Foot-candle (fc)
The foot-candle (fc) is the US unit of illuminance: one lumen per square foot, about 10.764 lux. US lighting guides (IES) specify foot-candles.
Symbol: fc
Quantity: illuminance (light falling on a surface)
SI relation: 1 fc = 10.76391041671 lx (exact)
Derivation: 1 fc = 1 lm/ft² = 1/0.09290304 lx ≈ 10.7639 lx.
Exact: yes, by definition
Typical uses
- US lighting design (IES recommendations)
- Indoor plant lighting
- Film and photography
Convert foot-candles to other units
| Conversion | 1 fc equals | Reverse |
|---|---|---|
| foot-candle to lux | 10.76391042 lx | lux to foot-candle |
| foot-candle to kilolux | 0.01076391042 klx | kilolux to foot-candle |
| foot-candle to phot | 0.001076391042 ph | phot to foot-candle |
| foot-candle to millilux | 10763.91042 mlx | millilux to foot-candle |
Open the Illuminance Converter (Lux, Foot-candle) to convert any value between all units.
Sources
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), NIST Special Publication 811, 2008 Edition, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Appendix B.8, "footcandle".
Last reviewed: . Factors are stored exactly and computed with 50-digit decimal arithmetic. See how we verify conversion factors.
Cite this page
APA
Scientific Converters. (2026, October 15). Foot-candle (fc). Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://scientificconverters.com/units/foot-candle/
IEEE
Scientific Converters, "Foot-candle (fc)," scientificconverters.com. Accessed: Oct. 25, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://scientificconverters.com/units/foot-candle/