SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes

SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes in the SPL Ecosystem

SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes sit in the conventional part of the SPL / Schiefer portfolio – alongside their big LED program – and are mainly used to keep existing linear installations running in retail, hospitality, industry and signage. SPL is a Dutch professional brand backed by Schiefer Lighting, active in Europe since the 1990s and focused on high-quality project lighting.

Within that ecosystem, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes cover a surprisingly broad mix: ultra-slim T4 lines, T5 “TL5” HE/HO tubes (including single-colour decorative versions), short T5 service lamps, classic T12 G13 tubes and compact U-shaped 2G13 lamps. This combination lets you support everything from standard ceiling strips to very specific OEM fixtures. Fluorescent tubes remain a dependable option in buildings where wide, even illumination and predictable operating costs are still part of the lighting strategy. For day-to-day replacements across corridors, workshops and shared office zones, maintenance teams often begin with straightforward, installer-friendly ranges such as starlight fluorescent tubes. When a project calls for slightly more specialised fittings or compatibility across diverse fixtures, planners frequently turn to the versatile, European-market-focused lines from starlicht fluorescent tubes. Spaces that rely on steady colour output — retail shelves, classrooms, testing rooms — often integrate balanced, general-purpose options like spectrum fluorescent tubes. In commercial buildings where electrical infrastructure and safety conformity matter, specifiers may include robust, industry-oriented solutions from schrack fluorescent tubes to ensure stable long-term operation. And for cost-efficient rollouts or high-turnover stockrooms, procurement teams commonly add practical, easy-to-source variants such as rex light fluorescent tubes to keep maintenance cycles predictable.

Construction and Materials of SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes

SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes use standard low-pressure fluorescent technology, but in several diameters and base systems tuned to different luminaires.

At a high level, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes share these construction features:

• Glass bodies optimised for heat and optics
  • T4: approx. 12 mm diameter miniature tubes for under-cabinet and furniture lights.
  • T5 / TL5: 16 mm diameter slim tubes with G5 caps for modern batten and architectural fittings.
  • T12: 38 mm diameter for older industrial and special-voltage systems, using G13 caps.
    The glass gives stable geometry for reflectors, and its thermal behaviour is predictable over long burning hours.
• Low-pressure discharge system
  • Coiled tungsten cathodes at each end sit in a low-pressure inert gas with a small dose of mercury.
  • Once started, the arc produces UV, which the internal phosphor converts to visible light.
• Phosphor and colour
  • White tubes use triphosphor mixes at classic codes: 827 (2700 K extra warm), 835 (3500 K), 841/842/843 (4000–4300 K neutral) and 865 (6500 K daylight).
  • Decorative TL5 tubes use colour-select phosphors for yellow, red and blue output, clearly labelled in the TL5 HE/HO product names.

This makes SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes predictable from a design perspective: each family has known diameter, cap, colour and flux, and you can swap them into compatible luminaires without re-engineering the optics.

Assortment Structure of SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes

The product ladder is quite structured. If you think in terms of “what fittings do I need to keep alive?”, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes divide into four main groups.

T4 SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes – ultra-slim linear

• Power steps: 6 W, 10 W, 16 W, 18 W, 20 W.
• Colour codes: 842, 841, 843, 827, depending on wattage – so neutral, cool and warm versions exist.
• Lengths from about 218–578 mm including pins, tailored to furniture lights, under-cabinet fixtures, mirrors and compact decorative lines.

These are used where fitting height is tiny and there’s simply no room for T8 or even T5.

T5 / TL5 SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes – HE & HO, including colours

• Standard white short tubes:
  • F8 T5 835 – 224 mm incl. pins, 8,000 h rated life.
  • F13 T5 835 – 410 mm incl. pins, 8,000 h.
• TL5 HE coloured tubes:
  • 14 W, 28 W, 35 W TL5 G5 in Yellow, Red, Single Blue, 16 mm diameter, 549–1449 mm length.
• TL5 HO coloured tubes:
  • 39 W, 49 W, 54 W, 80 W TL5 HO in Yellow, Red, Single Blue, for higher lumen density and longer runs.

These SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes are designed for architectural accents, signage, cove lighting and retail where coloured linear light is part of the concept.

T8 / T12 G13 SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes – special voltages and retrofits
SPL has a small but important set of classic G13 tubes, mostly in T12 38 mm geometry:

• FL T12 40 W 835, 38×600, 58 V, 960 lm, 8,000 h – for short industrial fittings and low-voltage circuits.
• FL T12 65 W 865, 38×1500, 100 V, 4,780 lm, 10,000 h – 1500 mm tube for large luminaires requiring 100 V operation.
• TLM RS T12 rapid-start types:
  • 20 W 830 / 840, 38×604, 57 V, 1,350 lm, 10,000 h.
  • 40 W 830, 38×1213, 103 V, 3,350 lm, 10,000 h.

These SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes keep special-gear and special-voltage systems alive (signs, industrial plant, export equipment) where substituting a generic T8 is not electrically correct.

U-shaped SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes – 2G13 T8 FL-U

• U-shaped 2G13 T8 FL-U 92×525, 36 W 835, 3,100 lm, 10,000 h.

This lamp is built for compact ceiling fixtures and decorative wall luminaires where the source must fold back on itself to fit the housing. Finding a correct U-tube is often much harder than finding a straight tube, so having this in the SPL portfolio is important for maintenance.

Applications of SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes in Real Projects

Because the assortment covers T4, T5/TL5, T8/T12 and U-shapes, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes appear in very different scenarios.

• Retail and hospitality interiors
  • T4 and short T5 F8/F13 in under-shelf battens, bar fronts, mirror lights and small ceiling strips.
  • TL5 HE/HO yellow, red and blue tubes for brand-colour lines, coves, display niches and shop-window accents.
• Architectural and signage lighting
  • Long TL5 HO coloured tubes in façade coves, behind stretched fabric ceilings, or inside light boxes where uniform colour is key.
  • T12 special-voltage tubes in bespoke sign housings and industrial OEM luminaires.
• Industrial and technical spaces
  • T4 and T5 whites in machinery lights, control cabinets and narrow enclosures.
  • TLM RS T12 tubes in rapid-start circuits in plants and export equipment where the ballast and tube form a tuned system.
• Compact ceiling and wall fittings
  • U-shaped SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes in shallow bulkheads and ceiling panels where a full 600–1200 mm straight tube doesn’t fit.

In all these cases, the main role of SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes is to deliver predictable colour, flux and lifetime in fittings that were never designed for LED – without forcing a costly, full-luminaire replacement before it’s really needed.

Technical Performance of SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes

Although every SKU has its own datasheet, the SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes line follows consistent performance ranges that make planning easier.

• Luminous flux and lm/W
  • U-shaped 36 W 835 T8: 3,100 lm → roughly mid-80s lm/W.
  • T12 40 W 835 600 mm: 960 lm (short length + special voltage, not optimised for lm/W).
  • T12 65 W 865 1500 mm: 4,780 lm, which is decent efficacy for a 65 W T12 daylight tube.
  • TL5 HE/HO tubes follow typical T5 efficient values – around 70–90 lm/W depending on wattage and ballast.
• Lifetime and burning hours
  • Short T5 whites F8/F13: 8,000 h rated life.
  • U-shape 36 W and most T12 rapid-start tubes: 10,000 h.
  • Decorative TL5 colours are typically in the 8,000–10,000 h band; they trade some ultimate lifetime for saturated colour performance.
• Colour characteristics
  • White SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes use common codes like 835, 841/842, 843, 827, 865, so it’s easy to match with other brands or with LED retrofits later.
  • Coloured TL5 tubes (Yellow/Red/Blue) give narrow-band output optimised for visual effect or brand integration rather than CRI.

For a designer or engineer, this means SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes can be treated as a known, stable component: you can calculate lux levels, maintenance cycles and energy use with typical T5/T8/T12 assumptions and then plug in the exact SPL data for fine tuning.

How to Select SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes for a Project

Instead of just replacing “whatever was there”, approach SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes specification as a short checklist.

1. Fix tube family and base

   • T4 (miniature, often with dedicated lampholders),
   • T5/TL5 (16 mm, G5),
   • T8/T12 (26–38 mm, G13),
   • U-shaped 2G13 T8.

   The cap and diameter must match the luminaire; T5 and T8 are not interchangeable.

2. Verify wattage, voltage and special type

   • Short T5: 8 W or 13 W on standard gear.
   • TL5 HE/HO: 14 / 28 / 35 / 39 / 49 / 54 / 80 W – always respect ballast rating.
   • T12 G13: 20 / 40 W rapid-start at 57–103 V, or 40 / 65 W FL T12 at 58–100 V; these numbers matter because the ballast is voltage-sensitive.

   Installing a tube with the wrong wattage or operating voltage can overheat gear, cause flicker or destroy ballasts.

3. Choose colour by application

   • 827 / 835: cosy, warm spaces (hospitality, lounges, decorative ceilings).
   • 841/842/843: neutral white for offices, shops, corridors.
   • 865: daylight for technical rooms, workshops, laboratories.
   • Yellow, red, blue TL5: accents, signage, coves, brand stripes – not general room light.

   Keep the colour temperature consistent in each visual zone; mixing 827 and 865 in the same line always looks “wrong”.

4. Match geometry to the fitting
   • For T4 and short T5, check exact “including pins / excluding pins” lengths – 218, 292, 468, 472, 566 mm etc. are all present in the SPL range.
   • For U-tubes, verify both leg length and overall width (e.g. 92×525 mm for the SPL T8 FL-U).
5. Plan lifetime and maintenance
   • 8,000 h lamps in high-hour operation (12–16 h/day) will typically reach their economic replacement point in 1.5–2 years.
   • 10,000 h tubes in moderate-hour areas last longer, but for uniformity it’s still smart to plan group relamping rather than wait for random failures.

Safety and Handling of SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes

All the usual fluorescent precautions apply to SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes, but they matter more when you’re dealing with non-standard geometries and voltages.

• Electrical matching
  • Always pair T12 rapid-start tubes with the ballast type they were designed for; swapping them into generic T8 circuits is not safe.
  • Verify that gear (magnetic or electronic) matches both wattage and starting method (standard vs rapid start).
• Mechanical installation
  • Support the tube near both ends while rotating into G5/G13 lampholders; don’t torque on the middle of long T12 tubes.
  • For U-tubes, check that both legs are fully seated and that any retaining clips are correctly engaged.
• Thermal and housing conditions
  • Do not exceed luminaire wattage – especially in compact T4/T5 fixtures, over-wattage leads to ballast overheating.
  • Keep diffusers and housing vents clear of dust so tubes and control gear can cool correctly.
• Mercury and disposal
  • Like all fluorescent lamps, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes contain a small amount of mercury and must go to a lamp/WEEE recycling stream at end of life, not mixed waste.

With these basics respected, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes will usually deliver the rated 8–10k hours without drama.

Procurement and Wholesale Strategy for SPL Lighting Fluorescent Tubes

From a B2B point of view, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes are built to be easy to order, stock and document:

• Each tube in the range has clear EAN and MPN codes, plus explicit technical data (wattage, size, colour code, lumens, lifetime, packaging units).
• Price lists carry valid-until dates (e.g. 30.06.26 for current listings), so you can lock budgets and quotations over defined windows.
• Packaging levels (piece, box, pallet) are specified, which matters if you’re planning group relamping or multi-site replacements.

A practical way to manage SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes in your portfolio is:

• Build a core matrix for your installations:
  • a few key T4 wattages/colours that match your furniture and mirror lights,
  • F8/F13 T5 835 for short OEM luminaires,
  • the U-shaped 36 W 835 T8 for compact ceiling fittings,
  • any T12 rapid-start or special-voltage tubes your industrial or signage clients depend on,
  • and the TL5 coloured HE/HO lamps you actively use in architecture and branding.
• Document every item in BOMs by full SPL article code and colour code (827/835/841/865 or Yellow/Red/Blue) so replacements years later still match the original visual intent.

Used like this, SPL Lighting fluorescent tubes stop being a random legacy component and become a carefully controlled tool: you extend the life of specialised T4/T5/T12 systems, keep colour and lumen output predictable, and still have a clean path to LED when the timing and budget finally make sense.