Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

Legrand Fluorescent Tubes in the Legrand Portfolio

Legrand fluorescent tubes sit inside the group’s broader “Globes & Fluorescents” offer, where Legrand distributes a curated mix of T8 and circular fluorescent lamps under brands such as Nelson, NEC and HPM for the Australian and New Zealand markets.

In practice, when people talk about Legrand fluorescent tubes, they usually mean:

• straight T8 tubes in the 8–37 W range,
• circular T8 and T5 lamps for decorative or compact fittings,
• a handful of special-purpose tubes (black/insect, meat-display, medical).

Legrand’s role is to standardise this assortment, back it with documentation and compliance, and make sure installers can keep fluorescent-based luminaires running safely even as new projects move to LED. Fluorescent tubes remain a practical lighting choice for facilities that need wide, even illumination and predictable long-hour performance. Projects that prioritise consistent colour rendering — especially laboratories, schools and specialised work areas — often begin with dependable, long-established options such as narva fluorescent tubes. For mixed commercial spaces and everyday maintenance work, planners frequently use compatibility-friendly, budget-balanced lines like leuci fluorescent tubes, which cover common fixture standards. Large multi-building portfolios and logistics environments often rely on the robust, widely supported ranges from ledvance fluorescent tubes to maintain consistent lumen behaviour across hundreds of units. Public facilities or older installations that require simple, reliable replacement cycles typically integrate straightforward, service-ready models such as kanlux fluorescent tubes. And for organisations seeking global availability, predictable performance and a stable supply chain, the long-running, universally recognised lines from ge fluorescent tubes often complete the specification.

Construction and Light Quality of Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

Structurally, Legrand fluorescent tubes follow the same T8 / circular fluorescent technology you’d expect in professional projects:

• T8 straight tubes
  • Diameter: 26 mm (T8 format).
  • Bases: G13 bi-pin, for standard battens, recessed fittings and waterproof housings.
  • Typical lengths & wattages: 2 ft 18 W, 3 ft 30 W, 4 ft 36 W, special 37 W medical tubes.
• Circular T8 / T5 lamps
  • Circular T8 40 W “natural white” for round ceiling fittings.
  • Circular T5 22 W and 40 W cool white lamps with long life (up to 16,000 h) and high lumen output (e.g. 40 W ≈ 2800 lm).
• Gas discharge + triphosphor coating
  • Low-pressure gas with a small mercury dose produces UV; triphosphor coatings convert it to visible light with CRI >80 in general-lighting types.
• Colour temperatures in the Legrand fluorescent tubes range
  • 3000 K warm white (e.g. 18 W warm white T8).
  • 4000–4200 K cool/neutral white – the main workhorse for offices, corridors and workshops.
  • 5000 K “natural white” used in many circular tubes and some straight NEC/ Nelson lamps.
  • 6700 K daylight on selected 36 W tubes where very crisp light is needed.

Straight T8 Legrand fluorescent tubes typically offer 6000–12,000 h lifetime depending on model (short 8–15 W tubes at 6000–7500 h, higher-end 36 W tubes around 12,000 h), while circular T5 models reach up to 16,000 h.

Assortment of Legrand Fluorescent Tubes: Straight, Circular and Special

Straight T8 Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

The Legrand fluorescent tubes ladder is built around NEC / Nelson T8 straight lamps in several wattages:

• Mini and short T8
  • 8 W, 10 W, 13 W T8 cool white 4200 K, lifetimes around 6000–7500 h – used in compact luminaires, signage and small battens.
• Core general-lighting T8
  • 15 W and 18 W cool white 4200 K, around 7500 h life.
  • 18 W natural / warm white variants at 3000–5000 K for residential-feel spaces.
• Medical and special 18 W / 37 W T8
  • NEC medical tubes such as 18 W cool white 4200 K 9000 h and 37 W cool white 4200 K 20,000 h, used in medical equipment or specialised luminaires.
• 36 W T8 Legrand fluorescent tubes
  • 36 W cool white 4200 K, approx. 3200 lm and 12,000 h life in Nelson T8 tri-phosphor variants – a classic 4 ft workhorse for offices and commercial spaces.
  • 36 W daylight 6700 K for applications needing high contrast and a very “white” look.

Circular Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

Legrand also distributes circular fluorescent tubes under the Nelson brand:

• Circular T8 40 W natural white 5000 K, used in round ceiling fixtures and decorative bulkheads.
• Circular T5 22 W and 40 W cool white 4000 K, dimmable versions with up to 16,000 h lifetime and ~2800 lm output on the 40 W model.

These circular Legrand fluorescent tubes are important for maintaining older decorative fittings where LED retrofits may not match the geometry.

Special-purpose Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

Within the same Legrand fluorescent tubes family, you’ll also find some niche products:

• Insect/black T8 tubes – NEC 15 W and 20 W black/insect lamps for attracting insects away from certain areas or for insect traps, with defined UVA output levels and lifetimes around 7500–9000 h.
• Meat-display T8 tubes – HPM 30 W / 36 W / 58 W meat display fluorescent tubes (900 mm / 1200 mm / 1500 mm) designed to enhance the appearance of meat and delicatessen counters.

This means “Legrand fluorescent tubes” is not just standard white lamps, but a mix of general, circular and tailored-spectrum tubes under one procurement roof.

Where Legrand Fluorescent Tubes Are Used

Because they follow standard T8, T9 and T5 geometries, Legrand fluorescent tubes slot into a lot of real-world fittings:

• Residential and small-commercial rooms
  18 W and 36 W T8 cool white tubes in simple surface battens and recessed grid fittings in garages, workshops, laundry rooms and small offices.
• Retail and back-of-house
  36 W cool white and daylight T8 tubes in 4 ft battens along aisles and in storerooms; 58 W meat-display tubes in refrigerated cases and specialist display luminaires.
• Medical and technical equipment
  NEC medical T8 18 W / 37 W tubes inside light boxes, diagnostic equipment or specialist luminaires where colour and stability are controlled.
• Decorative and compact ceiling fittings
  Circular T8/T5 Legrand fluorescent tubes in round ceiling lights in corridors, stairwells and residential common areas where the fixture shape is part of the interior design.

In many of these spaces, fittings are mechanically sound and properly wired; replacing the lamp with the correct Legrand fluorescent tube is the fastest way to restore light without a full LED upgrade.

How to Choose Legrand Fluorescent Tubes for a Project

When you specify Legrand fluorescent tubes, treat it as a small technical decision rather than just picking “any 36 W”.

1. Fix the lamp geometry

• Straight T8 – 26 mm diameter, G13 base, typically 2–4 ft lengths (18–36 W) plus special 37 W types.
• Circular T8/T5 – circular rings with T8 (G10q) or T5-style bases, wattages 22–40 W.

The lamp type must match the luminaire – you cannot swap a T8 straight tube into a circular fitting or a T5 ring.

2. Match wattage and ballast

Check the label on the fitting:

• “1 × 18 W T8” → choose an 18 W Legrand fluorescent tube (e.g. NEC / Nelson 18 W cool white).
• “1 × 36 W T8” → choose a 36 W tube (cool white, warm or daylight depending on the space).

Magnetic ballasts are tuned for a specific lamp current; wrong wattage leads to poor starting, flicker and premature ballast or lamp failure.

3. Choose colour temperature and spectrum

Use the colour ladder deliberately:

• 3000 K warm white – comfortable light for living areas, hotel corridors and restaurants; available in selected 18 W tubes.
• 4000–4200 K cool/neutral white – default for offices, corridors, schools, workshops and most commercial interiors.
• 5000 K natural white – slightly cooler, often used in circular lamps and retail.
• Daylight 6700 K – reserved for spaces needing very high visual contrast (some workshops, special retail).
• Meat-display and insect tubes – choose HPM meat-display tubes where merchandise appearance is critical, or NEC insect tubes for insect control or traps; don’t use these as general white lighting.

Always keep one CCT / spectrum per visual zone; mixing 3000 K and 6700 K in the same row looks chaotic and is tiring for occupants.

4. Consider light levels and lifetime

Use the typical outputs as design anchors:

• 18 W T8 cool white ≈ 1350–1500 lm,
• 36 W T8 cool white ≈ 3200 lm,
• circular 40 W T5 ≈ 2800 lm.

Combine lamp lumen, luminaire efficiency and mounting height to check you’re hitting the target lux (e.g. 100–200 lx for corridors, 300–500 lx for work areas). For circuits running many hours per day, plan group relamping ahead of the 12–16k lifetime point to keep illumination uniform.

Safety, Lifetime and Maintenance of Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

Legrand’s catalogues and distributor data emphasise that lamp + ballast + starter need to be treated as one system if you want the full life from Legrand fluorescent tubes.

Key points:

• Electrical compatibility
  • Use starters that match the wattage and technology (especially for 18–36 W T8).
  • On older magnetic gear, consider replacing starters during group relamps; a weak starter will quickly damage new lamps.
• Installation
  • Isolate power before relamping.
  • Support the tube at both ends, rotate gently in G13 or circular lampholders – don’t twist against the glass.
• Thermal behaviour
  • Don’t exceed the luminaire’s maximum lamp wattage.
  • Keep diffusers and housings reasonably clean so ballasts and lamps can cool; high temperatures accelerate phosphor depreciation and electronic failures.
• Mercury and disposal
  • Like all fluorescent lamps, Legrand fluorescent tubes contain a small mercury dose. They must be collected through lamp / WEEE recycling rather than thrown into general waste streams. This is important both legally and environmentally, especially on large sites.

Handled correctly, you can expect 6,000–20,000 h service life depending on model (short basic tubes at the lower end, speciality medical and T5 circular at the higher end), with predictable lumen depreciation curves.

Procurement and Standardisation of Legrand Fluorescent Tubes

For wholesalers, facility managers and project engineers, the practical way to work with Legrand fluorescent tubes is to treat them as a standardised maintenance matrix inside your lamp list:

• Straight T8:
  • 8 / 10 / 13 / 15 / 18 W cool white 4200 K,
  • 18 W warm or natural white where needed,
  • 36 W cool white and daylight 6700 K,
  • 37 W medical cool white where specialised gear exists.
• Circular:
  • T8 40 W 5000 K natural white for round fittings,
  • T5 22 W and 40 W 4000 K cool white, dimmable, for slim decorative fixtures.
• Special:
  • NEC insect/black tubes 15 W / 20 W,
  • HPM meat-display tubes 30 / 36 / 58 W.

Order by full description and code from the Legrand / Rexel ecosystem so wattage, colour, geometry and life rating remain consistent over years of maintenance. In larger portfolios, you can then phase in LED replacements (for example LED T8 or circular LED plates) line by line, using your existing Legrand fluorescent tubes as the reference for lumen level and colour – instead of redesigning everything from scratch.