LED Chip codes

LED chips are all identified by a four-digit number. This code is less complicated than it looks – it simply indicates the size of the LED chip. For example, the dimensions of on 5050 LED strip lights are 5.0mm x 5.0mm.
 

LEDs like 3528s, 5050s, 2835s and 5630s aren’t really different types of chip at all – they’re simply different sizes. Each has its own spec: different power requirements and output brightness. The best choice depends on what’s right for your project. 

The 3528 SMD is a smaller chip than the 5050 LED strip SMD. You will most often find 3528 chips on 12-volt LED strips. These strip lights output around 330-360 lumens per metre, depending on colour (equivalent to a 40w halogen) – enough to produce a smooth, bright effect when shining onto any surface. 

 3528 SMDs do not give off a lot of heat and you can safely touch them. They offer excellent colour consistency and reliability, with a life of 50,000 hours at 70% output.

Double-power 3528 SMDs are the same size as standard-power LEDs.  These LED are only available for 24-volt systems, as this carries current better. Lumen output is around 1320-1440 lumens per metre (depending on the colour). 

The 5050  is larger than the 3528. These dimensions mean that each 5050 SMD is big enough to house four separate LED chips (sometimes called ‘quad LEDs’).

With an output of around 990-1080 lumens per meter, depending on color, this smooth, bright effect when shining onto a surface . 5050 SMDs used in RGB LED strip lighting. The 5050 SMD is actually a ‘tri’ chip, meaning it has three smaller chips in every SMD. 

3014 LED chip

A recent development, 3014 SMD LED chips are much smaller and much more efficient than many earlier SMD models. The smaller size of the diodes (just 3.0mm x 1.4mm) means it’s possible to fit more of them offering more brightness, without the need for more power.

2835 LED chip

The 2835 SMD is a new choice on the LED market. The 2835 chip is only available for white LEDs.In practice, the 2835 can be viewed as  more efficient replacement for the 5050 – producing 20% more light but consuming less wattage. Each 2835 SMD pulls 0.2w (a 5050 SMD pulls 0.24w), 

5630 LED chip

The 5630 SMD has been around for several years, but only recently become an option in the LED market. The 5630 SMDs have dimensions of 5.6mm x 3.0mm. A larger LED doesn’t always mean brighter – but in this case, the 5630 chip outputs far more light than the more common 5050 SMD. High-quality 5630 chipscan produce up to around 2700 lumens.