LED floodlighting for outdoor basketball courts
For an outdoor court without television coverage, the FIBA Venue Guide considers LED light of at least 100 lx sufficient. As a further guide, 75 lx applies to leisure, school and training, and 200 lx to regional competitions. The floodlights stand at the side and aim at the free-throw lines, and it should be possible to switch the court off in the evening.
As of:
Enquire about court lightingWhat counts on the outdoor court
Light from the side
The FIBA Venue Guide places the floodlights at the side of the court and aims them at the free-throw lines.
High enough against glare
The floodlights should be mounted high enough that they do not dazzle players, and should emit as little light as possible outside the court.
Switchable off in the evening
On many courts, local rules require the lights to go out in the evening.
Streetball and 3x3
According to FIBA, a 3x3 court needs a footprint of 18 × 14 m. A full-size court follows the official rules and gets a 2 m margin all round.
Multi-sport court
EN 15312 regulates multi-sport facilities, but it is not a lighting standard.
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The eyes go to the basket
Shooting and rebounding draw the eyes diagonally upwards. The masts therefore stand along the sidelines and not behind the basket. We set height, tilt and optics in the lighting calculation for your court.
- Side masts
- Mounting height
- Tilt
- Optics
Light by playing level
| Average illuminance | Playing level | Lighting class | Uniformity | Glare rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75lx | Recreation, school, training | U 0.5 | ||
| 100lx | Public court, multi-sport court | |||
| 200lx | Regional competitions, performance training | U 0.6 |
What do the values mean?
Lux tells you how much light reaches the pitch. Uniformity shows how evenly it is distributed, and the glare rating how strongly the floodlights cause glare.
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Illuminance (lx): How much light falls on a surface. 1 lx equals 1 lumen per square metre. For sports facilities, the average horizontal illuminance on the playing area is usually given.
Uniformity (U): Lowest divided by average illuminance. The closer the value is to 1, the more even the light.
Glare rating (GR): Assesses how strongly floodlights cause glare at outdoor facilities, on a scale from 10 (no glare) to 90 (unbearable glare).
Frequently asked questions
How many lux does an outdoor basketball court need?
The FIBA Venue Guide considers LED lighting of at least 100 lx sufficient for courts without television coverage. As a further guide, 75 lx applies to outdoor courts for training and leisure sport, and 200 lx for regional competitions. Planning for 100 lx meets both values for leisure use.
Do the same values apply to the outdoor court as in the hall?
No. In the hall, the standard gives 200, 500 and 750 lx depending on level. According to FIBA, a normal outdoor court also does not have to meet the requirements of the 3x3 equipment rules.
How much light does a multi-sport court need?
For the facility itself there is a standard in EN 15312, but it regulates equipment and safety, not lighting. The Walloon expert body Infrasports requires at least 100 lx with LED. This matches the FIBA value.
How should a new court be oriented?
If play mostly takes place in the early evening, FIBA recommends an orientation close to the north-south axis so that the sun does not set behind the basket.
What applies to national competitions?
As a guide, 500 lx at a uniformity of 0.7 applies to international and national outdoor competitions. On an outdoor pitch for clubs and schools, this is rarely necessary.
What applies to light towards the neighbours?
The permit and the local authority regulate this. In Germany, the LAI guidance is the benchmark: in residential areas the guide value for brightening at the window is 3 lx until 10 pm and 1 lx after that. Clarify this early, before the mast positions are fixed.
Enquire about court lighting
Location and contact details are enough. We will get back to you with a first assessment for your court.
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