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Recently, State Administration for Market Regulation & Standardization Administration of China has officially approved and issued GB 30255-2026 Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Grades for Indoor LED Lighting Products. The new standard will formally take effect on September 1, 2027, superseding the existing GB 30255-2019 edition.
Written from practical enterprise operation perspective, this article analyzes major revisions of GB 30255-2026 to assist lighting manufacturers with product upgrade and pre-arrangement for energy efficiency filing.
1. Key Update 1: Greatly Expanded Product Coverage
The most prominent revision lies in drastically enlarged applicable scope compared with the old standard. Newly added product categories are listed below:
表格
| Newly Included Product | Supplementary Explanation |
|---|---|
| Narrow-beam LED downlights (spotlights) | Widely adopted for commercial premises, hotels and exhibition venues |
| LED high bay lights | Designed for high-ceiling workshops, warehouses and sports arenas |
| Bi-pin replacement LED linear lamps | Retrofit substitutes for conventional T5/T8 fluorescent tubes |
| Dimmable, CCT-tunable & multi-function smart indoor LED luminaires | Covers full smart lighting range with brightness or color adjustment functions |
Note: Inclusion of smart lighting is a core highlight of this revision. Smart luminaire market has expanded rapidly in recent years without unified national energy efficiency evaluation rules; GB 30255-2026 fills the regulatory gap for smart product energy efficiency supervision.
2. Key Update 2: Overall Tightened Energy Efficiency Thresholds
The standard retains the three-tier grading system (Grade 1 to Grade 3) while raising full-set efficiency benchmarks:
- Grade 3 (Market Access Cut-off Limit): Entry requirement moderately lifted to phase out low-efficiency high-power-consumption products. Filing is separated by beam angle, rated wattage and correlated color temperature to prevent irregular cross-model filing and shoddy substitution.
- Grade 2 (Energy-Saving Tier): Significantly stricter parameters to differentiate mid-to-high efficiency qualified lamps and raise technical thresholds for energy-saving products.
- Efficiency Correction for High-End Products: Approved efficiency correction coefficient for premium lamps featuring high CRI, anti-glare design and intelligent control, balancing energy conservation and superior lighting quality.
3. Key Update 3: Additional Mandatory Performance Specifications
3.1 Upgraded Color Rendering Index Requirements
Required CRI values differ by product category: general color rendering index Ra ≥70 or ≥80 as specified, plus special red rendering index R9＞0. The revision enforces both luminous output and authentic color reproduction, especially critical for mirror lamps, desk lamps and directional spotlights.
3.2 New Standby Power Limit (Core New Clause)
Per Clause 4.4 of GB 30255-2026: All luminaires with standby mode shall limit standby power consumption below 2.5W; strict power control is compulsory for WiFi/Bluetooth-enabled smart LED fixtures.
The standard upgrades energy conservation logic from active-operation energy saving to full-cycle power control, matching China’s dual-carbon strategic targets. Manufacturers of smart lighting must redesign standby circuitry to retain intelligent functions while cutting idle power loss.
4. Supporting Policy: Synchronized Implementation of Energy Label Regulation
Per official document No. FGHHGZ〔2026〕550 jointly released by NDRC and SAMR on April 30, 2026, Implementation Rules for Energy Efficiency Label of Indoor LED Lighting Products becomes effective on September 1, 2027 with a 5-year valid term.
Grace Period Arrangement: Goods manufactured or imported prior to Sep 1, 2027 may stick with original labelling rules until Sep 1, 2029 for inventory clearance.
5. Practical Compliance Advice for Lighting Factories
Products produced or imported before Sep 1, 2027 enjoy a 25-month transition period for market sales until Sep 1, 2029 per Chapter 6 of GB 30255-2026. Manufacturers have roughly 15 months for pre-upgrade preparation:
- Sort full product portfolio: Screen existing models to identify items newly covered under updated standard scope.
- Pre-compliance energy efficiency testing: Arrange early lab measurement to verify real performance against revised efficiency indexes.
- Optimize standby power for smart lamps: Embed standby power optimization into early R&D design of IoT-enabled lighting products.
- Track follow-up regulatory announcements: Keep updated on supplementary testing standards and official notices released by SAMR and SAC.
Disclaimer: All content is compiled based on official GB 30255-2026 draft and supporting regulatory documents for reference only; final implementation shall comply with the latest formal standard text and official announcements from national authorities.
GTG Group Lighting Test Division continuously monitors China’s LED regulatory updates and delivers professional compliance consulting. Contact our team for detailed standard interpretation and testing service.
