What Is the 2835 LED? A Complete Guide for Wholesale Buyers Comparing 2835 vs 5050 LEDs

If you’re sourcing LEDs for production, you’ve likely noticed major price and performance differences between LED chip models. But the most confusing comparison buyers run into is 2835 vs 5050 LEDs.

Choosing the wrong LED chip can lead to heat failure, inconsistent brightness, high product return rates, and damaged customer trust — especially when scaling orders.

In this guide, we will break down exactly what the 2835 LED is, how it performs, how many lumens per watt it produces, its lifespan, and whether 2835 or 5050 LEDs are the smarter purchase for your application.

The 2835 LED is a compact, high-efficiency SMD LED widely used for lighting products requiring strong brightness, high stability, and optimized heat dissipation.

The LED industry has evolved significantly in the past decade. In early LED product development, the 5050 LED was the most common because of its larger size and ability to produce multi-color (RGB) output. However, as the market demanded higher efficiency, greater brightness, lower heat generation, and smaller form factors, the 2835 LED rapidly became the new industry standard.

The 2835 LED is named for its size: 2.8mm x 3.5mm, and it was engineered as a next-generation replacement for both 3528 LEDs and many 5050 white-light applications.It offers a higher luminous efficiency, meaning it produces more brightness per watt of power, reducing energy use. Its flat thermal pad design allows heat to disperse more effectively, which is a key factor in extending LED lifespan in commercial environments.

For U.S. wholesale buyers, especially those supplying lighting products in automotive, consumer electronics, portable lighting, decorative lighting, architectural lighting, and medical device markets, the 2835 LED has become a strong choice due to:

Lower heat output (increases product stability)

Higher energy efficiency (reduces operating costs)

Consistent brightness output (improves user perception of quality)

Longer average lifespan (reduces warranty and replacements)

This article answers the key questions U.S. procurement managers ask most frequently, including:

What does 2835 LED mean?

Is 2835 better than 5050 for white lighting?

How long does a 2835 LED last in real use?

How many lumens per watt can a 2835 LED produce today?

Let’s break it down clearly and practically — from a production and application perspective — not just technical data sheets.

1. What Is a 2835 LED?

The 2835 LED is a high-efficiency SMD LED chip designed for stable brightness output with superior heat management.

The term 2835 refers to the dimensions of the LED package: 2.8mm x 3.5mm. Unlike older LED models that trap heat inside the package, the 2835 LED uses a flat thermal pad structure, meaning heat flows more easily from the chip into the PCB or heat sink. This design significantly improves reliability in long-term usage environments — especially in sealed lighting fixtures or compact product housings.

In manufacturing, thermal control equals lifespan. The better the heat management, the longer the LED remains stable without color shifting, brightness decay, or catastrophic chip failure.

Because of this advantage, the 2835 LED is widely used across:

Commercial lighting fixtures

Automotive daytime running lights and signal lights

3C electronics and home appliances

Medical beauty therapy lights

Landscape accent lighting

Mobile and wearable lighting products

It is generally used where strong white light and long-term reliability are required.

The internal structure of the 2835 LED allows it to deliver higher luminous efficiency, meaning it can produce more brightness while consuming less electricity. This directly benefits commercial buyers.For example, in large-scale LED strip lighting, switching to 2835 LEDs can reduce energy consumption by 15–40% depending on configuration.

Additionally, the 2835 package supports a wide range of color temperatures (CCT) and Color Rendering Index (CRI) levels — including CRI90+ options — making it suitable for retail displays, studio lighting, and high-end residential lighting where light quality matters.

If your product needs consistent bright output + efficiency + thermal durability, the 2835 LED is often the correct choice.

2. Which Is Better: 2835 or 5050 LEDs?

The answer depends on whether the application requires white light efficiency or RGB color effects.

5050 LEDs are larger (5.0mm x 5.0mm) and contain three light-emitting chips, making them ideal for RGB color-changing lighting (e.g., LED strips used for ambiance).

2835 LEDs are more efficient for white-light illumination, offering higher brightness, lower heat, and lower energy consumption.

So:

Feature	2835 LED	5050 LED
Size	2.8×3.5mm	5.0×5.0mm
Brightness Efficiency	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Heat Dissipation	Excellent	Moderate
Ideal Use Case	White light fixtures, general lighting	RGB color lighting, decoration

If your product requires RGB effects — use 5050.If your product requires high-quality white illumination — use 2835.Most U.S. suppliers are now switching from 5050 to 2835 for white lighting because of energy regulations, longer warranty requirements, and customer expectations.

3. What Is the Lifespan of a 2835 LED?

The average lifespan of a 2835 LED is 30,000 to 50,000 hours, depending on:

PCB heat dissipation

Current driving level

Ambient operating temperature

In real product usage, this translates to 3–7 years of continuous operation.

4. How Many Lumens Per Watt Is a 2835 LED?

Modern LM-80 verified 2835 LEDs typically produce:

90–200 lm/W, depending on CRI and power grade.

Lower CRI = higher efficiencyHigher CRI = more natural-looking light

If you are sourcing stable, bright, long-life LEDs for production, the 2835 LED is currently the strongest cost-to-performance solution for most white-light applications.

As a 14-year LED manufacturer, Shenzhen Xinguanming (XGM) provides:

LM-80 certified LED lamp beads

Custom color temperature and CRI configurations

Bulk pricing for OEM manufacturing

Fast lead times and sample support