Light

How many lux do I need for reading or working from home?

Short answer

There is no standard for homes. As a reference, the European workplace standard asks for 500 lux for writing, reading and computer work in offices.

Explanation

NBN EN 12464-1 is the European standard for lighting indoor workplaces. Homes fall outside this workplace standard. If you work at home for long hours, the office values are still a useful benchmark. A desk lamp plus general lighting helps reach that value on the work surface.

Rules of thumb

• Office reference: 500 lux maintained illuminance on the work surface. [SW-S05]
• For demanding tasks the standard allows an increase to 1000 lux. [SW-S05]
• Uniformity on the work surface: at least 0.60 in the office standard. [SW-S05]

Pitfalls

• A bright lamp on the paper only, with the rest of the room dark, is tiring; combine task and general lighting. [SW-S05]

Search terms

These search terms are in Dutch; only terms that also find a topic in English are links.

lux EN 12464-1 thuiswerken bureaulamp

Read also

• How do I avoid glare at my desk?
• What is CRI or Ra, and which value should I choose?

Sources

1. SW-S05 Praktijkgids voor verlichting van binnenwerkplekken (NBN EN 12464-1:2021) — IBE-BIV (Belgisch Instituut voor Verlichting) (Reference date 2026-09-27)

Reference date: 2026-09-27 · Translated with AI from the Dutch original.