Fire Rated Downlights

What a fire rated downlight does

A ceiling often does more than hold up a light. Where it separates floors, or your home from a neighbour's, it can form part of a fire barrier that slows the spread of flames and smoke and gives people more time to get out. Cutting a hole for a downlight opens a gap in that barrier, and a fire rated downlight is designed to help keep the barrier intact at the point where the light goes in.

Every downlight on this page is fire rated. Ceilings differ in the protection they need, so ask your electrician or building control what yours calls for, and check that your chosen fittings meet it before you buy.

Fitting fire rated downlights safely

We always recommend a qualified electrician for this job. In England and Wales, Part B of the Building Regulations covers fire safety, including how floors and ceilings resist fire, and Part P covers electrical work in a home; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building rules. A registered electrician will know whether the work must be notified to building control, can certify it, and will follow the fitting instructions to the letter, which matters because a fire rating depends on correct installation.

If a ceiling needs fire protection, use fire rated downlights throughout it rather than mixing in standard fittings, as an ordinary downlight can leave the very gap you were trying to close.

Fire rated downlights for bathrooms and kitchens

Bathrooms ask more of a downlight than any other room. Most of the fire rated downlights we stock carry a water-resistant rating and are suited to bathroom use. A bathroom is divided into zones by how close a spot is to the bath or shower, and the zones call for different levels of protection, so ask your electrician to check the rating against the exact spot you have in mind.

Most suit kitchens and hallways as well, and the same water resistance makes sense above a hob or sink where steam builds up. For dry rooms, we also stock downlights with a basic indoor rating, a sensible fit for a hallway ceiling where water is not a concern.

Replaceable bulb or integrated LED downlights

Most of the downlights here take a replaceable bulb with a twist-and-lock cap. That leaves the brightness and colour of the light up to you, lets you change your mind later, and means a bulb can be swapped without touching the fitting. Check the product details to see whether a bulb is supplied.

Many others have integrated LEDs, with the light source built in, so there is no separate bulb to buy or change. Across the range, most are dimmable. With a replaceable bulb, that depends on choosing a dimmable bulb, and a dimmer switch made for LED loads helps keep the light steady and free of flicker.

Warm or cool white from your downlights

The colour of the light shapes how a room feels. We stock warm white, soft white, cool white and daylight options. Warm and soft white give a gentle, homely glow for hallways and relaxed kitchens. Cool white looks crisper, which helps over a worktop or bathroom mirror, while daylight is the coolest white, useful for detailed tasks. If you are buying bulbs, 2700K gives a cosy warm white, and the higher the kelvin figure, the cooler the light.

Some can be switched between colour temperatures, which helps if you are unsure what will suit the room. Whatever you choose, keep the downlights in a room at the same colour temperature, so the ceiling looks even rather than patchy.

Measuring your ceiling for downlights

Before you order, check the measurements in the product details against your ceiling. The cut-out is the size of hole the fitting needs, and it matters even more when replacing old downlights, since a hole that is too big is hard to fill neatly. The recessed depth and minimum void tell you how much space the fitting needs above the ceiling, so check for joists, pipes, cables and insulation before anyone cuts.

For general light, space downlights evenly in a grid so the room has no dark corners or bright patches; in a hallway, a line down the middle usually works well. Sketch the layout first, marking joists where you can, so the holes go exactly where you want them.

Finishes and tilting downlights

We stock fixed downlights, which shine straight down for even light, and tilting designs that let you angle the beam towards a worktop, painting or feature wall. White trims blend into a white ceiling, keeping attention on the light rather than the fitting. We stock chrome and brass too, in brushed and polished finishes, to pick up the metal of taps, handles and switches nearby.

A few come in black, a good match for a dark ceiling or an industrial look. Some have a matt finish, which keeps reflections down. To clean any finish, switch off the power and wipe the trim with a soft, dry cloth, avoiding harsh cleaners.