The following information is a brief guide to what type of light fittings can be used in each part of a bathroom in the UK.
This is not an installation guide and bathroom lighting should always be installed by a qualified electrician. Outside the UK, reference should be made to the local national regulations.
The UK regulations split a bathroom into 4 zones as follows:
The UK regulations split a bathroom into 4 zones as follows:
Zone 0 - This is the area inside a bath or shower unit. Any light fitting used in Zone 0 must be low voltage (max 12v) and be rated at least IP67, which means that it is totally immersion proof.
Zone 1 - This is the area above a bath or shower unit to a height of 2.25m (7'5") from the floor. In Zone 1 a minimum rating of IP65 is required.
Zone 2 - This is the area stretching above Zone 1 to the ceiling and the area 60cm (23.5") from outside the perimeter of the bath or shower unit to a height of 2.25m from the floor. In Zone 2 an IP rating of at least IP44 is also required.
In addition, it is also good practice (but not mandatory) to treat the area around a wash basin, within a 60cm radius of any tap, as also being in Zone 2.
Zone 3 - This is anywhere outside Zones 0, 1 & 2 and where no water jet is likely to be used for washing or cleaning purposes. No IP rating is required in these areas.
Please note that in addition to the lights in our specialist Bathroom Collection almost all of the wall lights, pendants and ceiling lights in our other collections can be used in UK Zone 3.
They can also, for a small surcharge, be modified to be IP44 compliant. Please contact us for further details.
The majority of our wall lights are suitable for bathrooms in Zone 3. If you require the wall lights to be IP44 Rated for Zone 2 please contact us to verify.
The majority of our chandeliers are suitable for bathrooms in Zone 3. If you require the chandeliers to be IP44 Rated for Zone 2 please contact us to verify.
