Illuminance Converter
Fast, accurate illuminance conversions, right in your browser.
The Illuminance Converter converts illuminance between common units — lux, foot-candles — instantly and accurately. Enter a value in one unit and see it converted to all supported units at once.
Whether you're working on an engineering calculation, a recipe, a science assignment or converting specs from an international source, this tool eliminates manual conversion-factor lookups and rounding errors.
How to Convert illuminance
- Enter your value and select the starting unit
- Choose the unit you want to convert to
- The converted result appears instantly
Best Practices
- Double-check which unit variant is expected (e.g. US vs. metric) for your specific use case
- For engineering or scientific work, verify precision requirements against the tool's decimal output
- Bookmark this tool for quick repeated conversions
This tool is free to use with no signup required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What units does this illuminance converter support?
Common units include lux and foot-candles — the metric and imperial measures of light intensity falling on a surface.
How do I convert lux to foot-candles?
Divide the lux value by approximately 10.764 to get foot-candles.
What is illuminance used for?
Illuminance measures how much light falls on a given surface area — used in photography, lighting design, workplace safety standards, and horticulture (grow light) planning.
What is a typical lux level for indoor office lighting?
Office lighting standards commonly recommend around 300-500 lux for general work areas, though requirements vary by task and region.
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, completely free with no signup, no limits and no software to install.
Is my data saved anywhere?
No — conversions run in your browser and the values you enter are not stored or sent to a server.
Is this useful for photography light metering?
Yes — photographers sometimes work with light meter readings in different units depending on the equipment, and this tool helps standardize comparisons.
What's the difference between lux and lumens?
Lumens measure total light output from a source, while lux measures the intensity of light actually landing on a surface at a given distance — lux accounts for how spread out that light is.
Is this useful for indoor plant grow light setups?
Yes — many grow light specifications and plant light requirements are given in lux or foot-candles, and converting between them helps when comparing equipment from different sources.
How bright is direct sunlight in lux?
Direct sunlight is typically around 32,000-100,000 lux, far brighter than typical indoor lighting, which is usually a few hundred lux.
