Outdoor, terrace and marine lighting

At a glance

Qualitative, not a specification. No IP or IK value is prescribed for any exposure: the lighting designer and supplier set it for the project.

Exposure first, rating second

Exposure first, rating second. People ask for an IP rating and a glass colour. The better first question is what the fitting will be exposed to, and for how long without maintenance. A covered terrace in a dry inland city and an open sea deck are different problems, and a rating that suits one does not carry across. The drawing and the table put five exposures side by side. They are qualitative: no IP or IK value is prescribed for any of them, and the right figure comes from the lighting designer, the supplier and the project.

Where a decorative glass pendant stops being suitable. A hand-finished glass pendant made for a dry interior is not an outdoor fitting. It is usually open, with a loose glass shade and a lamp holder behind it: rain, insects, condensation and dust get in and the glass can be struck, heated and cooled. A rated outdoor version is a different object: a sealed body, gaskets, a gland for the cable, a drain or breather, fixings that suit the air, and a glass that is fixed and chosen for the job. Our IP and IK ratings sheet explains what the codes do and do not say. If the idea is a decorative glass look outdoors, ask the supplier for the sealed version, in writing, with the rating for the whole fitting and the evidence.

What IP and IK cover, and what they do not

What IP and IK cover. The IP code classifies degrees of protection against solids and water for an enclosure, and BSI lists BS EN 60529 (1992+A2:2013) as current, published 28 February 2019, with a scope for enclosures of electrical equipment with a rated voltage not exceeding 72.5 kV. The IK code is a separate classification for impact: BS EN 62262:2002+A1:2021 is listed as the current UK edition by retailers (we could not confirm on BSI Knowledge). Neither standard was read, and the digits are explained in our IP and IK sheet.

What they do not cover. An IP or IK rating is a laboratory classification of the enclosure as tested. It is not a statement about salt, chlorine, UV, ageing of the seals, thermal shock to glass or what happens when the fitting is installed with the wrong gland or a cut cable. A fitting that has a high water rating when new can still fail in a few seasons if a gasket cracks in the sun. Our own sheet notes that a higher dust rating does not imply a higher water rating, or the reverse. Ask for the rating of the fitting as it will be installed, with the cable entry, not just of the body.

Impact. An IK value says how hard a blow the enclosure withstood in the test. It does not say that glass is a safe glass: that is the subject of our glass types sheet. On a terrace where chairs, trays and people move, ask about both.

Corrosion, salt-spray tests, UV and condensation

Corrosion. Salt, chlorine and damp air attack metals in different ways, and the answer is a metal and finish chosen for the exposure, with fasteners and fixings of a compatible kind. Our metals by environment sheet, 304 versus 316 stainless, corrosion categories and coating durability, galvanic corrosion and metal finishes for luminaires cover the choices. For a luminaire, ask what the body, the fixings, the screws, the gland and the bracket are made of, because one inferior part ruins the rest.

Salt-spray tests. The common laboratory test is the salt spray test in BS EN ISO 9227. BSI’s listing, as reported in search summaries, shows the 2022 edition (25 November 2022) and an amended version, 2022+A1:2024 (30 June 2024), as current. It covers neutral, acetic acid and copper-accelerated acetic acid salt spray tests. A supplier may quote hours. Treat hours as a comparison between coatings under one test, not as years of life outdoors: ask which edition, which test, how many hours, on which sample, and who ran it.

UV, heat and movement. Sun fades and cracks plastics, hardens gaskets and chalks some paints. A glass shade next to a hot lamp, rained on, is stressed by the change of temperature. A fitting in sun and shade expands and contracts, and a seal that is too tight or too loose fails first. Ask for the gasket material, how the glass is held, and what the maker says about thermal shock.

Condensation. Sealed fittings breathe: air in them heats and cools, and in damp air it leaves water inside. Many sealed fittings have a vent or drain for that reason. Ask where the water leaves.

Heat, access and the next lamp. A sealed body keeps heat in, so ask about the lamp type, the driver position and how the fitting is opened for maintenance without breaking the seal.

Obtrusive light, energy rules and other regimes

Light that goes where it is not wanted. Planning conditions for terraces and external areas often ask for control of obtrusive light. The Institution of Lighting Professionals’ GN01:2021, The reduction of obtrusive light, was announced on 26 May 2021 as a light-touch update of the 2011 edition: it clarifies the metrics, adds worked examples for source intensity, defines and explains curfews, and suggests when upward reflected light (the upward flux ratio) should be considered. Search summaries, which are secondary, describe zones from E0 (protected dark) to E4 (urban), with different limits before and after a curfew. We have not read the document and give none of its limits. If your site has such a condition, ask the lighting designer which zone applies and which edition the authority uses.

Energy rules. Whether the external lighting controls and efficacy rules of the Building Regulations apply to a decorative terrace pendant is a question for the project’s Part L route: start with our Part L and decorative lighting sheet, which covers the document’s treatment of decorative lighting and not specifically external work. We have not checked the external provisions.

Pools, bathrooms and marine. Pool surrounds and bathrooms have their own electrical rules (see our bathroom zones sheet for the principle), and a vessel is governed by its flag state and class rules. None was read for this sheet: ask the electrical designer or the yard.

Questions for the supplier

Questions for the supplier.

1. What exposure was this fitting made for: covered, open, coastal, pool or marine?
2. What is its IP and IK rating, for the fitting as installed, and what was it tested to and by whom?
3. What are the body, fixings, screws, bracket and gland made of, and are the metals compatible?
4. What is the finish, how thick or protected, and what test evidence is there?
5. What glass or shade is used, how is it held, and what does it do if struck or if it cracks?
6. What are the seal materials and how do they stand sun, heat and cold?
7. Where does condensation go, and how is the fitting opened for service?
8. What cleaning and inspection schedule do you recommend, and what happens if it is skipped?

We take the educational view here: the studio has no delivered outdoor or marine lighting projects, coordinates manufacture through partner workshops, and does not claim any outdoor or marine rating for its own work. Where a partner can supply an exterior-rated range, ask them for the documents above.

The luminaires [tag] are for [covered terrace / open terrace / coastal / pool side / marine] exposure at [location], [distance from the sea or pool], with [cleaning regime]. The supplier is to confirm in writing that each is suitable for that exposure and to state its IP and IK rating as installed, with the cable entry, [values set by the lighting designer].

Body, bracket, fixings, screws and gland are to be of [metals and finish stated by the supplier and approved by the designer for the exposure] and compatible with each other and the structure. Dissimilar metals are to be [isolated / avoided]. The supplier is to state the finish and the test evidence for it, with the standard, edition, hours and who ran the test.

Glass shades are to be [type, held as described in the submittal] and to [remain in place if cracked]. Seals are to be [material stated by the supplier] and stable in sun and temperature change. The fitting is to have [drain or breather] for condensation and be [openable for lamp and driver service without damaging seals].

The supplier is to provide test evidence, the declaration of conformity and written care and inspection instructions for the handover pack. Obtrusive-light control is to meet [ILP GN01 edition and zone named in the planning condition, if any].

Standards and sources

• BS EN 60529:1992+A2:2013 (IP code): BSI Knowledge: Current, published 28 Feb 2019; text not read.
• BS EN 62262:2002+A1:2021 (IK code): retailer listings, current; BSI Knowledge page not reached; text not read.
• BS EN ISO 9227:2022, and +A1:2024 (salt spray tests): search summaries of BSI listings: 2022 current (25 Nov 2022), amended version 30 Jun 2024; text not read.
• ILP Guidance Note 1 for the reduction of obtrusive light, GN01:2021: ILP news item of 26 May 2021 read; the document and its zone limits not read.

Questions we are asked

Can I use a glass pendant on a terrace?

Only a version made and rated for outdoor use. An ordinary decorative glass pendant for a dry interior is usually open, so rain, insects and condensation get in. Ask the supplier for the sealed version, its rating as installed, and its evidence.

What IP rating does an outdoor light need?

It depends on the exposure and where the fitting sits, and the lighting designer and supplier set it for the project. See our IP and IK sheet for what the digits mean. A rating does not cover salt, chlorine or UV.

Is 316 stainless steel enough for marine lighting?

Not by itself. Grade is only part of it: the finish, fixings, welds, seals and how often it is cleaned all matter. See our sheets on 304 versus 316 and metals by environment, and ask for evidence for the actual fitting.

What does a salt-spray test tell me?

It compares coatings under one laboratory condition. BS EN ISO 9227 covers neutral, acetic acid and copper-accelerated acetic acid salt spray tests. It is not a prediction of years outdoors. Ask which edition, how many hours, which sample and who ran it.

Do outdoor lights need to control obtrusive light?

Some planning conditions ask for it. The ILP’s GN01:2021 is the usual reference, updated on 26 May 2021. Ask the lighting designer which zone and edition apply.

Does the studio supply outdoor or marine lighting?

This sheet is educational. The studio has no delivered outdoor or marine lighting projects and coordinates manufacture through partner workshops. Where a partner supplies an exterior-rated range, ask for the documents listed here.