As a lighting contractor, I help homeowners choose between 4-inch and 6-inch recessed lights on a daily basis. The decision can be somewhat stressful, since you don’t actually know how the lighting will look or work until it’s installed.
In this article, I discuss the differences between the two sizes, and how I arrive at my recommendations. I’ve also included decision trees for general, task, and accent lighting to make it simple for you to decide what’s best for your rooms.
3 Common Myths about 4-inch vs 6-inch recessed lights
First off, I’d like to dispel a few common myths when comparing 4-inch to 6-inch LED recessed lights. These have not always been wrong, it’s just that modern LED recessed lights have changed everything.
Myth #1: Only 6-inch lights should be used for general lighting because 4-inch lights are not bright enough.
Fact: A minimum of 600 lumens is recommended for fixtures used for general lighting. In the past, 4-inch fixtures rarely produced that many lumens from the R20 or MR16 incandescent light bulbs they used. But with modern LED technology, most 4-inch LED recessed lights now meet or exceed this specification.
Myth #2: 4-inch recessed lights are too small to be used for General Lighting.
Myth #3: You should always use the same size throughout your home.
Fact: Style should be consistent, but consider size and type on a functional basis. It is perfectly acceptable to mix 4-inch and 6-inch recessed lights in the same room.
In the example shown here, 6-inch lights are being used for general lighting, and 4-inch lights for accent lighting.
What’s the difference between 4-inch and 6-inch recessed lights?
Besides the physical size difference, 4-inch and 6-inch lights can be compared in terms of their style and function.
4 inch lights
Style – 4-inch lights lights are generally considered more modern than 6-inch lights because of their compact size.
Function – 4-inch lights often have more options for gimbal and specialty trims used for task and accent lighting applications.
6 inch lights
Style – 6-inch lights can appear more proportionate for mid-size and large rooms where 4-inch lights can look under scale for the room.
Function – 6-inch lights usually have a higher lumen output than 4-inch lights and a wide beam angle which makes them idea for general lighting.
What’s a better choice for your room?
To choose between 4-inch vs 6-inch lights for a room, first determine which lighting layers the room needs; General, Task, and/or Accent lighting. Then plan each layer separately.
Since all rooms need general lighting, I like to start with that first. Then you can add additional task lighting (if necessary), and finally accent lighting if appropriate for the room.
I’ve created a decision tree that will walk you through my recommendations based on your room. You can tap or click on each one to enlarge it.