Lighting is often specified late in the design of a new steel mill, foundry, heat-treatment plant, or chemical processing facility. By that stage, structural layouts are fixed, production equipment has been selected, and the electrical design is already well advanced. Lighting can end up being treated as a relatively simple procurement item: choose a high bay, calculate the quantity, and move on.
That works fine in standard commercial buildings. Not so much in places where lighting fixtures may spend years at air temperatures of 60–80°C (140–176°F), buried in dust and fumes, subjected to vibration, washdown, and in-use maintenance while manufacturing demands 24/7 production.
An industrial high bay in a warehouse setting may seem to operate normally when installed, but stressing the fixture outside of its rated thermal range will age the driver faster, shorten lamp life (lumen depreciation), accelerate seal failures and activate other modes of failure. When the plant comes online, it’s too late to correct these errors cheaply. Lights may be hard to reach, production areas may need to be locked down, and altering the lighting layout may require new wiring, mounts, or even structural changes.
For a new industrial project, the better approach is to treat high-temperature industrial lighting as part of the engineering design from the beginning.
That means understanding the environment zone by zone, matching fixture type and optics to the actual space, planning for future maintenance, confirming product documentation, and considering energy and controls over the full operating life of the facility.
ACE’s CHB Series High Temperature High Bay Light and ELHB Series LED Linear High Bay Light are designed for two different types of high-temperature industrial zones and provide useful examples of how this specification process can be approached.
The first mistake to avoid is specifying one temperature requirement for the entire building.
A new industrial plant rarely has one uniform thermal environment.
The air around a furnace may be significantly hotter than the general production floor. Heat can accumulate close to the roof. Fixtures near kilns, reactors, hot ducts, casting equipment, or exhaust systems may experience conditions very different from lights only a few meters away.
That is why the temperature that matters most is the ambient temperature at the fixture mounting position, not simply the temperature measured where operators stand.
During the design stage, the engineering team should identify the normal and expected peak temperature for each lighting zone, together with the location and intensity of nearby radiant heat sources. It is also useful to consider whether production will run continuously, whether high temperatures occur only during certain cycles, and how much airflow exists around the proposed fixture location.
A reasonable engineering margin should be built into the specification rather than selecting a fixture whose maximum rating exactly matches the expected peak temperature.
For zones approaching 80°C, a purpose-designed high-temperature fixture is required.
The ACE CHB Series High Temperature High Bay Light is designed for ambient temperatures up to 80°C (176°F) and is intended for large, open industrial areas such as furnace bays, foundry halls, and other high-temperature production spaces.
The high-temperature version of the ACE ELHB Series LED Linear High Bay Light is also designed for ambient temperatures up to 80°C, making it suitable for production lines, equipment corridors, and more complex layouts.
The important point is not simply the temperature number itself. The complete luminaire—LED modules, driver, housing, seals, optics, wiring, and other components—must be designed around that operating condition.
High-temperature industrial areas are rarely hot and clean.
A foundry may contain metallic dust and soot. A chemical processing area may expose luminaires to moisture or corrosive vapor. A heat-treatment line may combine oil mist with thermal cycling. Certain production zones may also require regular washdown.
These environmental conditions should appear directly in the lighting specification.
For a dry but dusty high-temperature area, an IP65 solution may be appropriate. Where the fixture will be exposed to stronger water jets, washdown, or heavier environmental contamination, IP66 protection may be preferable.
Material selection matters just as much as the IP number.
The CHB Series uses IP65-rated optics and a Fluoro-Elastomer FKM lens gasket. The fixture also incorporates heavy-duty anodized aluminum construction and corrosion-resistant treatment, with optional glass lens configurations for applications requiring additional optical protection.
The ELHB Series uses IP66 construction with tempered glass and a smooth rear surface designed to resist dust and dirt accumulation.
That smooth surface is particularly useful in new plants where the environment is expected to contain fine dust. Dust buildup is not merely a cleaning problem. When particulate matter accumulates on thermal surfaces, it can interfere with heat dissipation and raise the operating temperature of internal components.
For chemically aggressive applications, however, project engineers should go further than simply calling for IP65 or IP66. The actual material compatibility of the fixture—including coatings, seals, glass, fasteners, cable entries, and mounting hardware—should be checked against the chemicals present in the facility.
Ingress protection and chemical resistance are related, but they are not the same specification.
One of the advantages of specifying lighting for a new project is that the layout can be designed properly before installation.
This is also where many projects go wrong.
A steel mill or chemical plant may contain open production halls, conveyor lines, pipe corridors, inspection points, elevated platforms, maintenance aisles, and machinery-dense zones in the same building.
Trying to illuminate all of them with one fixture type usually results in compromises.
The CHB Series High Temperature High Bay Light is particularly well suited to large, high-ceiling areas requiring substantial overhead illumination.
It delivers up to 73,000 lumens and efficacy up to 220 lm/W, making it appropriate for open furnace areas, foundry bays, forging spaces, and similar zones where broad, high-output illumination is required.
The ELHB Series LED Linear High Bay Light is better suited to areas where the lighting needs to follow the production process.
Its independently adjustable modules and multiple optical configurations allow light to be directed toward specific work areas rather than relying on one fixed distribution.
That can be especially useful around conveyor lines, equipment faces, inspection stations, control panels, pipework, and other areas where machinery creates shadows.
The ELHB can reach up to 200 lm/W, and its adjustable architecture gives lighting designers greater freedom to shape the distribution around the actual plant geometry.
In many new projects, the most practical solution is not to choose between CHB and ELHB for the entire facility. It is to use both where each makes the most sense.
Wattage should not be the starting point for an industrial lighting specification.
A 200 W fixture is not automatically “better” than a 150 W fixture, and a higher lumen package does not guarantee better working illumination.
The lighting designer needs to consider mounting height, fixture spacing, beam distribution, equipment obstructions, surface reflectance, required illuminance, and uniformity.
For a new industrial project, the supplier should be able to provide IES photometric files so the proposed system can be modeled before installation.
This allows the project team to see whether there will be dark areas around machinery, whether inspection points receive adequate light, and whether some areas are unnecessarily over-lit.
ACE has in-house lighting designers who can support project-specific photometric layouts and optical selection.
That design work can be particularly valuable with ELHB because the adjustable modules create more possibilities for directing light around equipment and production lines.
A well-designed layout can often reduce the number of fixtures or the installed wattage while producing better working conditions than a simple “lumens per square meter” calculation.
Lighting maintenance is easy to underestimate during construction.
Once the plant is operating, a high-bay fixture may be positioned above a live production line, hot process equipment, or an area that requires special permits and access equipment.
Every future lighting intervention can involve lifts, shutdown coordination, work-at-height procedures, and additional safety controls.
That is why serviceability should be part of the original specification.
The ELHB Series uses a modular design that allows LED modules and power-supply modules to be serviced separately rather than automatically replacing the complete fixture.
For a new facility, this can influence not only fixture selection but also maintenance access planning.
The project team should decide in advance which luminaires can be reached from catwalks, where lift access will be required, whether fixtures can be serviced from below, and whether mounting hardware permits safe removal of serviceable components.
The ELHB also offers field-adjustable power, which can reduce the number of separate fixture variants required across the project. Depending on the configuration, ACE states that SKU count can be reduced by up to 80%.
That can simplify spare-stock planning once the plant enters operation.
The CHB takes a more straightforward heavy-duty approach, making it suitable for large open areas where the priority is robust high-temperature operation and reduced maintenance frequency.
A new-build project provides an opportunity that retrofit projects often lack: controls can be planned from the beginning.
Not every high-temperature zone needs sensors or automated dimming, but some can benefit from them.
Secondary aisles, storage spaces, maintenance areas, or zones with useful daylight may not need full output continuously. Production-critical areas may require stable illumination whenever equipment is running.
The ELHB Series supports pluggable sensors, together with field-adjustable wattage and CCT.
This gives the project team the option to incorporate control capability during initial commissioning or leave the infrastructure ready for later upgrades.
The important point is to decide early.
If sensor locations, control wiring, emergency behavior, or network architecture are ignored until the plant is nearly complete, adding smart control later can become much more expensive.
For new projects, lighting controls should be coordinated with the building automation and electrical teams instead of being treated as a separate accessory.
High-temperature industrial facilities often operate for long hours, so energy consumption becomes a major lifecycle cost.
The CHB Series reaches up to 220 lm/W, while the ELHB Series reaches up to 200 lm/W.
Higher efficacy reduces electrical consumption, but it also has a second advantage in high-temperature applications: less unnecessary input power means less self-generated thermal load for the fixture to manage.
That does not replace good thermal design, but it helps.
For a project expected to operate for decades, the lighting specification should consider annual operating hours, local electricity cost, control strategy, and expected maintenance rather than comparing fixtures only by purchase price.
The cheapest luminaire on the initial bill of materials is not necessarily the least expensive lighting system over the life of the plant.
New-build projects sometimes swing too far in either direction.
Some specifications are too loose, allowing ordinary industrial fixtures into environments that clearly require high-temperature equipment.
Others become unnecessarily rigid, requiring every fixture in the building to have the highest possible temperature rating and IP protection even where those conditions do not exist.
Both approaches waste money.
A better specification separates the facility into zones and assigns requirements according to real exposure.
For example, an open furnace bay may justify an 80°C-rated CHB with heavy-duty construction.
A hot production line exposed to dust and washdown may be better served by an 80°C-rated IP66 ELHB.
A cooler utility or storage area may not require either.
This zone-based approach improves both cost control and technical suitability.
High temperature and high IP ratings do not automatically make a luminaire suitable for a classified hazardous location.
This distinction is particularly important in chemical, petrochemical, solvent-handling, powder-processing, and combustible-dust environments.
An 80°C ambient rating describes temperature capability.
An IP65 or IP66 rating describes dust and water ingress protection.
Neither automatically means the fixture is approved for use where flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dust may create an explosive atmosphere.
If the project contains classified areas, the lighting must meet the appropriate hazardous-location requirements for the applicable jurisdiction and zone or class/division system.
This requirement should be identified during the early design stage, not after the lighting fixtures have already been selected.
For a capital project, claims such as “high-temperature resistant” should not be accepted without supporting documentation.
The lighting specification should define what suppliers need to submit.
Typical documentation may include high-temperature operating data, product test reports, photometric files, electrical data, ingress-protection documentation, lumen-maintenance information, drawings, mounting information, and the certifications required for the project.
ACE supports product development and validation through its CNAS-accredited laboratory, together with in-house R&D, mold development, manufacturing, and quality management.
The exact North American or European certifications required should always be confirmed for the specific product model, market, and project rather than assumed from general brand-level claims.
That point matters in a professional specification.
The correct question is not “Does the manufacturer have UL, CE, or other certifications somewhere in its product range?”
It is:
“Does the exact fixture and configuration proposed for this project have the approvals and documentation required by this project?”
High-temperature lighting cannot be designed effectively in isolation.
Mechanical engineers know where hot exhaust will travel.
Process engineers know which production lines may be reconfigured.
Structural engineers know where luminaires can be mounted safely.
Maintenance teams know which locations will be difficult to reach after commissioning.
These groups should be involved before the lighting layout is frozen.
A fixture positioned directly in a furnace exhaust plume may experience very different conditions from another light in the same room.
Similarly, a linear high bay placed above a future conveyor may become difficult to service once equipment is installed.
The earlier these conflicts are identified, the cheaper they are to resolve.
A simple fixture schedule can make the specification much clearer.
| Project zone | Recommended ACE solution | Main reason |
|---|---|---|
| Large open furnace or foundry bays | CHB Series High Temperature High Bay Light | Up to 80°C, up to 73,000 lm, up to 220 lm/W, IP65 optics, FKM gasket, heavy-duty construction |
| Steel mill or heat-treatment production lines | ELHB Series LED Linear High Bay Light | Up to 80°C, IP66, adjustable modules, modular servicing, up to 200 lm/W |
| Conveyor aisles and equipment corridors | ELHB Series | Linear distribution, directional control, field-adjustable power |
| Washdown-prone hot process zones | ELHB Series | IP66 tempered-glass construction |
| Large mixed-layout industrial halls | CHB + ELHB combination | CHB for open-area coverage; ELHB for production-oriented zones |
This kind of matrix is much more useful to contractors and procurement teams than a generic note saying “use high-temperature LED fixtures.”
The specification should not end when the fixtures arrive on site.
Commissioning is the point where the design assumptions are checked against reality.
After installation, the project team should verify that fixtures are mounted in the intended locations, optics and module angles are set correctly, control settings match the design, and measured illuminance is consistent with the approved photometric study.
It is also a good time to confirm that the fixtures are not unexpectedly exposed to direct radiant heat, blocked airflow, or newly installed process equipment.
For field-adjustable products such as ELHB, wattage and CCT settings should be documented so maintenance teams know the original commissioning configuration.
This reduces confusion years later when components are serviced or fixtures are replaced.
The two ACE platforms solve different problems.
The CHB Series is a heavy-duty high-temperature high bay for large, open areas that need substantial overhead light.
Its key characteristics include operation up to 80°C, heavy-duty anodized aluminum construction, FKM sealing, IP65-rated optics, optional glass configurations, output up to 73,000 lumens, and efficacy up to 220 lm/W.
The ELHB Series is better suited to linear and complex production spaces.
Its high-temperature version supports operation up to 80°C and adds IP66 tempered-glass protection, a smooth dust-resistant backside, independently adjustable modules, replaceable LED and power-supply modules, field-adjustable power, sensor compatibility, flexible mounting, and efficacy up to 200 lm/W.
For a new steel mill, foundry, heat-treatment facility, or chemical plant, using the two products selectively can provide a more coherent lighting system than forcing a single high-bay format into every part of the building.
ACE focuses on industrial, commercial, and agricultural lighting, including harsh-environment and high-temperature applications.
For years, ACE has provided ODM and OEM services for established European and North American brands. Product design, R&D, mold development, production, testing, and quality management are supported by in-house teams.
ACE also operates a CNAS-accredited laboratory and has in-house lighting designers who can assist with fixture selection, photometric layouts, optical configuration, mounting strategy, and project-specific customization.
For a new-build industrial project, that engineering support is often as important as the fixture itself.
A successful specification needs to connect product performance with the actual plant layout, thermal environment, operating schedule, maintenance strategy, and regulatory requirements.
The best time to solve high-temperature lighting problems is before the plant is built.
Once production begins, every mistake becomes more expensive.
A poorly chosen fixture may require lifts, electrical work, shutdown coordination, and new lighting calculations to replace. A poorly designed layout can create dark areas around machinery that are difficult to correct. Missing control infrastructure may require rewiring. Inadequate maintenance access can remain a problem for the life of the facility.
A good high-temperature industrial lighting specification avoids those problems by asking the right questions early:
How hot will each fixture location really become? What contaminants will be present? Which zones need broad coverage and which need directional light? How will the fixtures be serviced? What controls will be required? What documentation must the supplier provide?
Answer those questions during design, and the lighting becomes part of the facility infrastructure rather than a problem waiting to appear after commissioning.
For large open high-temperature zones, ACE’s CHB Series High Temperature High Bay Light provides the output and heavy-duty construction these spaces demand.
For production lines and complex industrial layouts, the ELHB Series LED Linear High Bay Light adds IP66 protection, adjustable optics, modular servicing, and control flexibility.
Together, they provide a practical foundation for designing a high-temperature lighting system around the actual needs of a new industrial project.
To learn more about ACE’s high-temperature industrial lighting solutions:
https://www.aceledlight.com/high-temperature-industrial-lighting-solutions/
