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Comparison between LEDs and LEDs: What are SMD and SMD LEDs?

Here's an easy-to-understand comparison between LED chip numbers and sizes.

The different numbers correlate to the different physical dimensions of the chip. The numbers , , , etc correlate to the size of the chip in millimeters. Some LEDs are brighter than others and some give off more light per watt.

The LED chip you will need will depend on your project. Read below for more information.

Before you start, are you new to LEDs? A few resources:

LED Strip Light Product Selector Tool - Find the perfect strip light for your project. 

What are LED strip lights and what can they do?

LED Strip Light Examples and Ideas

Showdown: The Difference Between LED vs

LED strip lighting can be manufactured with a variety of LED chips. The numbers you see such as and refer to the size of the chip. The older style strips that have been popular for a few years now are the sizes seen above. Currently, there are even smaller and more efficient LED chips on the market with the sizes of , , , and . Each have benefits when used properly. No "one" chip can rule them all. 

So, what is the difference between SMD  and LEDs and why should you care?

SMD LED Flex Strip light

Simply put, these LED chips are called SMD because the dimensions of the chips are 5.0mm x 5.0mm. They have 3 LED diodes in one housing (sometimes called tri-chips), and are a lot brighter than individual LED chips.

These are examples of LED light strips:

They are used when you need slight illumination for your project area and especially RGB color changing lights. Theoretically, comparing the same number of chips, SMD LEDs can offer a light output 3 times that of the strips, and therefore the LED is well suited for lighting up areas that may be subject to high levels of ambient light. However, since they are larger in size, there are only so many you can fit onto the PCB. There are some brightness restraints when using the s in this way.

Though they produce more heat than smaller chips, it is still drastically lower than other lighting options. These types of LEDs require a thicker PCB to draw the heat away form the chips.

The 's are different from the  LEDs in that s can combine the three different chips to inside the housing to create millions of color variations.

While the chip can be used in single color applications, we have found the LEDs to be better for the RGB and the SMD LEDs in high density better for single color applications.

SMD LED Strip light

They are called SMD because the dimension of the chip is 3.5mm * 2.8mm. These LED chips (one LED per chip) are bright but not as bright as the side by side. However, when used in higher quantity can be brighter then a comparible strip of s.

These lights are great for TV backlighting, color splashing walls, accent lighting for crown molding and pictures, under tables and cabinets, bars, etc.

LEDs can be most cost effective, but will not be as bright when compared individually to a chip, but when there are 600 of them on a reel, they can be brighter than a strip.

Buying Tip: When comparing LED strip lighting between companies, if both competing strips are using the same chips, look at how many LED are on the strip and look for lumen output to determine brightness. 

Pay attention to how many LEDs there are per foot or meter. When searching for a bright LED strip light, make sure you compare apples to apples, as not all LED strips are made in the same way. 

Watch: YouTube Video showing how our LED strip lights come with 600 LEDs per reel Instead of 300

LEDs in various lighting projects

Other sizes: LED chips and LEDs in high brightnes

s LED strip lights

The UltraBright Series are of the Brightest LED strips in the world!

SMD LED chips

LED chips

Though and SMD LEDs were the most popular on the market for strip lights, the LED market has changed rapidly over the past few years. 

Today, there are many LED chips available that are brighter and also more efficient. The  SMD LED chips in our High CRI UltraBright Series and SMD LED chips in our Architectural Ultra Bright and Design Series Ultra Bright LED strip lights are smaller and more efficient than their predecessors. Because the LED sizes are much smaller, we were able to fit many more of them onto the strip lights, thus creating blindingly bright LED strips. Our Industrial LED strip lights use a new advanced chip. 

So, What does all this mean?

Should I choose , , , , or some other size I have never heard about?

For more Smd Ledinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

The size of the chip and how many chips you will need depend upon the use for which the LED strips are going to be used. We can help you design your project and select the strip and chip needed, for free!

We recommend doing an overview of your project and asking some main questions.

Start by deciding what you want/need the lighting for.

1. View our Buying Guide

2. What is the project? Do you want accent lighting, principal task lighting, color changing, lighting a display case, outdoor, etc?

3. Dimmable or non dimmable capability?

4. Which color do you want?

5. Do you require very high CRI

6. What brightness is needed?

7. Do you need it waterproofed?

When purchasing LEDs, please pay attention and compare the following: 

1. Look how many LEDs are on the reel or per foot and 

   the total lumen (brightness) of the LED strip light

2. Pay attention to the CRI ( Color Rendering Index ) - Our CRIs range between 80 - 95.

3. How many watts does the strip use?

4. Are the UL or ETL safety listed?

5. Are they dimmable?

6. How many ounces of copper do they use in their PCB to dissipate the heat? (we use 2-4oz)

7. What type of LED chips are used?

8. How are the LEDs binned? (will you get the same color every time you order?) 

   *Please be hesitant to purchase if the supplier does not offer this information, as these are important specifications to know when purchasing a quality product. 

LED strip lighting 101: Great and informative introduction pages: 

1. What is an LED strip light and what can they do?

2. What do I need to know before I choose an LED strip light?

3. LED Strip Light Examples and Ideas

4. LED strip light product comparison chart

5. How does Flexfire LEDs manufacture the highest quality LED strip lights? 

Have Questions? Our design experts are waiting to assist you with any question! 

All these numbers! What's going on?

Have you ever been looking for LED light strips and ran across the numbers , , or ?

These numbers are less mysterious than you might think.

First off, you might have seen the letters "SMD" preceding these enigmatic numbers. The abbreviation SMD refers to a 'Surface Mounted Device'. That means this is an LED Chip (device) mounted directly to a light strip, without using wires. This surface mounting technology is indeed what makes LED Light Strips possible. The numbers after the SMD simply refer to the physical size of the LED Chip. Take SMD for example, they are 3.5mm wide and 2.8mm long. Note that size is not proportional to output or performance, and it is not the only difference between LED chip types.

SMD

SMD Chips are perhaps the most common of all LED light strip chips. They are the least bright and least power-intensive of the three chips we use at HitLights, and are most commonly used for accent lighting, such as above kitchen cabinets and around the crown molding below the ceiling.

chips used to be featured in our Luma5 strips, but those now primarily use lower output chips which offer the same brightness of chips but with greatly improved efficiency and lifespan. You can shop our selection of Luma5 strips here.

SMD

SMD Chips are just barely behind the chips in popularity. These chips are 5.0mm x 5.0mm. chips are typically 3 times as bright as chips. Because they're brighter, strips with chips are typically used for what we call 'task lighting', and commonly used underneath kitchen cabinets where that light will help you see what you're working on. strips are often also available in color changing styles, meaning that you can select any color you want with a remote or controller.

chips used to be featured in our Luma10 strips, in both the single color and multicolor versions. You can shop our selection of Luma10 RGB kits here.

SMD

SMD Chips look very much like chips, but they use newer technology and are typically much more efficient. This means that for equivalent power, they can be much, much brighter. They're smaller than the chips (2.8mm x 3.5mm). They make the ultimate in task lighting and even work lighting.

High output chips are utilized in our Luma20 strips, which are the brightest (and most efficient) strips that we sell. You can shop our selection of Luma20 strips 

here

.

Editor's note: As a final aside, while the Luma designations initially were associated with certain chip types (Luma5 was , Luma10 was , and Luma20 was ) with improvements in LED technology these designations quickly became invalid. Instead, our Luma designations should always refer to the number of lumens per chip - around 5 lumens per chip for Luma5, around 10 lumens per chip for Luma10, and around 20 lumens per chip for Luma20.

Now you should know the difference between the different types of LED chips on our strips.

Talk to us about your project, we are happy to help answer any other questions you might have.

The company is the world’s best China SMD LED supply supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.