You can estimate how many high mast lights you need with a simple formula:
Number of luminaires ≈ (Total area × target lux) ÷ (lumens per fixture × UF × MF).
Enter your site area, required average lux, fixture lumen output, utilization factor (UF) and maintenance factor (MF) to get a first design quantity.
If you’re designing lighting for a port, airport apron, toll plaza or industrial yard, at some point everyone asks the same question:
“How many high mast lights do we actually need?”
For small car parks, people often guess.
For large projects, guessing is dangerous: you can fail handover, leave dark spots in critical areas, or overspend on unnecessary poles and foundations.
This guide shows you:
- Which inputs you need before calculating
- A simple high mast lighting calculation formula for first estimates
- Typical lux levels for different applications
- Why you still need a DIALux/AGi32 simulation before ordering poles
- How to get a free engineering design based on your site plan
It is written for EPC contractors, consultants and municipal engineers – not DIY users.
What Factors Decide How Many High Mast Lights You Need?
The number of high mast lights is not just “area ÷ coverage.”
Professionally, it depends on six main variables:
- Total area to be illuminated (m²)
- Target average lux (illumination level required by codes or operator)
- Mounting height of the mast (20 m, 25 m, 30 m, 35+ m, etc.)
- Lumens per fixture (actual output of each LED high mast luminaire)
- Optics / beam distribution (Type III/IV/V, narrow vs wide beam)
- Utilization factor (UF) and maintenance factor (MF)
If any of these are wrong, your calculation will be misleading.
Typical Lux Levels for High Mast Applications
For reference, our high mast LED luminaires typically range from 400W to 1200W per head, paired with 20–35 m poles for ports, aprons and logistics yards.
Before you can calculate “how many lights,” you need to know “how bright” the area should be.
Below are typical target average lux levels that many engineers use as a starting point (always check local standards and client specs):
| Application | Typical Average Lux (Eav) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Truck parking / logistics yard | 10–20 lux | Basic safety and navigation |
| Open industrial yard | 15–25 lux | Loading/unloading, equipment movement |
| Toll plaza / highway interchange | 20–30 lux | Driver visibility and facial recognition |
| Airport apron (stand-by positions) | 20–30 lux | IESNA / ICAO-guided ranges |
| Airport apron (active service areas) | 30–50 lux | Stricter uniformity requirements |
| Container terminal / sea port apron | 20–30 lux | Large equipment & stacking heights |
| Stadium perimeter / training grounds | 50–100 lux | Not full TV broadcast level |
Think of these as design targets. The correct value for your project will come from:
- Local code or national standard
- Client’s internal EHS policy
- Operator’s experience on similar sites
Basic Lighting Calculation Formula (First-Pass Estimate)
Once you know area and target lux, you can make a quick high mast lighting calculation for budgeting.
Number of luminaires ≈ (Total area × Target lux) ÷ (Lumens per fixture × UF × MF)
Where:
- Total area – ground area to be illuminated (m²)
- Target lux – required average brightness on the working plane
- Lumens per fixture – total light output of one LED high mast luminaire
-
UF (Utilization Factor) – typically 0.6–0.8
- Accounts for how much light actually hits the useful area
-
MF (Maintenance Factor) – typically 0.7–0.8
- Allows for dust on lenses and lumen depreciation over time
This is a first-pass estimate. It helps you decide if your project is likely to need 12 masts with 4 luminaires each or 20 masts with 6 luminaires each, before running detailed simulations.
Example: How Many High Mast Lights for a 50,000 m² Airport Apron?
Let’s take a simplified example. You operate a 50,000 m² apron and want to know roughly how many high mast lights you need.
Given:
- Area: 50,000 m²
- Target average lux: 30 lux
- LED high mast luminaire: 100,000 lm (nominal)
- UF: 0.7 (good optical control and layout)
- MF: 0.75 (regular cleaning, quality LEDs)
Step 1 – Calculate required total lumens
Required lumens = Total area × Target lux
Required lumens = 50,000 × 30 = 1,500,000 lm
Step 2 – Calculate effective lumens per fixture
Effective lumens per fixture = Lumens × UF × MF
= 100,000 × 0.7 × 0.75 = 52,500 lm
Step 3 – Estimate number of luminaires
Number of luminaires ≈ Required lumens ÷ Effective lumens per fixture
≈ 1,500,000 ÷ 52,500 ≈ 28.6
In practice, you would:
- Round up to 29–30 fixtures
- Decide how many heads per mast (e.g. 4 per mast → 8 masts with 4 each, plus some adjustment)
- Refine with a DIALux / AGi32 simulation to check uniformity and mast spacing
📌 This formula is excellent for budgeting and early design. It is not enough to finalise pole positions, heights or aiming angles.
Why Mounting Height and Optics Change the Fixture Count
Two teams can use the same formula and end up with very different numbers if they:
- Choose different mounting heights
- Use different optic types
For example:
- A 25 m mast with asymmetric Type IV optics can throw light far forward and cover a wide yard
- The same mast with a very narrow 15° beam might only create a small bright patch and leave the rest dark
Also, the inverse square law applies:
When you double the mounting height, illumination at ground level drops to roughly one quarter, unless you increase lumens or use narrower optics.
This is why, in some port and airport projects, increasing mast height from 25 m to 35 m:
- Reduces mast quantity (larger coverage per mast)
- But requires higher wattage per luminaire to maintain lux and uniformity
A quick calculation gives a starting number. Optics and height decide whether that number is realistic.
Why Hand Calculations Are Not Enough
Hand calculations assume:
- Open, flat ground
- No obstructions
- Perfectly overlapping beams
Real sites are different:
- Container stacks, cranes and buildings block light
- Sloping terrain changes how light lands
- Overly wide spacing creates zebra striping (bright–dark–bright patterns)
- Glare to drivers, workers or pilots may violate safety rules
To pass inspection and avoid disputes, most serious projects now require:
- A DIALux / AGi32 lighting report
- Showing average lux, minimum lux and uniformity U₀
- Often with isocandela plots and false-colour renderings
Get a Free High Mast Lighting Simulation (Ports, Airports, Industrial Yards)
Hand calculations are useful for rough sizing, but they cannot predict:
- Shadows from containers, cranes or gantry structures
- Glare towards drivers, operators or pilots
- Dark patches between masts when spacing is too wide
If you are planning a port, airport apron, logistics yard or industrial park, it is safer to verify the design before you pour concrete or order poles.
🛑 Don’t Guess Your High Mast Layout
Send us your:
- Site layout (DWG/PDF) or a simple sketch with dimensions
- Required lux level and relevant standards (e.g. apron, toll plaza, yard)
- Planned mast height and any existing constraints
Our engineering team will prepare a free DIALux simulation showing:
- How many high mast lights you really need
- Recommended wattage and optics per mast
- Pole spacing and aiming for safe, uniform coverage
This turns a “best guess” into a defensible engineering proposal that your client or authority can review.
What Information Should You Prepare Before Asking for a Design?
To make any high mast lighting calculation or simulation useful, it helps to have:
- Site dimensions (length, width, main circulation routes)
- Application type (port yard, apron, toll plaza, parking, etc.)
- Target lux and any standards (local code, operator’s spec)
- Preferred mast height (or existing mast height for retrofits)
- Existing obstacles (cranes, buildings, trees, tall equipment)
- Operating hours (all night, peak hours only, dimming needed?)
With these basics, a good supplier can quickly tell you:
- Whether 20 m, 25 m or 30–35 m is the best height
- How many masts you really need
- Approximate power per mast and energy consumption
Conclusion: Don’t Just Count Lights – Design the Whole High Mast System
“How many high mast lights do I need?” is a good starting question.
The better question is: “How do I achieve the required lux and uniformity with the lowest safe total cost?”
A simple formula helps you:
- Build a budget
- Compare different fixture wattages
- Understand the order of magnitude (10 lights vs 30 vs 60)
But only a proper DIALux or AGi32 design can show whether your high mast light pole design will:
- Meet lux and uniformity requirements
- Avoid dangerous glare and dark spots
- Optimise pole quantity, foundation cost and wiring
What’s your next step?
-
Option A – You’re still comparing products:
👉 View our high mast lighting specifications and configurations -
Option B – You already have a project and drawings:
👉 Upload your site plan for a free high mast lighting calculation and layout
With the right inputs and a solid simulation, you can move from “rough numbers” to a project-ready high mast lighting design before you spend on poles, foundations and fixtures.
