5050 LED in Plain English: Pick the Right One, Light It Right, Get Paid

“Specify the die map today—skip the 2 a.m. ladder tomorrow.”

Problem — Quotes keep saying “5050 SMD super bright.” But is it RGB? Singlewhite? DualCCT? Nobody states the guts, so brightness, heat and cost spin like a roulette wheel.

Agitate — Order the wrong reel and an aisle reads dull, a pixel wall looks blotchy, or a thin FR4 strip runs scorching hot. Returns, re-installs, and apologies swallow your margin.

Solution — Use the five checks below. You’ll decode what 5050 actually means, see what outshines it, calculate honest lumens, choose the right beam angle, and paste RFQ text that blocks weak suppliers.

Copy this checklist into every RFQ; each XGM pallet—RGB pixel or white flood—lands bright, cool, and almost RMAproof.

The Reality Behind “5050”

Search what does 5050 LED mean and results swing from “brightest RGB ever” to “old, inefficient.” The truth: 5050 only names the footprint—5.0 × 5.0 mm. Performance depends on the die map, current, thermal path, and optics you pair with it.

Three common 5050 personalities:

Build Dice inside Typical drive Best job PCB need

Tridie RGB 3 × ~350 µm (R/G/B) 20 mA / channel Signs, gaming, pixels 1oz FR4 OK

Singledie White 1 × ~1.1 mm 60–120 mA cont. Flood strips, tubes MCPCB / 2oz

Dualdie CCT 2 × ~0.6 mm (warm/cool) 25–35 mA / side Tunable shelves 2oz FR4

Skip this distinction and you hit the three classic profit killers: underlux installs (RGB shipped where white was needed), thermal runaway (white die on thin copper), and spec drift (25 °C lab numbers used for 45 °C aisles).

XGM’s 14year field data plus LM80 programs help you dodge all three. Below you’ll get buyerready copy, RFQ clauses, and quick math. Drop in your photos, LM80/LM79 pages, EN 62471 photobiological safety statements, and IATF 16949 traceability letters to satisfy both Google’s EEAT and tough procurement audits.

1 ▸ What does 5050 LED mean?

It’s a 5 mm square shell that may hold 3×RGB, 1×white, or 2×CCT dice. Performance follows the die map, not the footprint.

A triRGB 5050 wires three small chips on one frame. Typical Vf per channel: ~2.1 V (R), ~3.2 V (G/B). Drive 18–20 mA each for smooth mixing; for addressable pixels add a constantcurrent IC per node.

A singlewhite 5050 swaps in a larger ~1.1 mm die. It delivers solid punch at 60–100 mA continuous, up to 180 mA pulse—but only with MCPCB or heavy copper.

A dualCCT 5050 houses two ~0.6 mm dice under a blended phosphor; 25–35 mA/side tunes from 2700–6500 K without harsh steps. Great for retail bays; not a dropin for RGB effects.

Copypaste RFQ filter

Package: 5050. Die map: 3×RGB / 1×White / 2×CCT (select).

Rθ(JB): ≤ 15 K/W (RGB); ≤ 10 K/W (white).

Bins: White ≤ 3step MacAdam; RGB λ spread < 2 nm.

Lens: Silicone preferred; epoxy indooronly.

Reliability pack: LM80 ≥10,000 h @ 85 °C/65 mA, 85/85 1,000 h, H₂S 3 ppm/72 h, −40↔+105 °C 1,000 cycles.

Safety: Statement to EN 62471.

Traceability: Xray one reel/lot; pallet label must match LM80 lot.

Quality system (auto): supplier to hold IATF 16949 or provide PPAPlike control plan.

Suppliers who hesitate at Xray or raw CSV logs usually rebag stock. Walk.

2 ▸ What is brighter than 5050 LED?

For white output, a 2835 flipchip at ~0.2 W beats singlewhite 5050 in lm/W, $/klm, and board temperature. Keep 5050 when RGB density matters.

Package Typical efficacy (5000 K, 80 CRI, 100 mA) PCB Approx. $/klm

2835 flipchip 175–185 lm/W 2oz FR4 $0.84–0.90

3030 midpower 165–175 lm/W MCPCB $0.92–0.98

5050 singlewhite 130–145 lm/W MCPCB $1.05–1.10

Why? 2835’s short cavity + copper slug slash thermal resistance to ~2.4 K/W; many 5050 whites sit near 3.5 K/W, so extra current buys more heat than lumens. For troffers, shelves, coves—2835 wins. For tight pixel pitch and saturated color—the 5050 RGB still rules value per channel.

Field minicase (24 V strip, 96 LED/m): 5050 white → XGM 2835 flipchip.

Board temp: 54 °C → 46 °C

Field lm/W: 138 → 176

Flicker index @5 %: 0.22 → 0.07

Service tickets (90 d): 9 → 1

ROI worksheet → CostAlive Calculator. For RGB marquees, 5050 keeps color tight at 12–16 mm pitch; watch 3535 addressable pricing—when it falls sub $0.10/channel, revisit.

3 ▸ How many lumens is a 5050 LED?

RGB: expect ~95–100 lm at 20 mA/channel. Singlewhite: ~45–50 lm at ~0.18–0.29 W. Remeasure at 45 °C boards—plan 8–10 % drop.

RGB 5050 @ 25 °C, 20 mA/channel (diffused):

Red: ~25 lm

Green: ~60 lm

Blue: ~10 lm

Composite: ~95–100 lm

Singlewhite 5050:

60 mA (≈0.18 W): ~28–30 lm

100 mA (≈0.29 W): ~45–50 lm (MCPCB recommended)

On 1oz FR4, 100 mA routinely drives board ΔT +25 °C, speeding phosphor browning and color drift.

Adopt a twotemperature test protocol:

25 °C (bin verify, catalog match).

45 °C board (U.S. aisle reality).

Publish both values in quotes and label the driver ripple you tested (≤10 % RMS recommended). Teams that added a 45 °C column cut RMAs double digits. Download the template → LUMEN45C_SHEET. If you must exceed 120 mA, jump to 3030 or spread the load across more emitters.

4 ▸ What is the angle of 5050 LED lights?

Stock silicone dome gives ~120° FWHM. Need wide wash? Frost to ~150°. Need punch? Clip PMMA TIR cups for ~30°—keep ≥8 mm zheight.

RGB signs love 120°; wide beams blend colors. Task lighting wants ~60° to lift center lux and tame glare. Pathway bollards shine with ~30° to cut spill. Options:

Frost/sand dome: smoother halos, ~5 % flux loss, FWHM ≈150°.

Aluminum profile lenses: quick 60° without tall optics.

Clipon TIR cups: 30° center punch, 2–3× candela; adds height.

Narrow optics expose color fringing if RGB die spacing > 0.4 mm. Always remeasure FWHM and Δu′v′ postlens with a pocket goniometer.

Art wall, SoHo: frosted domes—5 % flux trade for dreamy uniform halos.

Trail bollards, Denver: 30° cups—3× center lux; housing +9 mm.