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If a downlight makes you squint when you look across the room, that is glare. UGR, the Unified Glare Rating, is the standard way to put a number on it. The lower the number, the more comfortable the light.
How the UGR scale works
UGR usually runs from about 5 to 30. It is calculated from how bright the fitting looks from a normal viewing position, how bright the surroundings are, and where the fittings sit in the room.
- Below 10: glare is barely noticeable.
- 10 to 16: very comfortable. Good for living rooms, bedrooms, restaurants and hotels.
- 16 to 19: acceptable for offices, kitchens and task areas. UGR 19 is the usual limit for office work.
- Above 22: noticeably harsh. Fine for corridors and stores, not for places where people sit.
What makes a downlight low glare
- A deep-set light source. The further the LED sits back inside the fitting, the less of it you see from the side.
- A dark or honeycomb baffle. This cuts stray light at shallow angles.
- A narrower beam. A 24° or 36° beam puts light on the surface below rather than into your eyes.
- A smaller aperture. A mini downlight shows less bright surface than a wide one.
UGR depends on the room, too
A UGR figure is measured for a set room size and layout, so the same fitting can score differently in a different space. Use it to compare fittings, and ask for the photometric (IES) file if you want a lighting designer to check your actual room.
Low-glare downlights from Maison Billions
Our trimless MNBS1251 was lab-tested at UGR ≈5, and several adjustable models are rated below UGR 12. The Downlight Finder lets you filter the range by glare level, and the Downlight Calculator works out how many fittings a room needs.
