LED strips are considered the most convenient and efficient way to light up your space. Not only are they flexible in terms of lighting, but they are also much more energy-efficient than traditional lights such as incandescent or fluorescents. Moreover, LED strips are also expected to be a future lighting solution due to emitting much less carbon footprint than other types of lighting and no harmful gases or chemicals.
So, which of the most popular LED strips on the market today should be chosen: 3528 vs 5050 vs 5630 LED? Let’s find out the answer in this article as well as usefully related information!
What is SMD LED?
SMD LED stands for Surface Mount Device Light Emitting Diode. This is a light-emitting diode in chip shape. The SMD led can be mounted on PCB or on light strips directly without using wires. The application of Surface Mount Technology (SMT) allows this electronic component can be placed on a printed circuit board or any LED strip due to its compact and lite weight.
SMD LED comes in several shapes and sizes with complex designs. Among them, the most popular types are LED SMD 3528, 5050, and 5630 that we learn in this article.
In terms of shape, SMD LED chips are very small and often look like square flat chips, characterized by the number of diodes and their contacts. SMD LEDs have more flexibility and efficiency than pinned LEDs, especially being able to emit a larger amount of luminous flux in a small size. SMD LEDs are versatile and highly efficient, especially being able to emit large amounts of luminous flux in a small dimension.
***Refer to more: LED COB vs SMD: Similarities and Differences- Updated knowledge 2022
Which is better: SMD or LED?
In general, LED is a light-emitting diode with long leads while the SMD is a compact chip diode. The thing that makes SMD chip exceptional is that we can place multiple color light diodes in one chip. Thus, we can achieve any resultant color by mixing three primary colors: red, green, and blue.
It is difficult to decide which is better: SMD or LED because both are widely used in various engineering fields with the variety of the requirement and application. However, SMD LED presents several advantages over LED with pins, such as being more efficient, more luminous flux in small dimensions, more compact size, and customizable output power.
What does 3528, 5050 and 5630 LED mean?
Only chip diodes have standard size. The physical dimension of the SMD LED can be expressed by the Number codes on these Chips. Therefore, the numbers 5630, 5050, and 3528 are the symbol representing the physical size of the SMD LED.
The general formula for the size of SMD chips is:
BDLN = Breadth (mm) × Length (mm) (mm is millimeters)
For example, SMD LED with number code 3528 is 3.5 mm wide and 2.8 mm long, i.e the dimensions of 3.5 mm x 2.8 mm
SMD LED with number code 5050 has the dimension of 5.0 mm x 5.0 mm.
And SMD LED 5630 has a dimension of 5.6 mm x 3.0 mm.
3528 vs 5050 vs 5630 LED: All need to know
#1. 3528 LED specs and application
With dimensions of 3.5mm x 2.8mm, the 3528 LED is a smaller SMD chip than those used on the 5050 LED strip SMD. LED 3528 is mostly used in a LED tape of 60 LEDs per meter pulling 4.8w and at 12v. With this quantity per meter, this chip type provides a smooth, bright lighting effect with a lumen output of around 330-360 lumens per meter depending on the color, equivalent to halogen bulb 40w. The colors available in the 3528 SMD are warm and cool white, red, green, blue, and amber. The most common applications for the 60 LED 3528 SMD LED tape are plinth lighting, cove lighting, or lighting in homes, restaurants, and hotels, etc.
Another type of LED SMD 3528 is the LED tape with 120 of these LEDs per meter pulling 9.6w. Despite not being as popular as the standard 60 LED per meter type, it is also available in the same colors. The double density of LEDs allows it to provide a higher number of lumens, around 660-720 lumens per meter depending on the color. This LED tape can be used in places where require a large amount of ambient light like offices, schools, factories, and more.
3528 LED specs:
- Minimum 1 diode
- Nominal luminous flux Lumen: 6 – 8
- Dimension: 3.5mm x 2.8mm
- Power consumption Wattage: 0.06 W
- Rated current: 30 mA
- Voltage: 2.8 – 3.4 V
- Color: white and RGB
#2. LED 5050 specs and application
The 5050 LED SMD has three smaller chips in each LED chip. It means that you can have 5050 RGB (color-changing) functionality in a single chip, with 3 basic colors red, green, and blue all inside one SMD. And you can also easily select any color you desire with a remote or controller.
Theoretically, SMD 5050 can offer a light output 3 times that of the 3528 strips with up to 1000 lumens per meter of light. Therefore, this SMD is commonly used for lighting up areas that require high levels of ambient light such as restaurants, clubs, bar frontages, homes,…
Although these LED strips usually produce more heat than smaller chips, it is still drastically lower than other lighting options.
5050 LED specs: colors
- Minimum 3 diode per chip
- Dimension: 5.0mm x 5.0mm
- Power consumption Wattage: 0.21 W (3 diode 0.7mW)
- Rated current: 60 mA
- Nominal luminous flux Lumen: 16 – 22
- Voltage: 3.3 – 3.4 volts
- Color: Neutral white and RGB
#3. LED 5630 specs and application
SMD LED 5630 is the biggest chip on this list and also the brightest one. With the dimension of 5.6mm x 3.0mm, this type is second only to 5730- the biggest and brightest chip in the market now. Due to the big size, only a very small number of SMD 5630 can be fitted on a single strip, but they make up for that with impressive lumen power.
SMD 5630 is commonly used to create LED bulbs for homes which are considered to be an ideal replacement for the normal incandescent lights because of less power required and less heat emitted.
***Refer to more: [Expert Choice] Top 7 LED Recessed Lights In 2022 For Your House
5630 LED specs:
- Nominal luminous flux Lumen: 45- 50
- Dimension /size: 5.6mm x 3.0mm
- Rated current: 150 mA
- Power consumption: Wattage: 0.5W
- Voltage: 3.3V – 3.4V
- Color: all
LED 5050 vs 5630 vs 3528: What are the differences?
To see more clearly the difference between the 3 types of SMD LED 3528, 5050, and 5630, please refer to the table below:
| 3528 | 5050 | 5630 | |
| Dimension | 3.5mm x 2.8mm | 5.0mm x 5.0mm | 5.6mm x 3.0mm |
| Chip Surface Area | 9.8 mm2 | 25 mm2 | 16.8 mm2 |
| Lumen Flux | 6 – 8 lumens | 16 – 22 lumens | 45- 50 lumens |
| Power Consumption Wattage | 0.06 W | 0.21 W | 0.5 W |
| Rated Current | 30 mA | 60 mA | 150 mA |
| Color | White, Warm White,
Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, |
White, Warm White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, RGB | All colors |
Which is the brightest one: LED 3528, 5050, or 5360?
Since these numbers only are the physical dimension of the SMDs, you need to refer to the other specifications of the LED to fully judge. Only length and breadth can be concluded with these numbers and nothing else.
The brightness of an LED chip depends on the number of diodes (light-emitting diodes) used in it. The more diodes, the more brightness of the chip SMD.
Besides, as you can see by the table above, 5630 LEDs are by far the brightest due to the highest lumen flux. Moreover, this type of SMD also has an outstanding advantage in its adaptability. If you do not require the full output of the 5630’s, you could simply dim them down to the appropriate level using inline dimmers.
Choosing the right LED strips for your purposes
Before learning how to choose the right SMD LED, let’s take a look at the outstanding applications of these LED chips. Normally, these SMDs are used:
- In tube lights and bulbs for a streetlight, home appliance, and night lamps, etc.
- For automobile head-light, spotlights.
- For moving message display in advertising.
- For televisions and computer screens, etc.
The type of the chip and how many chips you will need depend on the purpose for which the LED strips are going to be used. What you need to do first is getting an overview of your lighting purpose to decide some main factors such as lighting color, dimmable capability, CRI required, brightness, etc.
Based on these factors and the specs of SMD types, you will decide which LED SMD is the most suitable for your project.
Conclusion
Through this article, hopefully, you have learned important information about SMD 3528 vs 5050 vs 5630 LED as well as get a useful tip on choosing the most suitable SMD. If you still have any questions, please leave us a comment for a timely response. Thank you for reading!
