GE Fluorescent Tubes

GE Fluorescent Tubes in the GE Lighting Family

GE has been making linear fluorescent lamps for decades, and a lot of that heritage still lives on in GE fluorescent tubes sold today under LongLast™, ECO / Ecolux® and Starcoat® names. The portfolio spans:

• T8 triphosphor LongLast™ 18 / 36 / 58 W tubes,
• ECO / Ecolux T8 lamps in common North American wattages like 17 W, 32 W and 59 W,
• Starcoat® Ecolux® T5 HE and HO lamps from 14 W up to 54 W.

For anyone maintaining older luminaires, GE fluorescent tubes are basically the “reference” lamps: fully documented, compliant with IEC/EN standards, and designed to work on existing control gear in retail, offices, warehouses and industrial sites. Fluorescent tubes remain a practical option in facilities that require steady, uniform illumination and predictable maintenance cycles. For areas where colour fidelity and consistent output matter — classrooms, laboratories, controlled work zones — planners often choose proven, high-stability products such as narva fluorescent tubes. In everyday commercial interiors and older installations, compatibility and ease of replacement are priorities, making leuci fluorescent tubes a common choice for routine service work. Where lighting must align with stricter electrical standards or integrate cleanly into professional-grade systems, specifiers frequently incorporate legrand fluorescent tubes. Large logistics halls, multi-site facilities and long-hour workplaces often require robust, stable-output solutions, leading teams to rely on globally supported ranges like ledvance fluorescent tubes. And for budget-conscious refurbishments or public-sector projects with frequent replacement cycles, procurement managers typically add straightforward, service-friendly options such as kanlux fluorescent tubes to keep maintenance predictable.

Construction and Light Quality of GE Fluorescent Tubes

All mainstream GE fluorescent tubes use proven low-pressure discharge tech:

• T8 geometry – 26 mm glass tube, G13 base, in 18 W, 36 W and 58 W LongLast™ versions. These deliver 1350 lm, 3350 lm and 5200 lm respectively in 4000 K cool white, with CRI 80+ and efficacies up to 93 lm/W.
• T5 geometry – 16 mm glass tube, G5 base, in Starcoat® Ecolux® types from 14 W to 35 W (HE) and 54 W HO. For example, F28W/T5/835/ECO outputs 2900 lm at 3500 K with CRI 85.
• Ballast-optimised design – lamps are specified for both conventional 50 Hz electromagnetic gear and high-frequency electronic ballasts. GE’s T8 LongLast™ datasheet explicitly shows lifetimes up to 46,000 h on warm-start HF gear with preheating.
• Colour and CRI – colour codes follow the standard 8xx logic:
  • 830 – 3000 K warm white,
  • 835 – 3500 K,
  • 840 – 4000 K neutral/cool,
  • 850 / 865 – 5000 / 6500 K daylight.
    Starcoat® T5 Ecolux lamps sit at CRI ~85 across 3000–6500 K.

So in terms of visual impression, GE fluorescent tubes give stable, neutral colour and high lm/W – they behave exactly like you’d expect from a top-tier triphosphor lamp.

T8 GE Fluorescent Tubes – LongLast™ and ECO / Ecolux® Lines

GE Fluorescent Tubes – LongLast™ T8

The LongLast™ family is GE’s European-style triphosphor T8 ladder for 230 V markets:

• 18 W / 36 W / 58 W T8 LongLast™
  • G13 base, 589.8 / 1199.4 / 1500 mm lengths, 26 mm diameter.
  • 840 4000 K Cool White with CRI 80+.
  • Luminous flux: 1350 lm (18 W), 3350 lm (36 W), 5200 lm (58 W).
  • Efficacy: up to 93 lm/W on the 36 W tube.
  • Service life: 30,000–35,000 h on HF preheat gear, median life up to 42,000–46,000 h depending on switching cycle.

These GE fluorescent tubes are positioned specifically as long-life, low-mercury T8s that can be used in existing fixtures in offices, retail and industrial sites.

GE Fluorescent Tubes – ECO / Ecolux® T8

In North America you’ll mostly see the ECO / Ecolux line:

• F32T8 Ecolux® (e.g. GE 66348, 32 W)
  • 48" T8, 2-pin G13, about 2900 lm, CRI ~80, 3500 K.
  • Average life quoted up to 21,000–30,000 h depending on operating hours per start.
• F17T8, F25T8, F32T8 ECO
  • 24", 36", 48" tubes in 3000–5000 K, often with ECO or ECO2 suffix to indicate reduced mercury.
• F96T8 / F96T8/XL – 8 ft T8 ECO tubes
  • 59 W, single-pin FA8 base, around 5950 lm, CRI 85, 4100 K, for long industrial and warehouse runs.

These ECO GE fluorescent tubes are TCLP-compliant in many cases, with mercury content in the 2–3 mg range, making recycling easier under US rules.

Short T8 GE Fluorescent Tubes for Residential / Light Commercial

There is also a set of short, lower-wattage GE fluorescent tubes:

• GE Bright White 15 W T8, 18" – 940 lm, 3500 K, non-dimmable, rated life 7500 h, for basements, garages and appliances.
• 15 W “Plant & Aquarium” tubes tuned for horticultural and aquarium use.

These are ideal for small fixtures, under-cabinet luminaires and display boxes.

T5 GE Fluorescent Tubes – Starcoat® Ecolux® HE and HO

GE’s Starcoat® Ecolux® T5 family is one of the more sophisticated parts of the GE fluorescent tubes range. The key points from the HE (High Efficiency) lamps:

• T5 HE Ecolux® – 14 / 21 / 28 / 35 W
  • All use a G5 miniature bi-pin base.
  • Designed nominally for operation at 35 °C for maximum light output.
  • Typical rated life: 30,000 h (3 h/start) to 36,000 h (12 h/start).
  • CRI 85 across 3000–6500 K.
  • For example, F28W/T5/835/ECO: 28 W, 2900 lm initial, 2660 lm mean, 3500 K.
• T5 HO Ecolux® – 54 W
  • F54W/T5/835/ECO: 54 W, 5000 lm, 3500 K, CRI 85, 45.2" length, 0.625" diameter, 30,000 h average life.
• Other T5 Ecolux® examples
  • F39W/T5/835/ECO: 39 W, 3500 initial / 3220 mean lumens, 2.5 mg mercury, –20 °C starting, CRI 85.
  • F35W/T5/841/ECO: 35 W, CRI 85, 30–36k h, explicitly described as TCLP compliant.

Together, these GE fluorescent tubes cover slim office luminaires, continuous-row systems and high-output T5 HO fixtures in retail and industry.

Application Scenarios for GE Fluorescent Tubes

Because the range spans both T8 and T5 in many wattages, GE fluorescent tubes appear in a lot of real-world settings:

• Retail and supermarkets – 36 W and 58 W T8 LongLast™ in 4 ft and 5 ft battens, plus T5 HE/HO in narrow linear systems over aisles and displays.
• Offices, schools and public buildings – T5 HE 14–35 W Ecolux® in recessed grid luminaires and suspended lines, usually in 3000 K or 4000 K with CRI 85.
• Warehouses and industrial halls – F96T8 59 W ECO lamps and T5 HO 54 W tubes in long rows and high-bay fittings, where the higher lumen packages matter.
• Basements, garages and small rooms – 15 W and other short T8 GE fluorescent tubes in compact strip lights and appliance fixtures.

Across all of these, the selling point is predictable performance and long, well-documented life when used with compatible ballasts.

How to Choose GE Fluorescent Tubes for a Project

Instead of just grabbing “some 36 W tube”, treat GE fluorescent tubes like any technical component and match them properly.

1. Fix geometry and base

• T8 – 26 mm diameter, G13 base
  • 18 W → ~590 mm
  • 36 W → ~1200 mm
  • 58 W → ~1500 mm
  • 8 ft 59 W → ~2400 mm single-pin FA8.
• T5 – 16 mm diameter, G5 base
  • 14 / 21 / 28 / 35 W HE and 54 W HO in standard T5 lengths.

T5 and T8 are not interchangeable – check diameter and cap before you order.

2. Match wattage to ballast and luminaire

Always read the luminaire label:

• “1 × 36 W T8” → choose a 36 W GE fluorescent tube (LongLast or ECO) of the correct length and colour.
• “2 × 28 W T5 HE” → two 28 W T5 Ecolux® lamps; don’t drop in 35 W or 54 W versions.

Magnetic ballasts are tuned to a specific wattage, and even electronic ballasts have defined lamp lists. Wrong wattage means poor starting, flicker and shortened life.

3. Choose colour temperature and CRI

Use GE’s colour ladder deliberately:

• 830 (3000 K) – warm, comfortable; good for hospitality, residential-style corridors and some retail.
• 835 (3500 K) – neutral-warm; common in North American offices and commercial spaces.
• 840 (4000 K) – neutral cool; a safe default for European offices, retail and industry.
• 850 / 865 (5000–6500 K) – daylight; for workshops, QC, some retail and spaces where extra visual contrast is needed.

For a professional look, keep one CCT per visual zone; mixing 3000 K and 6500 K tubes in the same row always looks messy.

Lifetime, Efficiency and Environmental Aspects of GE Fluorescent Tubes

One of the big advantages of GE fluorescent tubes is that they come with hard numbers you can design around:

• T8 LongLast™ – 75–93 lm/W, with rated median lives of 28,000 h (HF, 3 h cycle) and up to 36,000 h (HF, 12 h cycle); service life up to 35,000 h on HF gear.
• T5 Starcoat® Ecolux® HE – 30,000–36,000 h rated life (3 / 12 h cycles) with initial lumens from 1350 lm (14 W) to 3650 lm (35 W) at CRI 85.
• T5 Ecolux® HO 54 W – around 5000 lm at 3500 K with ~30,000 h life, giving very high lumen density per metre.
• Mercury content – ECO / Ecolux lamps are explicitly low-mercury, with examples like F39W/T5/835/ECO at 2.5 mg and F32T8 ECO around 2.95 mg. Many are TCLP compliant for easier recycling.

Design-wise, that means you can:

• plan group relamping at, say, 70–80 % of rated life (e.g. 20–24k hours for T5 HE),
• predict lux levels from published lumen packages,
• and meet environmental obligations by specifying low-mercury ECO / Ecolux variants.

Procurement and Stocking Strategy for GE Fluorescent Tubes

From a procurement point of view, GE fluorescent tubes are easiest to manage as a tight, standardised matrix rather than a random mix of SKUs. A typical structure might be:

• T8 LongLast™ (230 V markets)
  • 18 W / 840, 36 W / 840, 58 W / 840 as the default cool-white triphosphor ladder.
• T8 ECO / Ecolux® (120 V markets)
  • F17T8 / F25T8 / F32T8 ECO at 3000–5000 K, plus F96T8 ECO for 8 ft runs.
• T5 Starcoat® Ecolux®
  • 14 / 21 / 28 / 35 W HE and 54 W HO in 830 / 835 / 841 colours, with ECO / ECO/HL codes.

Always order and document by full code (e.g. F28W/T5/835/ECO, F32T8/SPX41/ECO2) so replacements match wattage, length, colour and CRI exactly. That way GE fluorescent tubes remain a stable, predictable building block in your lighting system, and any future switch to LED can be designed around clear reference values instead of guesswork.