panel page includes separate sizes and selectable settings. Use those product pages to identify the candidate configuration, then verify which photometric evidence corresponds to it.

An emergency configuration needs its own review of emergency output. A normal-operation file cannot establish the battery-backed condition without an appropriate documented basis. Keep normal and emergency calculation inputs visibly separate so the reviewer can assess each operating mode.

Give the designer a site, not just a fixture count

A useful calculation request includes the geometry and visual tasks. Provide plans, dimensions, mounting heights, fixture orientation and obstructions. Identify the actual task surfaces, including vertical targets where relevant. A floor-only calculation may miss the surfaces occupants need to see.

Include the criteria supplied by the responsible designer, such as maintained illumination, uniformity or boundary requirements. Do not substitute a generic target found on a product page. State the light-loss assumptions and operating mode used in the review.

For a warehouse, identify racks and aisle geometry. For an exterior project, identify boundaries, surrounding uses and mounting orientation. For a ceiling replacement, identify changes to partitions or task locations. Those details can change the useful result even when the fixture count remains unchanged.

Our product data is not a completed project lighting design. We do not publish project parking-lot photometric layouts. Request the available fixture documents and arrange the project calculation with the responsible designer before using a preliminary count as an order quantity.

Compare an approved equal through documented differences

An alternate needs a comparison against the actual specification. Similar wattage, lumens or housing shape alone does not establish equivalence. Create a deviations schedule so the reviewer can see both matching fields and unresolved differences.

• Drawing tag, specified requirement, proposed exact model and all selected options.
• Output and distribution, calculation results, color information and the stated light-loss basis.
• Dimensions, mounting, supply, control interface and any emergency accessory requirements.
• Environmental limits, required model evidence and the current document revision for each claim.
• Every departure from the specification, with the designated reviewer's disposition and date.

Use our cross-reference request to identify a candidate, then complete the project review. A proposed comparison is not an approval by the engineer or owner. Keep the original specification attached so the team can evaluate the same requirement.

After acceptance, issue one coordinated package to purchasing and installation. Remove ambiguity about superseded options while preserving the review history. At closeout, record the installed settings and any approved field changes against the same fixture tags.

Find posted documents in Resources, or start from the commercial lighting catalog.

Related guides

• Field-Selectable LED Wattage and CCT: Ordering Guide
• Federal Lighting Documents: TAA, Buy American and BABA
• LED Lifetime: L70, LM-80 and TM-21 Explained

Request configuration-matched design documents.

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