At a glance
| Group | Fields | Who relies on it | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Identity | 6 | Everyone | The sheet cannot be matched to the schedule. |
| B. Size and weight | 7 | Designer, engineers, installer | The fitting does not fit, or the fixing is designed for the wrong load. |
| C. Finish and glass | 7 | Designer, operator | Nothing to approve against or to clean by. |
| D. Light and driver | 11 | Lighting designer, engineer | Wrong lamp, wrong light level, no Part L inputs. |
| E. Electrical and control | 7 | Electrical engineer | Dimming that flickers; circuits sized by guesswork. |
| F. Compliance and papers | 8 | Specifier, contractor | No evidence the fitting may legally be supplied. |
| G. Fixing and access | 5 | Engineers, contractor | No safe way to hang, reach or lamp it. |
| H. Packing and spares | 5 | Procurement, site team | Breakage with no owner; no spares at handover. |
56 fields in all: 46 minimum and 10 best practice. The mock sheet in the drawing is illustrative; the studio has not published a template file.
The schedule is an index; the data sheet holds the facts
A luminaire schedule lists every fitting in the project, one line each. It is an index, in the same way as an FF&E schedule: it says what is wanted and where, and points to the documents that hold the detail. The detail for a luminaire lives in a data sheet, and for a catalogue product the maker has already written one.
A bespoke or decorative fitting made to order has no catalogue sheet. If the specification does not say what the supplier must write down, the supplier writes down what is easy, and the engineer, the contractor and the operator find the gaps one by one on site. This sheet lists 56 fields in eight groups. Each field has a level: minimum (46 fields) is what a lighting designer, electrical engineer and installer cannot do without, and best practice (10 fields) is what makes the fitting easier to calculate, maintain and replace.
Everything here is a checklist for specifiers. The glass and frame are made by partner workshops and coordinated through the studio, and each field below is something the workshop is asked to state, not something this sheet states for it. For the wider paperwork see luminaire conformity and the declaration of conformity; for glass see specifying Murano glass lighting.
An annotated data sheet
The drawing shows a mock sheet, not a real one, divided into the eight groups. Ask for one page per fitting type, revision-controlled, with the same eight blocks in the same order every time, so that the lighting designer and the electrical engineer always look in the same place.
The 56 fields, group by group
The 56 fields are in the tables below. Copy the field names into the project specification, or into the columns of a spreadsheet, and ask the supplier to complete every one. A field that does not apply is marked n/a with the reason, never left blank: a blank cannot be told from a forgotten field.
A. Identity (6 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Schedule reference | The code used on the luminaire schedule and the drawings, so that the sheet can be matched to its line. | Minimum |
| A2 | Manufacturer and address | The name, registered trade name or trade mark of the manufacturer, and one postal address at which it can be contacted. | Minimum |
| A3 | Model or serial identification | A type, batch or serial number, or another element that identifies the fitting. For a one-off, the drawing number and a serial number. | Minimum |
| A4 | Description | One line in the wording of the specification: what it is, in what finish, in what size. | Minimum |
| A5 | Revision and date | The revision of the sheet, its date, the drawing revision it refers to and who issued it. | Minimum |
| A6 | Quantity covered | How many fittings the sheet covers, so that a mixed order cannot share one sheet by mistake. | Minimum |
B. Size and weight (7 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | Overall height | In mm, from the underside of the canopy to the lowest point, with the definition written on the sheet. | Minimum |
| B2 | Drop | In mm, from the finished ceiling to the lowest point, and whether the chain or rod can be shortened on site. | Minimum |
| B3 | Overall width or diameter | In mm at the widest point, and whether cups, shades and lamps are included in it. | Minimum |
| B4 | Canopy | Size, depth and finish, and what sits behind it (fixing, wiring, driver). | Minimum |
| B5 | Suspension | Chain, rod or cable; material, finish and length; whether adjustable. | Minimum |
| B6 | Weight, complete and lamped | Declared by the supplier for the fitting as supplied, with a tolerance. Ask again as built. The structural engineer designs the fixing from it. | Minimum |
| B7 | Heaviest single part | The weight of the heaviest part to be lifted into place, for the lifting plan. | Best practice |
C. Finish and glass (7 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Frame material | The metal or timber of the frame and arms. | Minimum |
| C2 | Finish reference | The code in the finishes schedule, the approved sample it matches, and the process (plated, lacquered, patinated, painted). | Minimum |
| C3 | Glass or shade material | The glass type, with the crystal category only if it is claimed, or the shade or diffuser material. | Minimum |
| C4 | Technique and colour | The technique for each element type and the signed colour reference. | Minimum |
| C5 | Origin of each element | Where the glass and the frame were made, with the origin documents. See the sheet on genuine Murano. | Best practice |
| C6 | Acceptance criteria | A reference to the agreed limits for handmade variation and to the signed control piece. | Best practice |
| C7 | Cleaning and care | What may be used, by whom and how often, and which finishes will change with age. | Minimum |
D. Light and driver (11 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Light source type | Replaceable lamp, replaceable module or integral LED. | Minimum |
| D2 | Number and lamp base | How many light sources, and the lamp base of each. | Minimum |
| D3 | Maximum rating per holder | The most the maker allows per lamp holder, set for the glass and the wiring. This is a limit, not what physically fits. | Minimum |
| D4 | Lamps supplied | Whether lamps are included and, if so, their type; the specification for replacements. | Minimum |
| D5 | Input power | Total power drawn at full output, driver included, in watts. This is the circuit-watts figure. | Minimum |
| D6 | Light source lumens | The total light output of the light sources before any loss in the fitting, with the basis stated. | Minimum |
| D7 | Luminaire lumens | The light output of the fitting after its own losses, with the basis stated. | Best practice |
| D8 | Colour | Colour temperature in kelvin, a colour rendering figure and, for LED, the colour consistency between light sources (steps of a standard colour-matching measure). | Minimum |
| D9 | Driver | Type, where it sits, how it is reached and whether it can be replaced without taking the fitting apart. | Minimum |
| D10 | Photometric data | A light distribution file in a standard lighting-software format, for the lighting designer's calculations. | Best practice |
| D11 | Rated life | The rated life of the light source with the basis stated, and the availability of replacements. | Best practice |
E. Electrical and control (7 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | Supply | Rated voltage and frequency. | Minimum |
| E2 | Protection class and earthing | Class I, II or III, and how earthing is made where it applies. | Minimum |
| E3 | IP rating | The degree of protection and the environment it is meant for (for example, dry interiors only). | Minimum |
| E4 | Dimming | The protocols tested with this driver, the lowest dimming level, and written confirmation that it works with the project's control system. | Minimum |
| E5 | Wiring | Flex type and length, where it leaves the fitting and how it is terminated at the ceiling end. | Minimum |
| E6 | Inrush and power factor | The values the electrical engineer needs to size the circuit and the dimmer. | Best practice |
| E7 | Mounting surface and heat | Any limit on the surface the fitting may be fixed to, or on the distance to adjacent materials, as marked on the fitting. | Minimum |
F. Compliance and papers (8 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Marking | Which conformity marking the fitting carries: UKCA, CE or both. | Minimum |
| F2 | Declaration of conformity | A copy that names the regulations and standards applied, signed and dated. | Minimum |
| F3 | Standard and edition | The luminaire standard cited, BS EN IEC 60598-1 and the Part 2 for this type, with the edition and amendment. | Minimum |
| F4 | Test report | The test house, report number and date, and whether the report covers this fitting or a family or another model. | Minimum |
| F5 | Technical documentation | Confirmation that it exists, who holds it and for how long. | Best practice |
| F6 | Replaceability statement | Whether light sources and control gear can be replaced with commonly available tools without permanent damage, or the technical justification. | Minimum |
| F7 | Instructions | Installation, re-lamping and cleaning instructions in English. | Minimum |
| F8 | Importer | If the fitting is brought into Great Britain, the importer's name and postal address. | Minimum |
G. Fixing and access (5 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Fixing design reference | The fixing points, the declared weight the fixing is designed for, and the structure above. Designed by the structural engineer. | Minimum |
| G2 | Access | How lamps and the driver are reached and how the fitting is cleaned. | Minimum |
| G3 | Lowering gear | None, or the type and who maintains it. | Minimum |
| G4 | Setting-out data | Centre lines, where the cable leaves the ceiling and the depth of void needed. | Minimum |
| G5 | Commissioning checks | What is tested after hanging: lit test, dimming range, finish and glass inspection. | Best practice |
H. Packing and spares (5 fields)
| No. | Field | Ask for | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | Packed size and weight | For each crate, so that access and handling can be planned. | Minimum |
| H2 | Packing and breakage | The packing method and who is responsible for damage in transit. | Minimum |
| H3 | Programme | The time from written approval of the drawings and samples to delivery, confirmed by the workshop for this piece. | Minimum |
| H4 | Spares | Spare lamps, drivers, glass elements and finish touch-up, supplied or orderable, with reference numbers. | Best practice |
| H5 | Warranty | The terms agreed at the outset and what they cover: glass, finish, driver. | Minimum |
Fields that follow the regulations
Some fields are not only good practice. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 require a manufacturer, before placing electrical equipment on the market, to make sure it bears a type, batch or serial number or other identification, and is marked with the manufacturer's name, registered trade name or trade mark and a single postal address (regulation 8). They require instructions and safety information that are clear, legible and in easily understandable English (regulation 9, Great Britain). Schedule 1, paragraph 1(a), requires the essential characteristics that ensure safe use to be marked on the equipment or, if that is not possible, on an accompanying document. Fields A2, A3, E1 to E3 and F7 take their lead from these. Exactly which characteristics the luminaire standard requires on the rating plate is set by its marking clause, which we have not read: ask the supplier to supply a photograph of the rating plate instead of relying on this list.
Numbers need a basis; three fields carry the most risk
Numbers need a basis
A figure with no basis is a claim. Approved Document L (England) defines the terms its lighting tests use, and the two editions word them differently. The 2021 edition (Appendix A, pp. 84 and 87 to 88) defines circuit-watt as the power consumed in lighting circuits by lamps and, where applicable, their associated control gear, including transformers and drivers, and light source lumens as the sum of the average initial (100 hour) lumen output of all the light sources in a luminaire, excluding the luminaire's losses. Luminaire lumens is light source lumens multiplied by the light output ratio. The 2026 edition (pp. 86 and 89) defines light source lumens and luminaire lumens as values of lumen output without, and with, the losses of the luminaire. So write the basis beside each figure on the sheet: full output, driver included, initial or rated, and the temperature or condition if the supplier states one. The Part L sheet explains why the lighting designer wants these inputs whichever class the building control body puts the fitting in.
Three fields that carry the most risk
- B6 weight. A catalogue figure is not a design value. The supplier declares the complete lamped weight, with a tolerance, on the drawing before approval and again as built, and the structural engineer designs the fixing from it. This sheet gives no weights on purpose.
- D3 maximum rating per holder. It is the limit the maker sets for the glass and the wiring, not the biggest lamp that screws in. A wrong lamp in a beautiful fitting is a common site failure and an avoidable one.
- F6 replaceability, with D9 driver access. The Lighting Products Regulations 2021, regulation 6, require manufacturers, authorised representatives and importers of a “containing product” to ensure that light sources and separate control gear can be replaced with commonly available tools and without permanent damage, unless a technical justification is in the technical documentation. The definition in regulation 2(10) includes luminaires that can be taken apart and furniture containing light sources. Whether and how this bears on a bespoke one-off is a question for the supplier and trading standards; the field makes the supplier state its position.
Who completes it, who checks it, and when
The supplier completes the sheet. Someone with the right skills checks each group. Ask for a draft with the shop drawing, approve it before production is released, and ask for the as-built version with delivery, because the as-built sheet is what goes into the operator's manual.
| Group | Completed by | Checked by | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Identity | Supplier | Specifier | Checks the code matches the schedule |
| B. Size and weight | Supplier declares the weight | Designer; structural engineer designs the fixing | Dimensions at drawing approval; weight again as built |
| C. Finish and glass | Supplier | Designer | Against signed samples before production |
| D. Light and driver | Supplier | Lighting designer | Before the shop drawing is approved |
| E. Electrical and control | Supplier | Electrical engineer; controls installer | Before the shop drawing is approved; dimming confirmed in writing |
| F. Compliance and papers | Supplier (manufacturer) | Specifier; electrical contractor | Draft with the drawing; final with delivery |
| G. Fixing and access | Supplier gives the data | Structural engineer; contractor | Before the fixing is built; checked on site |
| H. Packing and spares | Supplier | Procurement; site team | At order; spares counted at handover |
Late changes cost the most, because the electrics are built into the frame and the glass. That is one reason to put the sheet in front of the lighting designer and the electrical engineer at the drawing stage, not after the fitting is made.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
The supplier is to issue a data sheet for each luminaire type on the luminaire schedule, one revision-controlled sheet per type, completed for every field in groups A to H of [the field list, ref]. A field that does not apply is marked n/a with the reason. The draft sheet is issued with the shop drawing for approval. No luminaire is released for production until [the lighting designer and the electrical engineer] have approved its sheet in writing. The as-built sheet is issued with delivery and goes into the operation and maintenance manual.
Weight, input power, light source lumens, luminaire lumens, colour temperature and maximum rating per lamp holder are declared by the supplier for the complete fitting as supplied, and the basis of each value is stated on the sheet [at full output, driver included, initial]. Weight carries a tolerance. A change to a declared value after approval is notified in writing before it is made.
The sheet states the supply, protection class, IP rating, driver type and position, the dimming protocols tested with this driver and the lowest dimming level, with compatibility with [control system] confirmed in writing. The driver is reachable and replaceable without dismantling the fitting, or the access route is shown on the drawing.
The sheet states the conformity marking carried [UKCA / CE / both], the reference of the declaration of conformity, the luminaire standard and edition cited, the test report reference, test house and date, and whether the report covers this fitting or a family of fittings. If imported into Great Britain, the importer's name and address are stated. For light sources and control gear the sheet states whether they can be replaced with commonly available tools without permanent damage, or gives the technical justification.
The sheet states the fixing design reference, how lamps and the driver are reached, packed sizes and weights, who is responsible for breakage in transit, the spares supplied [list], the warranty terms [as agreed at the outset] and the programme from written approval of drawings and samples [as confirmed by the workshop].
Terms used on this page
- Circuit-watt
- The electrical power drawn by lighting circuits for the light sources plus their drivers and any power-factor correction, used when Part L measures lighting efficiency.
- Luminaire lumens
- The light that actually leaves the fitting: the light-source output multiplied by the fitting's light output ratio.
- Light source lumens
- The combined average initial light output of all the light sources in a fitting, before any losses in the fitting itself.
- Containing product
- In the Lighting Products Regulations 2021, a product containing light sources, separate control gear or both. The definition includes luminaires that can be taken apart to allow separate verification of the contained light source, and furniture containing light sources.
Standards and sources
- SI 2016/1101, Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016: regulations 8 and 9, Schedule 1 paragraph 1: read 5 Nov 2026.
- SI 2021/1095, Lighting Products Regulations 2021: regulations 2(10) and 6: read 5 Nov 2026.
- Approved Document L, Volume 2, 2021 edition incl. 2023 amendments (England), Appendix A: pp. 84, 87, 88. 2026 edition: pp. 86 and 89.
- gov.uk: Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, Great Britain (OPSS), and Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain: updated 27 Oct 2026 and 21 Aug 2026.
- BS EN IEC 60598-1, Luminaires: general requirements and tests: BSI listing only; standard text not read: confirm against the current edition.
Questions we are asked
What is a luminaire data sheet?
A document issued by the supplier for one luminaire type that gives the facts anyone needs to design with, price, fix, wire, light, maintain and replace it: size and weight, finish, light source and driver, electrical and control data, compliance papers, fixing, packing and spares. For a catalogue product it is the maker's sheet. For a bespoke fitting, the specification has to ask for it.
What is the difference between a luminaire schedule and a data sheet?
The schedule lists every fitting in the project, one line each, with its code, room, quantity and a reference to the sheet. The data sheet holds the detail for one fitting type. The schedule is an index and the data sheet is the evidence.
Can I use a catalogue or retailer sheet for a made-to-order fitting?
Not safely. A made-to-order fitting can differ from the catalogue piece in size, glass, wiring and lamp, so the figures need to be declared for the fitting as supplied. A listing may also leave out basics such as the protection rating, the dimming protocol or whether lamps are included, which is why the sheet should come from the supplier and be revision-controlled.
Why ask for circuit-watts and both lumen figures?
Part L in England tests lighting efficacy in lumens per circuit-watt, and defines circuit-watt, light source lumens and luminaire lumens in Appendix A. The lighting designer needs the inputs for the surrounding scheme whichever class the building control body puts a decorative fitting in. See the Part L sheet.
Is the data sheet the same as a declaration of conformity?
No. The data sheet is information about the fitting. The declaration of conformity is the manufacturer's signed statement that the fitting meets the law, naming the regulations and standards applied. Ask for both.
Who should complete the data sheet?
The supplier or its workshop completes it. The lighting designer checks the light and control fields, the electrical engineer the electrical fields, and the structural engineer the weight and fixing. The specifier approves it before production is released.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the 56 fields grouped A to H, the annotated mock sheet and paste-in wording, to keep with your project file.