5050 LED: Don’t Buy It Blind—Get the Inside Scoop
- XGM LED
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
“Learn what’s inside that shell so every install shines like your best quote.”
Problem — Manufacturers list “5050 LED” everywhere, but rarely specify whether it’s RGB, white, or CCT. You guess, installs fail, margins vanish.
Agitate — Wrong reels lead to underlit displays, overheated PCBs, returns, and wasted labor. Clients complain and your reputation takes the hit.
Solution — Use our five-step checklist: define the die map, compare brighter options, calculate real lumens, tailor optics, and copy bullet proof RFQ text into every order.
Fragment — 28 words
Drop this checklist into RFQs once, and each XGM reel—be it RGB strip or white flood board—arrives precise, bright, cool, and nearly warranty proof.
What “5050” Actually Means
“5050 LED” sounds like a spec—but it's only a footprint: 5.0 mm × 5.0 mm. Inside that box sits:
Tri die RGB: three 350 µm chips (20 mA each) for tight color control
Single die White: one 1.1 mm chip, typically 60–120 mA, needs proper thermal path
Dual die CCT: two 0.6 mm warm/cool chips at 25–35 mA for tunable white lighting
From 14 years of shipping to U.S. buyers, XGM consistently sees three common failures when “5050” is trusted as a guarantee:
RGB ordered instead of high flux white → under lux installs
White dice placed on thin copper → +25 °C board rise and phosphor burn
Lab-rated lumens quoted for field installs → specs don’t survive 45 °C aisles
Below, each section includes a punchy intro, a buyer-focused snippet (200+ words), placeholder image, and a deep dive with RFQ-ready language to fix those traps in your SOPs and quotes.
1 ▸ What Does 5050 LED Mean?
A 5 mm square shell—inside could be 3×RGB, 1×White, or 2×CCT dice. Never assume brightness; always confirm the die map before ordering.
Tri die RGB 5050s wire three ~350 µm chips to a common frame. Forward voltages: red ≈ 2.1 V, green/blue ≈ 3.2 V; drive each at 18–20 mA. These gems excel at pixel blend, not raw lumen output.
Single white 5050s house a 1.1 mm die, capable of 60–100 mA continuous or 180 mA pulses—only safe when mounted on MCPCB or 2 oz copper.
Dual die CCT merges two half size chips under one phosphor, driven at ~25–35 mA each. You get tunable color from 2700 K to 6500 K in one strip, ideal for retail zones—less ideal for color-coded pixel arrays.
RFQ filter text:
Package: 5050
Choose die map: 3×RGB / 1×White / 2×CCT
Thermal resistance: ≤ 15 K/W (RGB) or ≤ 10 K/W (white)
White bins ≤ 3 step MacAdam; RGB λ spread < 2 nm
Lens material: silicone (preferred), epoxy only indoor
Reliability tests: LM 80 ≥ 10,000 h @85 °C, 85/85 1,000 h, H₂S 3 ppm/72 h, thermal shock ± temperature cycles
Certifications: supply EN 62471 photobiological safety and IATF 16949 or control plan documentation
Traceability: X ray scan per reel; lot numbers match LM 80 batches
Supply chains without X ray logs or bin data often hide reworked or second rate units. Reject immediately.
2 ▸ What’s Brighter Than 5050?
For stronger white light, 2835 flip chip delivers up to 185 lm/W, lower board heat, and better ROI—unless you need pixel level RGB control.
Package Approx. lm/W (5000 K, 80 CRI, 100 mA) Required PCB $/klm
2835 flip chip 175–185 2 oz FR 4 $0.84–$0.90
3030 mid power 165–175 MCPCB $0.92–$0.98
5050 single white 130–145 MCPCB $1.05–$1.10
2835 benefits from low thermal resistance (~2.4 K/W) thanks to copper slug and short cavity; many 5050 whites hover near 3.5 K/W, magnifying heat issues. Use 2835 for long runs or continuous white light; stick with 5050 where RGB density matters.
In a NYC retail strip trial:
Switched from 5050 white → XGM 2835
Board temp dropped from 54 °C to 46 °C
Field efficacy increased from 138 to 176 lm/W
Flicker index dropped from 0.22 to 0.07 at 5 % dim
Quarterly service calls fell from nine to one
Download algo → [ROI_2835vs5050]. RGB signage still favored 5050 for tight 12–16 mm pixel layouts; track addressable pixel pricing for > ROI opportunity.
3 ▸ How Many Lumens Does a 5050 Emit?
Expect ~95–100 lm from RGB at 20 mA per channel; single white emits ~45–50 lm at 0.18 W. Beware ~8 % loss at 45 °C board temps.
RGB 5050 @ 25 °C:
Red ~25 lm
Green ~60 lm
Blue ~10 lm
Combined ~95–100 lm
Single white:
60 mA (~0.18 W): ~28–30 lm
100 mA (~0.29 W): ~45–50 lm
Thin FR 4 adds ~25 °C board temperature at 100 mA. That drives luminous decline and premature phosphor degradation.
Test at two benchmarks: 25 °C for bin validation; 45 °C board for real-world performance. Provide both in quotes. Adding a “45 °C flux” column in quotes reduced RMAs by double digits. Use [45C_flux_template].
Driving over 120 mA rarely boosts brightness and risks lifespan; better to upgrade package or increase count per run.
4 ▸ What’s the Beam Angle of a 5050 LED?
Stock silicone dome yields ~120° FWHM. Want wider wash (~150°)? Frost dome. Need concentrated spotlight (~30°)? Clip on TIR cup but allow ~8 mm extra height.
RGB displays rely on ~120° to blend color evenly. Task zones work best around 60°, and path lighting demands ~30° to minimize spill. Options:
Frost/sand the dome → ~150° spread, ~5 % flux loss
Aluminum reflectors → ~60° focused beam, no extra housing
Snap-on TIR lens → ~30° punch, doubled center candela; requires spacing
Narrow optics may reveal die spacing fringing if RGB spacing exceeds ~0.4 mm. Always re measure FWHM and Δu′v′ after any lens addition.
For art installs, frosted domes sacrifice minimal flux for beautiful halos; for bollards, 30° TIR primes lux but adds ~9 mm fixture height. Tools: [Beam_Optics_Calc] and FWHM testing method via smartphone.
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