Comparison between 3528 LEDs and 5050 LEDs: What are SMD 3528 and SMD 5050 LEDs?

Here's an easy-to-understand comparison between the SMD
3528 and SMD 5050 LED

Showdown: The Difference Between LED 3528 vs 5050

Here at Flexfire LEDs we use both 5050 SMD LED strip lights and 3528 SMD LED strip lights. Our LED strip lights come in Warm White, Bright White, Red, Blue, Green, RGB Color changing, and more!

So,  what is the difference between SMD 5050 and 3528 LEDs and why should you care?

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SMD 5050 LED Flex Strip light

They are used when you need high illumination for your project area and especially RGB color changing lights. Theoretically, SMD 5050 LEDs can offer a light output 3 times that of the 3528 strips, and therefore the 5050 LED is well suited for lighting up areas that may be subject to high levels of ambient light. However they are limited because of their size, so a strip of 5050 leds can only be so bright.

5050 LED light strips in use!

Though they produce more heat than smaller chips, it is still drastically lower than other lighting options.

The 5050's are different from the 3528 LEDs in that 5050s can combine the three different chips to inside the housing to create millions of color variations.

While the 5050 chip can be used in single color applications, we have found the 5050 LEDs to be better for the RGB and the 3528 SMD LEDs in high density better for single color applications.

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SMD 3528 LED Flex Strip light

PAY ATTENTION to how many LEDs/ Meter or Foot. You may be getting a lower price per reel or by the foot, but you are not getting as many LEDs! Make sure you compare apples to apples when ordering.

Watch: YouTube Video showing how our 3528 LED strip lights come with 600 LEDs per reel Instead of 300

3528 LEDs in action: home and office!

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3020 LED chips and 3014 LEDs in high brightness LED strip lights

Ultra Bright Series are the Brightest LED strips in the WORLD

3020 SMD LED chips	3014 LED chips

Though 5050 and 3528 SMD LEDs are the most popular on the market for strip lights, the LED market is changing rapidly. 3528 and 5050 are just the sizes of the chips!

5050 LED chips and 3528 LED chips are the most popular on the market. However, there are other LED chips available that are brighter and also more efficient.

We offer 3020 SMD LED chips in our 12v UltraBright Series and 3014 SMD LED chips in our 24v Ultra Bright and Industrial Ultra Bright LED strip lights.

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So, What does all this mean?

Should I choose 5050, 3528, 3020, 3014, or some other size I have never heard about?

Start by deciding what you want/need the lighting to be. Accent, task, color changing?

If you are wondering which is brighter you need to look at the lumen count, or the amount of light visible to the human eye.Typically other strips come in ar atound 3,000 - 5,000 lumen. Compare ours to theirs and see the Flexfire LEDs difference.

If you were going to compare a single 5050 LED and a single 3528 LED, the 5050 would be brighter. But how many LEDs are on the strip you are buying?

By far, the brightest LED strip light we sell (12,000 lumen) is neither a 5050 nor a 3528, but a 3014.

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LED strip lighting 101-

Also read:

TOP 4 things to consider when purchasing LED Strip Lights 

LED Strip Light Examples and Ideas

 Have Questions? Ask Here!