Flood vs. Spot Lights and How To Choose the Right Type of Outdoor Lighting for Your Space

If you’re looking to accent your landscaping or boost your home’s security, spotlights and flood lights may end up on your shopping list. These types of outdoor lights carry a few important differences that make them better suited to certain applications. Not sure which light you need or where to put it? Find all the main differences between flood vs. spot lights below for informed outdoor illumination. 

What Are the Differences Between Flood Lights and Spotlights?

Spotlights and flood lights are both often used for outdoor purposes but carry a few key differences. These include lens angles, lighting effects, lumens, fixture appearances, and application.

Flood Lights vs. Spotlights: Differences in Lens Angle

The main distinguishing feature between flood lights and spotlights is the respective lens angle. The lens angle, also called the beam angle, is a metric that refers to how a light spreads from the source fixture. The terms flood light and spotlight essentially describe the way or angle that these fixtures emit light.

Depending on the shape of the lamp and application, flood lights can have lens angles anywhere from 45 to 120 degrees, which creates a wash or “flood” of light. Spotlights don’t exceed 45 degrees, resulting in a narrow beam spread or “spot” of light.

Flood Lights vs Spotlights: Differences in Lighting Effect

The lens angle and resulting beam spread is the defining difference between flood lights and spotlights, but the resulting lighting effects have a few more important differences.

Flood lights have a wide beam, which achieves a few different things. The beam angle results in a lower light intensity, which creates a lighting effect with high diffusion, non-directional illumination, and softer shadows. The lower light intensity also means that the beam can’t reach as far as a spotlight could when operating with the same wattage.

The small angle of spotlights results in a circular and high-intensity spot. The lighting effect is directional and concentrated to create high-contrast illumination with sharp shadows. Since a spotlight is less diffused across a wider lens when compared to a flood light, its beam can reach further with the same wattage level.

Flood Lights vs. Spotlights: Differences in Lumens

Even with a wider beam angle, flood lights can still reach as far as a spotlight — they just need higher lumens and wattage to do so. Depending on the purpose and placement of the light, the recommended lumens for outdoor flood lights range from 700 to 1,300. Higher lumens translate to higher wattage and therefore higher energy consumption and electricity bills.

Outdoor spotlights, however, typically only need between 50 and 300 lumens. This means that an individual spotlight is more energy efficient than a flood light, but the trade-off is that you’ll likely need more than one spotlight to accomplish similar lighting coverage as a flood light.

Flood Lights vs. Spotlights: Differences in Appearance

Besides the beam angle, flood lights and spotlights also look different in regard to shape and size. Flood lights are usually rectangular or oval-shaped, and their bulky design is part of what enables a broad angle and illumination. Spotlights have narrow and circular lamps, which permits a small and sleek fixture.

Flood Lights vs. Spotlights: Differences in Application

Flood lights are generally reserved for specific applications, which are primarily outdoor. With a wide angle, your local outdoor lighting professional will likely recommend flood lights to best illuminate areas around your home at night, so you can see properly and deter intruders. In many cases, flood lights are motion-activated and turn off after inactivity. The most common places for flood lights include:

• Driveways

• Sheds

• Above or beside garages

• Along paths

• Near entrances

• Workshops

Since spotlights have narrow beams, they can be used for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications. They’re most often used for outdoor accents and landscape lighting, like highlighting gardens, statues, and fountains. You can also use spotlights indoors to illuminate halls or small workspaces.