Size your cove lighting
Total running length of all coves and channels, then the strip you intend to use. Strip, driver and profile are supply at shop prices; only the installation line is a Greenbox rate.
How this calculator works
- Length in metres = feet ÷ 3.280839895.
- Load = metres × watts per metre. Use the strip's actual rating from the datasheet, not the headline figure on the reel packaging.
- Driver capacity = load × headroom factor. 1.25 is our standard specification.
- Drivers = ceiling(capacity ÷ 100 W). We size in 100 W units because that is the common constant-voltage driver and it keeps each circuit short.
- Output ≈ load × 110 lumens per watt, a realistic figure for a good-quality 2216 or 2835 strip at 24 V. Cheap strips deliver 70–85 lm/W.
- Cost = strip (₹320/₹480/₹760 per m by type) + drivers at ₹1,400 each + profile + installation. Installation and wiring defaults to ₹80 per running foot, the middle of the ₹65–100 we bill for lighting circuit wiring. GST at 18% is shown separately.
| Strip type | Load | Rate used | Where to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 W/m, 60 LED | Low | ₹320 / m | Under-counter accent, wardrobe interiors, niche washing |
| 14.4 W/m, 120 LED | Standard | ₹480 / m | Peripheral ceiling coves, the default in a Mumbai flat |
| 19.2 W/m, 240 LED | High | ₹760 / m | Aluminium profiles, linear pendants, anywhere the strip is visible |
| Aluminium profile | — | ₹280 / ft | Diffuses the dot pattern and acts as a heat sink |
| 100 W CV driver | — | ₹1,400 each | 24 V constant voltage, dimmable where specified |
24 V strip is strongly preferred over 12 V for anything longer than 5 m — voltage drop at 12 V shows as a visible dimming toward the far end of the run.
Design and build under one accountable roof
Worked example — the default cove
A 40 ft peripheral cove around a living and dining ceiling, 14.4 W/m strip, 25% headroom, no profile, installation and wiring at ₹80 per foot.
| Step | Arithmetic | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Length in metres | 40 ÷ 3.2808 | 12.2 m |
| Load | 12.2 × 14.4 | 176 W |
| With 25% headroom | 176 × 1.25 | 219 W |
| Drivers | ceiling(220 ÷ 100) | 3 drivers |
| Output | 176 × 110 | 19,312 lumens |
| Strip | 12.2 m × ₹480 | ₹5,852 |
| Drivers | 3 × ₹1,400 | ₹4,200 |
| Installation and wiring | 40 × ₹80 | ₹3,200 |
| Total | sum | ₹13,252 |
Why cove lighting fails
We are called to fix other people's cove lighting more often than any other electrical item, and the causes are always the same three. The first is an inaccessible driver. The ceiling contractor closes the gypsum, the driver sits inside it, and when it fails in year three the only way to reach it is to cut a hole. Specify a driver location in the electrical drawing — a wardrobe loft, a removable tile, the electrical niche — and check it on site before the ceiling is boarded.
The second is the cove profile itself. A cove needs at least 100 mm from the strip to the ceiling face and a 75 mm lip to hide the strip, or you see a row of dots reflected on the ceiling rather than a wash of light. Contractors build shallow coves because they lose less ceiling height, and the light looks cheap as a result.
The third is mixing batches. Two reels of the same nominal 3000K strip from different production runs can differ visibly in tint, and on a continuous cove the join is obvious. Buy the whole run at once, from one supplier, and ask for the bin code.
One more practical point: buy the strip, the driver and the dimmer as a matched set from one supplier. LED failures in Indian flats are overwhelmingly driver failures, not strip failures, and a mismatched dimmer is the usual cause. If a supplier cannot tell you the driver's make, its ripple specification and whether it is dimmable, assume it is a generic unit and budget to replace it within three years.
The installation and wiring rate on this page is the one Greenbox bills for lighting circuit work on homes it has completed, held at October 2026. Strip, driver and profile prices are what the supply market charges and are not ours to audit; a plain cove light supplied and fixed on its own is billed at ₹110 to ₹170 per running foot, and the vertical gypsum drop that hides it at ₹70 to ₹100. Treat the output as a planning figure: accurate enough to brief a landlord, a bank or a family, and not accurate enough to sign a contract against.
What this tool does not cover
- The gypsum cove itself — false ceiling framing and boarding, which the false ceiling cost calculator prices.
- Dimming. Triac and 0–10 V dimming need matched drivers and add ₹800–2,500 per circuit.
- RGBW and tunable-white strip, which needs a controller and a different driver entirely.
- Point wiring, MCBs and the distribution board, which are part of the electrical package.
- Waterproof strip for balconies and bathrooms, at IP65 or above, which costs 40–60% more.
- For downlights rather than cove, use the downlights calculator; for overall light levels use the lumens calculator.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much LED strip I need?+
Measure the total running length of every cove and channel in feet, divide by 3.2808 to get metres, and buy that length plus about half a metre spare per run for connections. Strip is cut only at marked points, usually every 50 or 100 mm.
What size LED driver do I need?+
Total load in watts, plus 25%. A 12.2 m run of 14.4 W/m strip draws 176 W, so you need 220 W of driver capacity — three 100 W units. Never run a driver at its full rating; the heat shortens its life dramatically inside a sealed cove.
Should I use 12 V or 24 V LED strip?+
24 V for anything over 5 metres. At 12 V the voltage drop along a long run shows as visible dimming at the far end, and the fix is injecting power at both ends, which means more cable and more drivers. 24 V avoids the problem entirely for a few rupees per metre more.
What colour temperature is best for cove lighting?+
3000K warm white for living rooms and bedrooms. 4000K is fine in a kitchen or study but reads as an office anywhere else. Whatever you pick, use the same temperature throughout a connected space — mixed coves in one room look like a mistake, because they are one.
How much does cove lighting cost per foot?+
About ₹331 per foot for a 14.4 W/m strip with its own drivers and ₹80 per foot of installation and wiring, excluding the gypsum cove itself and excluding GST. A plain cove light supplied and fixed without dedicated drivers or profile is billed at ₹110 to ₹170 per running foot. An aluminium profile with a diffuser adds ₹280 per foot and is worth it anywhere the strip can be seen directly.