LED Recessed Downlights in India — SMD, COB, Tunable & Anti-Glare

As a starting rule, one 8–12W downlight per 25–30 square feet, spaced roughly 1.2 times the ceiling height apart and 600–750mm away from walls. A 12x12 ft bedroom typically needs five or six. Final counts should come from a lux calculation on the layout drawing, not from the rule of thumb.

Standard recessed downlights need 75–100mm of clear ceiling depth above the plasterboard. Low-profile and trimless fixtures work in 50–65mm. Always confirm the cut-out diameter and depth from the datasheet before the ceiling section is finalised.

SMD spreads separate diodes across a board for soft, wide ambient light. COB uses a single emitting surface for a crisp, controlled beam suited to accent work. Tunable fixtures shift colour temperature across roughly 2700K–6000K on one SKU, useful where a space changes use through the day.

Anti-glare fixtures recess the light source deeper behind the aperture and use a dark or honeycomb baffle so the bright emitter is not visible at normal viewing angles. Look for a UGR figure below 19 in any space with screens or where people look up frequently.

Almost always a driver and dimmer mismatch — a TRIAC wall dimmer driving a non-dimmable or 0-10V driver is the usual cause. Confirm the driver protocol before selecting the dimmer, and avoid loading a dimmer below its minimum rated wattage.