LED Wall Packs – 7 Different Types of LED Wall Pack Light Fixtures

Forward throw LED Wall Packs are also known as traditional LED wall packs. Forward throw wall packs are based on the design/housing of metal halide and high-pressure sodium wall packs. That design made sense for HID technology but makes little sense today when a full cutoff LED wall pack can provide superior light distribution without glare and light pollution. Forward Throw LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Form factor is the same as MH and HPS wall packs
• Typically, it is the lowest cost style of wall pack

Forward Throw LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Borosilicate prismatic glass lens
• Polycarbonate prismatic lens
• Photocell

Forward Throw LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• Limited choice of Kelvin
• Produces a lot of glare
• Not dark sky compliant

Full cutoff LED wall packs are wall mounted exterior light fixtures designed to direct the light emitted from the LEDs down and out, without any light spilling upward. This is achieved by using a wall pack housing that frames the LEDs and wall pack lens on all sides. Basically, the LEDs and lens are recessed into the housing and the lens does not extend past the frame. With full cutoff LED wall packs, the lens or reflector design directs the light is directed in a specific direction, to where it is wanted, as opposed to just blasting light everywhere.

Full cutoff LED wall packs use advanced optics. Using these optics, the light can be distributed side to side and a little forward, primarily forward, or anywhere in between. The advanced optics eliminate light pollution and reduces the amount of light that is wasted. Full cutoff LED wall packs are dark sky compliant when equipped with 3000 Kelvin or lower Kelvin LEDs.

Full cutoff LED wall packs are ideal for outdoor applications, such as illuminating the exterior of a building, providing security lighting, and lighting walkways, parking lots, and the entrances to buildings.

Full Cutoff LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Light is directed only where it is needed saving energy
• Reduces or eliminates glare and light trespass
• Does not emit up light preserving the view of a night sky

Full Cutoff LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Choice of optics and beam spread for precise light distribution
• Choice of Kelvin to match the area lighting or to be dark sky compliant
• Optional controls from photocells to programmable microwave occupancy sensors

Full Cutoff LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• None

Up-Down LED wall packs are LED wall packs designed to provide both upward and downward illumination. These fixtures typically consist of two LED light sources, one pointing upwards and the other pointing downwards, that are mounted on the wall of a building or structure. Up-Down LED wall packs are often used to add visual interest to the exterior of a building by creating interesting lighting effects or highlighting architectural features.

Up-Down LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Provides dramatic illumination in buildings lacking features
• Accentuates architectural elements of a building
• Like other LED wall packs, provides lighting for safety

Up-Down LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Optics that change the up and down beam spread
• Choice of Kelvin to match other area lighting
• Optional controls from photocells to microwave occupancy sensors

Up-Down LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• Not dark sky compliant regardless of Kelvin selected

Bulkhead LED lights, aka bulkhead LED wall packs, are light fixtures that can be installed on a ceiling or wall. These lights are called “bulkhead” because they are typically mounted in a protective housing that is reminiscent of lights that may have been used on a ship.

Today bulkhead LED wall packs are more fashionable. You will find bulkhead LED wall packs mounted on the sides of buildings at heights of about 6 feet to provide light for egress, or at multiple heights to provide architectural interest breaking up the exterior surface of a building.

Bulkhead LED wall packs are also used on the ceilings and walls of rooms with pools. As the optics are typically opal glass or opal polycarbonate, bulkhead LED wall packs with low wattage provide very even lighting with minimal to no glare.

Bulkhead LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Provides architectural interest to the exterior of buildings
• Supplies low intensity light through anti-glare opal lenses

Bulkhead LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Standard and custom finish options
• 1-10v dimming
• Photocell controls

Bulkhead Throw LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• At low mounting height, lumen output needs to be limited
• Does not have optics to direct the light
• Not dark sky compliant

Dark Sky Compliant LED wall packs are LED wall packs designed to reduce light pollution and help preserve the natural night sky. Dark sky compliant LED wall packs are full cutoff wall packs with 3000 Kelvin or lower Kelvin. The Dark Sky Association prefers lower Kelvin LED wall packs such as 2200 Kelvin LEDs wall packs. Assuming they are full cutoff wall packs, and they typically are, 590 nanometer (nm) sea turtle safe wall packs and wildlife friendly LED wall packs are also dark sky compliant.

Dark Sky Compliant LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Warm color light is directed only where it is needed
• Reduces or eliminates glare and light trespass
• Does not emit up light preserving the view of a night sky

Dark Sky Compliant LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Choice of optics and beam spread for precise light distribution
• Optional controls from photocells to programmable microwave occupancy sensors

Dark Sky Compliant LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• Lower lumens per watt (LPW) than higher Kelvin LEDs

590 nm Sea Turtle Safe LED Wall Packs are designed to reduce the impact of artificial lighting on sea turtle hatchlings. Sea turtles deposit their eggs on the beach. When sea turtles hatch, instinct tells the hatchlings to go to the light. The light is supposed to be moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water. Artificial light disorients the hatchlings. It can cause the hatchlings to become confused and to go inland as opposed to going out to sea.

590 nm sea turtle friendly LED wall packs are full cutoff LED wall packs equipped with 590nm Amber narrow bandwidth LEDs. The full cutoff feature obscures the light source. Sea turtles can’t see 590nm light, so the hatchlings don’t see the light emitted. The hatchlings follow the white moonlight and moonlight reflection and go out to the open water.

Well-designed sea turtle safe lighting protects sea turtle hatchlings, while still providing sufficient illumination for outdoor applications. While sea turtles need to be protected, humans still need enough light for safe egress.

590 nm Amber Sea Turtle Safe LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Keeps sea turtle hatchlings safe while providing light for humans
• Reduces or eliminates glare and light trespass
• Does not emit up light preserving the view of a night sky

590 nm Amber Sea Turtle Safe LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Choice of optics and beam spread for precise light distribution
• Optional controls from photocells to programmable microwave occupancy sensors
• Marine grade powdercoat finishes to protect the housing and match architectural features.

590 nm Amber Sea Turtle Safe LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• The light emitted is amber, not white light

The light emitted is narrow spectrum, so color rendering is dismal

Click here to see all available 590nm Amber Sea Turtle Safe LED Wall Packs

2200 Kelvin LED Wall Packs are the right choice when you are looking for a truly dark sky compliant wall pack or a wall pack that can replace a high-pressure sodium wall pack, as 2200K LEDs produce a warm, orange-yellow light.

2200 Kelvin LED Wall Packs emit very warm light that is preferred by communities with dark sky compliance ordinances. It sometimes is even required by those communities. All Access Fixtures wall packs with 2200K LEDs are also full cutoff, so they are all dark sky compliant.

2200 Kelvin LED Wall Packs are a great replacement for High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) wall packs too. The color of the light emitted by 2200K LED wall packs is similar color of light emitted by HPS wall packs, so the area illuminated will remain similarly illuminated as with HPS. This is considered desirable in historic districts.

It should be noted that there is a big difference between light emitted by 2200K LEDs and light emitted from HPS bulbs. 2200K is full spectrum light meaning it renders all colors in the visible spectrum. HPS emits narrow spectrum light. 2200K light can have a color rendering index (CRI) of 70+ or 80+ while HPS has a low CRI of 20.

2200 Kelvin LED Wall Pack Features and Benefits

• Preferred light source for dark sky compliant communities
• Emits full spectrum light that is similar to the HPS color

2200 Kelvin LED Wall Pack Common Variations and Options

• Choice of optics and beam spread for precise light distribution
• Optional controls from photocells to programmable microwave occupancy sensors

2200 Kelvin LED Wall Pack Drawbacks

• Lower lumens per watt (LPW) than higher Kelvin LEDs

Limited selection of wall pack housings that have 2200K LEDs