The Latest National Standard for Highway Street Lighting (Current Complete Edition, 2026)

Currently, highway lighting in China adheres to the latest mandatory national standards and their accompanying recommended standards, which have been in effect since 2026. The core implementing document is GB 37478-2025 “Energy Efficiency Limit Values and Energy Efficiency Grades for LED Luminaires Used in Road and Tunnel Lighting” (officially implemented from June 1, 2026, replacing the 2019 edition), supplemented by GB/T 31832-2025 “Technical Requirements for LED Urban Road Lighting Applications” and T/CCTAS 219-2025 “Technical Requirements for Longitudinal Roadway Lighting,” together forming a comprehensive highway lighting standards system. The following are key standard provisions specifically applicable to highway lighting scenarios.

I. Core Mandatory Energy Efficiency Standard (GB 37478-2025 — Mandatory Implementation)

Rated Correlated Color Temperature (CCT)
Level 1 energy efficiency (highest)
Level 2 energy efficiency
Application Scenarios for Tier 3 Energy Efficiency (Mandatory Minimum Requirements)
3500K to 5000K (preferred high‑speed neutral white) ≥175 lm/W
≥155 lumens per watt
≥130 lumens per watt
Expressways and arterial expressways (standard selection)
2500K to 3500K (warm white light) ≥ 165 lm/W
≥145 lumens per watt
≥120 lumens per watt
Highway service areas, interchange ramps
>5000K (Cool White)
No rating
Non‑rated ≥150 lumens per watt
Please use with caution to avoid glare and visual fatigue.

II. Standard for Optical Parameters of Highway Lighting (GB/T 31832-2025)

- Average pavement luminance: ≥1.5 cd/m²; at tunnel portals and interchange sections, it shall be increased to ≥2.0 cd/m² to ensure adequate sight distance during high-speed driving.
- Glare control: Threshold Increment (TI) ≤ 10%; use dedicated cutoff or semi-cutoff luminaires to eliminate direct glare that may interfere with the driver’s vision.
- Color Rendering Index (CRI): ≥70 for general road sections; for critical areas such as highway entrances and exits, toll stations, and emergency stopping lanes, a CRI of ≥80 is recommended to ensure clear visibility of traffic signs, pavement markings, and various obstacles.

To address issues such as uneven pavement glare and blurred visibility caused by conventional backlighting, the newly revised specialized standard explicitly recommends the adoption of front‑lit illumination technology on expressways, thereby better meeting the dynamic visual requirements of vehicles traveling at high speeds.

- Standardize the photometric parameters of highway front‑mounted luminaires to eliminate brightness contrasts between lanes, thereby further enhancing lighting uniformity and driving safety.

1. Hardware Protection and Electrical Parameters
- Power factor: ≥0.95, to reduce reactive power losses in long-distance power supply lines along highways.
- Wind Resistance Rating: The lamp post and luminaire are designed to withstand the typhoon and high-wind conditions of the installation area, typically meeting the requirements for Wind Resistance Level 12.
- Lamp post height: On main arterial roads, 12–15 meters is typically used; at interchanges and on ramps, 10–12 meters is appropriate; and for open elevated sections, high-mast lighting with heights of 15–18 meters is recommended.
- Installation method: Primarily employs symmetrical arrangements on one or both sides; for extra-wide expressways, a staggered bilateral configuration is adopted to ensure full coverage with no blind spots.

III. Latest Requirements for Intelligent Control
- Supports time-based dimming and intelligent human‑presence‑sensing dimming; automatically reduces power during off‑peak nighttime hours, striking a balance between safety and energy efficiency.
- Luminaires with dimming functionality must strictly comply with the mandatory standby power limit of ≤2.5 W to prevent unnecessary energy waste.

Compared with the 2019 edition, the core upgrades in the 2025 national standard include:
1. Significantly raise energy efficiency standards across all color temperature ranges and phase out low-efficiency, outdated products.
2. Introduce mandatory standby power limits and refine the test standards for dimmable luminaires;
3. Establish clear and precise color temperature deviation requirements to standardize lighting color standards;
4. Introduce a dedicated front‑illumination lighting specification to specifically address visual challenges encountered at high speeds;
5. Refine smart lighting fixture testing standards to meet the evolving demands of intelligent lighting systems.