For a standard eight foot ceiling, 4 inch pot lights are the common modern choice, and 6 inch pot lights suit larger rooms, taller ceilings, or an existing 6 inch opening you are replacing. Size affects the beam spread, how many fixtures the layout needs, and how the ceiling looks. Pick the size against the room and the ceiling height, then confirm the layout and the electrical details with your electrician.
What size pot lights should I use?
Recessed fixtures commonly come in 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 inch sizes, and Sakura has recessed lighting collections for each of those sizes. The small end, 2 and 3 inch, reads as accent or task lighting, good for a tight row over a counter or a narrow soffit. The 4 inch size is the middle ground most people picture in a modern home: a smaller aperture, a cleaner ceiling, and enough output for general light in a normal room. The 6 inch size throws a wider beam and covers more floor per fixture, which helps in big rooms and tall ceilings. The 8 inch size is for large open spaces where you want fewer, bigger sources.
The practical way to choose is to start with the ceiling. Low ceilings and small rooms look busier with big fixtures. High ceilings and open plans look underlit with small ones.
4 inch vs 6 inch pot lights
The trade-offs come down to beam spread, fixture count, ceiling height and look.
A 4 inch fixture gives a narrower beam. You will usually need more of them to cover the same area, but each one is less visible, and the pattern of light on the floor tends to be tighter and more even. This is why 4 inch is common in kitchens, hallways and bedrooms with standard ceiling heights.
A 6 inch fixture gives a wider beam, so fewer fixtures cover a room. It is also the size to keep when you are replacing an existing 6 inch can, because matching the opening avoids drywall patching and lets you reuse the cutout. On a low ceiling a 6 inch fixture can feel large, and it is more visible from below.
Neither size is better in general. A tight ceiling in a small room and a wide beam in a great room are two different jobs. Browse the 4 inch recessed lighting and 6 inch recessed lighting collections side by side to see the trim styles in each.
What size pot lights for the kitchen, living room and basement
Kitchen. A 4 inch fixture is the common pick for general light and for rows over counters, with 6 inch in a large open kitchen where you want fewer fixtures.
Living room. With a standard ceiling, 4 inch is common. With a vaulted or tall ceiling, 6 inch is common, because a wider beam reaches the floor from higher up.
Bathroom. A 4 inch fixture over a vanity area is common. Bathrooms are wet or damp locations, so confirm the fixture is rated for the spot you are putting it in. Check with your electrician.
Bedroom and basement. Lower ceilings usually suit 4 inch. In a large finished rec room, 6 inch can cut the fixture count and the labour.
Pot light spacing and how many lights per room
A common rule of thumb, not a code rule, is to space lights about the same distance apart as the ceiling height, or somewhat less, and to keep roughly half that distance from the walls. So an eight foot ceiling suggests roughly eight feet between fixtures, and about four feet from the wall.
Treat that as a starting point only. The right layout depends on the beam of the fixture you buy, the room shape, where the furniture sits, and what the light is for. A row over a counter, a reading corner and a hallway all want different spacing. There is no reliable lights-per-square-foot formula that fits every fixture, so draw the layout on paper, then ask your electrician to confirm it before anyone cuts a hole.
What does IC rated mean?
IC stands for insulation contact. An IC rated housing or fixture is built to sit in direct contact with insulation in the ceiling. A non-IC fixture needs clearance from insulation, which matters in an insulated ceiling because the insulation has to be pulled back and the space kept clear.
In Canada, an insulated ceiling usually has a vapour barrier or an air barrier as well. Check that the fixture is rated for insulation contact and, where the ceiling is the air barrier, that it is rated as air tight. Rules on clearance, sealing and barrier detailing vary with the assembly, so check with your inspector before you close the ceiling up.
Do IC rated pot lights need a vapour barrier?
The IC rating covers insulation contact. It does not, on its own, deal with the vapour barrier. In an insulated ceiling, the barrier still has to be continuous and the penetration still has to be sealed to the standard your inspector expects.
In practice this means keeping the cut as tight as the fixture allows, sealing around the housing or wafer as directed, and using an air-tight rated fixture where the ceiling is the air barrier. Confirm the detail with your inspector or electrician before drywall goes on.
Wafer lights vs pot lights with housings
A wafer light, also called canless or slim, is a thin LED disc with a remote driver. It needs no housing, so it goes into a renovation fast, and it takes up very little depth in a ceiling with joists or ducts in the way. It is a single assembly, so the light and trim are one piece.
A housing plus trim setup uses a can in the ceiling and a separate trim, which lets you swap the trim later without touching the housing, and lets you change the look of a room down the road. It takes more depth and more install steps.
Each has trade-offs. Renovation speed and shallow ceilings favour wafers. Future trim changes and serviceability favour housings and trims. See the pot housings and trims pages for how the two parts pair up.
What is CCT selectable?
CCT is correlated colour temperature, measured in kelvins. Lower numbers are warmer and higher numbers are cooler. Common lighting terms include warm white around 2700 K and daylight around 5000 K.
A CCT selectable fixture, sometimes labelled 3CCT or 5CCT, has a switch on the fixture or driver that sets one of several colour temperatures. You choose the setting at install, and the fixture then stays at that colour. It is useful when you are matching existing light in a room or when a homeowner has not settled on warm or cool yet.
Dimmer compatibility
Check that the dimmer is rated for LED loads and matches the fixture's driver, and check the manufacturer's dimmer list before you buy. A mismatch shows up as flicker, buzz or a narrow dimming range.
FAQ
Are 4 inch or 6 inch pot lights better? Neither is better. Four inch suits standard ceilings and a tighter look. Six inch gives a wider beam for large rooms, tall ceilings, or an existing 6 inch opening.
How far apart should pot lights be? A common rule of thumb is about the ceiling height apart, or somewhat less, with roughly half that distance from walls. It is a starting point, not a code rule. Confirm the layout with your electrician.
Do I need IC rated pot lights? If the fixture touches insulation, yes. Non-IC fixtures need clearance from insulation. Where the ceiling is an air barrier, check for an air-tight rating too, and confirm with your inspector.
What is 5CCT? A fixture with a switch that sets one of five colour temperatures, so you can pick warm or cool at install instead of buying a fixed colour.
If you are pricing a layout, see which products may qualify for a utility rebate through the rebate finder, or request a quote for your project.
Sources
Check insulation contact, air barrier and layout rules with your inspector. Technical Safety BC: https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/technologies/electrical