Dark Sky Commercial Lighting Products

First-Dark-Sky-City (FDSC) Recommendations for roadway and commercial lighting

Come to FDSC for the best in dark skies!

These are some specific fixtures that offer options that provide the best dark sky protection – FDSC Grade AAA or AA – for general roadway and commercial lighting applications. All of these fixtures are fully shielded, allow specification of the best (lowest impact) “narrowband” or “direct emission” amber LED (NBA LED).

Confirm spectrum
Despite the common use of terms in product literature like “dark sky friendly,” “turtle friendly,” and even “IDA Certified” or “IDA Dark Sky Approved,” lighting users or specifiers seeking low-impact lighting must do their own due-diligence and not rely on manufacturers’ claims. The terminology used in the product specifications (e.g. “2K 580nm,” “AMB,” and “AM”) can be ambiguous and could indicate NBA LED, PCA LED, or LED with other spectral characteristics. The manufacturers listed below have provided the indicated fixtures with NBA LED and PCA LED, but we caution that if you order these products the specific spectral characteristics must nevertheless be carefully confirmed directly with the manufacturer for each order. Confirm the desired spectrum by asking for a spectral power graph – and compare with the figures below.

For communities or lighting designers seeking the moderate dark-sky impacts of HPS-like PCA LED (or those using lowest-impact NBA LED for roadway and parking, but seeking an alternative to high-impact white LED in applications needing color rendition), click here for PCA LED products. We caution that PCA LEDs are highly variable, with spectra causing sky glow impacts from somewhat less than HPS to substantially more (see our page Lamp Spectrum and Light Pollution). To assure your product contains the PCA LED with the lower impact spectra we recommend (i.e. S/P <0.5 for FDSC Grade AA), you must work with the manufacturer to confirm the the S/P ratio. At present, HPS remains a viable technology.​

 Narrowband or Direct Emission Amber LED
(NBA LED)		 Phosphor Converted Amber LED
(PCA LED)		 White LED
(this example is 2700K CCT)
Sky Glow Impact: 1.0 – 1.3 Sky Glow Impact: 1.8 – 4.1 Sky Glow Impact: 4.7 – >8
The International Dark-Sky Association offers certification that fixtures meet their standards for dark-sky quality. Such fixtures must be fully shielded and “minimize blue light,” which IDA standards implement only as a requirement that the CCT must be 3000K or less. These IDA FSA standards are equivalent to FDSC Grade C standards. The products listed below, with NBA LED and PCA LED, meet FDSC Grade AAA to FDSC Grade AA standards, and have substantially less blue (and equally as important less green) light and ~60-80% lower skyglow impacts – see our page Lamp Spectrum and Light Pollution.

Fully Shielded Lighting Products with NBA LED option

Sky Glow Impact (per lumen) 1.0 – 1.3 – FDSC Grade AAA

The list below does not include links to products, as these change so frequently. We try to keep the links to the manufacturer’s websites current – you can go to these and look for the product names, or even search generally for the term “amber” and this may help you find their current products with amber LED options.
Crossroads LED

Crossroads offers both NBA and PCA LED in their Astrophile Series. Their PCA specify S/P options from 0.3 – 0.4,

(Crossroads website last reviewed 2021/07/02)
Astrophile NBA
Kim Lighting

Kim offers direct-emission amber LEDs in many or most of their outdoor product lines. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages the NBA LED option is specified by selecting the “CCT” of “2K 580 nm.”

(KIM website last reviewed 2019/10/02)
Altitude
Ouro
Warp9
Curvilinear
ArcheType
Entablature
Era
Era Bell
Site Lightforms
Low Level Flood*
*Only models LLF50 and LLF60 with “Concealed Lens” have uplight (2 lumens / 0.2% or less) low enough to be tolerable in these low-output (<1000lm) fixtures
Beacon Lighting

Beacon offers what they call a “turtle friendly” option in many of their fixtures, which uses direct-emission amber LEDs. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages the NBA LED option is specified by selecting the “LED chip wavelength” of “AMB.”

(Beacon website last reviewed 2019/10/02)
Cruzer
Viper
(Large and Small)
Endura
Slide
Urban
Traverse
Hubbell Lighting
  
Hubbell also offers what they call a “turtle friendly” option in a few of their fixtures, which may use direct-emission amber LEDs. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages the amber LED option is specified by selecting the “CCT” of “AM.”
Cimarron LED
LNC Litepak
LNC2 Litepak
Lithonia
  

Lithonia offers both NBA LED and PCA LED (see below) in several product lines. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages NBA LED is specified by selecting a “color temperature” of “AMBLW.” Note: we have been informed from a reliable source that all brands included in the Acuity Brands line can be fitted with PCA LED – if it is not listed on the currently available cut sheet, they will be provided on request. Here we show only those including Amber LED in the on-line product spec sheets.

(Lithonia website last reviewed 2020/01/30)
D-Series (size 0/1/2) D-Series
D-Series Bollard D-Series Bollard
KBR8 LED Bollard KBR8 LED Bollard
D-Series Wall (size 1/2) D-Series Wall

Lighting Products with PCA LED option

Sky Glow impact (per lumen) 1.8 – 4.1 – FDSC Grade range AA – B

Crossroads LED

Crossroads offers both NBA and PCA LED in their Astrophile Series. Their PCA specify S/P options from 0.3 – 0.4,

(Crossroads website last reviewed 2021/07/02)
Astrophile PCA
Gardco Lighting

Gardco  offers only PC amber LED. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages the PCA LED option is specified by selecting the “LED color” of “AM.”

(Philips website last reviewed 2019/05/03)
Pureform Bollard
Ecoform
LSI Industries

LSI offers PC amber LED. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages the PCA LED option is specified by selecting the “Color Temp” of “AMB”

(LSI website last reviewed 2019/10/02)
Slice Medium
Mirada Medium
Lithonia

Lithonia offers both PCA LED and NBA LED (see above) in several product lines. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages NBALED is specified by selecting a “color temperature” of “AMBLW.” Note: we have been informed from a reliable source that all brands included in the Acuity Brands line can be fitted with PCA LED – if it is not listed on the currently available cut sheet, they will be provided on request. Here we show only those including Amber LED in the on-line product spec sheets.

(Lithonia website last reviewed 2020/01/30)
D-Series (Size 0/1/2) D-Series
D-Series Bollard D-Series Bollard
KBR8 LED Bollard KBR8 LED Bollard
D-Series Wall (size 1/2) D-Series Wall
Holophane
  

Holophane is a member of the Acuity Brands family, and includes NBA LED in two products. On their product “cut sheets” or catalog pages NBA LED is specified by selecting a “LED color temperature” of “AM.” Note: we have been informed from a reliable source that all brands included in the Acuity Brands family can be fitted with PCA LED – if it is not listed on the currently available cut sheet, they will be provided on request. Here we show only those including Amber LED in the on-line product spec sheets.

(Holophane website last reviewed 2020/01/30)

Utility Arlington Series Luminaire Full Cutoff LED2

Utility Postop Series Luminaire Full Cutoff LED2

Utility Washington Series Luminaire Full Cutoff LED2

 Holophane PostTops
Wallpack® Full Cutoff LED Holophane WallPack

 

To celebrate, promote, and protect the glorious dark skies of Flagstaff and northern Arizona.