BINNING
What is LED binning?
LED binning is an important process that helps ensure LED lighting products are of consistent quality, colour accuracy, and brightness, allowing manufacturers to meet the specific needs of their customers.
7
MacAdam ellipses in total
Steps 1-2
Used by CLS LED
Step 3-4
Human eye detects difference
SDCM
Same as MacAdam step
What is LED binning?
> SORTING LEDS FOR CONSISTENT QUALITY
LED binning is the process of sorting light-emitting diodes (LEDs) into groups based on their colour and brightness characteristics. This process is essential for ensuring consistency in LED lighting products and maintaining quality standards.
Due to the manufacturing process, there are always deviations in the industrial production of LED lighting. Different characteristics are present in every batch and in every LED. Products with similar characteristics are combined into designated bins in order to prevent large deviations in finished products.
This process is particularly necessary when manufacturing LED lighting within the white light spectrum, where even small variations in colour are clearly visible to the human eye. Especially on white walls illuminated by wallwashers or spotlights.
WHY BINNING MATTERS
> WHITE IS NOT EQUAL TO WHITE
Although lighting manufacturers may specify the same colour temperature for their LEDs, there can still be visible differences between them, and within the same installation. Even two fixtures rated at 3000K can appear noticeably different in colour if they come from different bins.
This is especially critical in professional applications such as museum lighting, retail, and architectural wallwashing, where consistent colour across an entire row or space is essential. A single LED that is even slightly off in tint will immediately reveal itself against a white wall or illuminated surface.
Please note: when specifying LED lighting for a project, always confirm the MacAdam step or SDCM value. A product listed as “3000K” without a binning specification could contain LEDs from very different colour positions, resulting in visible inconsistencies across fixtures.
the macadam ellipse
> HOW COLOUR CONSISTENCY IS MEASURED
One of the most widely used methods for LED binning is the MacAdam ellipse. Developed by David L. MacAdam in the 1940s, this method is based on the observation that the human eye cannot easily distinguish between small differences in colour under certain conditions.
The MacAdam ellipse divides the colour space into a series of ellipses, each representing a different level of colour variation perceptible to the human eye. The smaller the ellipse, the less noticeable the colour variation.
HOW IT WORKS
MacAdam ellipses are plotted on the CIE chromaticity diagram — a two-dimensional map of all visible colours. Each ellipse defines a zone around a target colour within which the human eye cannot reliably detect a difference. LEDs that fall within the same ellipse are considered visually identical in colour.
The binning process
The standard MacAdam binning process works as follows:
- Measure the chromaticity coordinates of each LED.
- Determine which MacAdam ellipse the LED falls within by comparing its coordinates to the boundaries on the CIE diagram.
- Assign the LED to a bin based on the size of the MacAdam ellipse it falls within.
- Test each LED in the bin to confirm it meets the desired brightness and colour temperature specifications.
- LEDs that fail to meet specifications are further sorted into lower bins or rejected altogether.
macadam steps explained
> THE 7 STEPS AND WHAT THEY MEAN
There are 7 ellipses in the MacAdam scale. The higher the number, the more deviation from the target colour. The human eye begins to detect differences somewhere between step 3 and step 4, the exact threshold depends on the observer and the application.
IMPERCEPTIBLE
Colour differences are completely indistinguishable to the human eye.
not visible
Colour differences are completely indistinguishable to the human eye.
barely visible
Colour differences are completely indistinguishable to the human eye.
visible
Colour difference is visible, especially on white surfaces and wallwashing.
clearly visible
Noticeable colour inconsistency. Acceptable in some outdoor applications.
very noticeable
Maximum allowed under EU Ecodesign regulation. Not suitable for quality interiors.
SDCM
> STANDARD DEVIATION OF COLOUR MATCHTING
SDCM stands for Standard Deviation of Colour Matching. It is the same metric as a MacAdam step. 1 SDCM equals 1 MacAdam step. The terms are used interchangeably in the lighting industry.
SDCM is a measurement used to quantify the difference between two colours. LED products with lower SDCM values are considered to be of higher quality and are often used in applications where colour accuracy is critical, such as museum lighting, stage lighting, or medical environments.
In practice: When comparing products, always look at the SDCM or MacAdam step value on the specification sheet. A product at 2 SDCM will look visually identical across all fixtures. A product at 5 SDCM may show noticeable colour variation between fixtures on the same installation.
ansi binning standard
> THE AMERICAN INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR LED CLASSIFICATION
The ANSI (American National Standards Institute) binning standard is a set of guidelines that helps to ensure consistency in LED colour and brightness. This standard is used by LED manufacturers to classify their products into different bins based on their chromaticity and luminous flux characteristics.
The ANSI standard defines two key parameters: chromaticity coordinates, a description of the colour of light emitted by the LED, and luminous flux, a measure of the amount of visible light emitted.
ansi vs macadam steps
The ANSI standard and MacAdam steps are two different methods used in the LED industry to classify LEDs. The key differences are:
the cls led standard
> WHY CLS ONLY USES STEPS 1 AND 2
At CLS LED, we only use LEDs from MacAdam steps 1 and 2. This means there are no visible colour differences between fixtures within any CLS installation. This standard is non-negotiable across our entire product range — from the Topaz Series to the Revo Compact.
This commitment is especially important for our core applications in museums, galleries, architectural lighting, and retail, where colour consistency across an entire installation directly affects the quality of the experience. A museum display illuminated with 20 spotlights must look identical across all of them — no warmth differences, no visible variations.
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