Reference
Outdoor lighting and marking glossary
Definitions for common outdoor lighting, driveway, path and surface-marking terms used in the calculators and guides.
Glossary
- Voltage drop
- Loss of voltage along a cable run, often seen as dimmer fittings near the end.
- Transformer headroom
- Spare wattage capacity above the calculated lamp load.
- Beam spread
- The width and shape of light cast by a fitting.
- Glare
- Brightness that makes the route harder or less comfortable to read.
- Edge contrast
- How clearly a path, step or driveway edge stands out from its surroundings.
- IP rating
- Ingress protection rating for dust and water resistance.
- Colour temperature
- Warm or cool appearance of light, usually measured in kelvin.
- Line width
- The physical width of a painted marking line.
- Surface roughness
- How much texture affects paint coverage and edge clarity.
- Tread edge
- The front edge of a step where the next foot lands.
- Bollard light
- A short post-style outdoor light.
- Path light
- A lower fitting used to show a route edge or planting line.
- Task lighting
- Light for a specific job such as steps, cooking or a gate.
- Ambient lighting
- Background lighting that gives general visibility.
- Route cue
- A visual signal that helps people understand where to walk or drive.
- Hatching
- Diagonal painted markings used to keep areas clear.
- Re-layout
- Changing the marking plan rather than repainting old lines.
- Local preview
- A browser-only file preview that does not upload the selected image.