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Everything else on this site teaches buyers how to check a supplier’s numbers. This guide inverts it, because your spec sheet will be read by buyers running exactly those checks on you. Distributors, clinics and informed consumers all ask the same questions: at what distance was that measured, which wattage is that, does that certificate name this model. A spec sheet written to survive those questions is a commercial asset. One written by copying a supplier’s marketing copy is a liability with your name on it.
RedVance manufactures red light therapy panels and writes specifications for brands doing exactly this, so this guide is field-by-field and practical. It is not a template to copy — the point is understanding what each field needs in order to be defensible.
The principle: a number without conditions is not a specification
Every performance figure on a red light panel changes depending on how it was obtained. Irradiance changes with distance, instrument, warm-up state, and whether the reading is a centre peak or a surface average. Wattage means three different things depending on which wattage is meant.
This is not a legal technicality. It is the practical difference between selling to a distributor who checks things and selling only to buyers who don’t — and the ones who check are usually the ones placing repeat orders.
Irradiance: the field that decides your credibility
Irradiance is the most consequential figure on the sheet and the most commonly written badly. What it needs attached:
| Condition | Why it must be stated |
|---|---|
| Distance | Output falls with distance. A figure without distance is meaningless — this is the single most common omission |
| Instrument type | A solar power meter and a spectrometer produce different readings on the same panel |
| Peak or averaged | A centre peak is higher than a surface average; both are legitimate, conflating them is not |
| Thermal state | Output drifts as a panel warms. A cold reading is not what a user experiences |
A defensible line reads more like this:
Measured with spectrometer, after 30-minute warm-up
Averaged across 9-point grid, all wavelengths active
That is four lines instead of one number, and it is worth every one of them — because it is checkable, and because the alternative is a figure a knowledgeable buyer will silently discount. The mechanics of each condition are in our guide to reading an irradiance test report and our thermal drift guide.
Wattage: say which one
Three different numbers are all called “wattage” in this category:
- LED rated power — the sum of what the LEDs are nominally rated at. The largest number, and the one most often quoted without labelling.
- Actual electrical draw — what the panel consumes at the wall in normal operation. Measurable by anyone with a plug-in meter.
- Optical output — light actually emitted. The smallest number and the one that matters most.
Stating actual wall draw, explicitly labelled as such, is both more useful and more defensible than an unlabelled headline. It is also verifiable in thirty seconds by any buyer with a power meter, which cuts both ways: a labelled honest figure builds trust, an inflated one is trivially exposed. The full breakdown is in our wattage guide.
LED count: state packages and dies separately
LED counting has no enforced convention, so the same board can be honestly described two ways — a dual-chip package counted as one LED or as two. This ambiguity means an LED count on its own carries little information, and a buyer comparing your listing to a competitor’s may be comparing different counting methods without knowing it.
The clean solution: state both numbers.
Emitting dies: 120 (dual-chip)
Wavelengths: 630 nm, 660 nm, 810 nm, 830 nm, 850 nm
This removes ambiguity entirely at no cost to anyone with nothing to hide, and it quietly signals technical literacy to buyers who understand the distinction. Background in our LED count and dual-chip guide. Panel size classes and how they map to LED configurations are laid out across our panel range.
Wavelengths: give the tolerance
LEDs are manufactured to a nominal wavelength with a production tolerance. “660 nm” describes a target; the actual peak sits within a range determined by which bin was purchased.
Stating the tolerance — for example 660 nm ± 5 nm — communicates something a nominal figure cannot: that you know which bin you’re using and that the number came from measurement rather than a datasheet headline. It also protects you if a buyer measures a peak at 657 nm and finds it doesn’t match a bare “660 nm” claim. The spectral background is in our spectrum report guide.
The phrases to delete
| Delete | Because | Replace with |
|---|---|---|
| “Medical grade” | No standards body defines it for this category | The actual figure it’s trying to imply |
| “Clinical strength” | Same — no definition, no test | Measured irradiance with conditions |
| “Hospital quality” | Same | Build specifications, materials, warranty |
| “FDA registered” as a quality signal | Registration involves no review of safety or effectiveness | Nothing, or an accurate statement of regulatory status |
These phrases add no verifiable information while creating claim exposure that follows your listing, not your supplier’s. The full teardown of why they don’t mean what they appear to is in our medical grade claims verification guide, and the vocabulary catalogue is in our glossary.
Certifications: state the scope, not the logo
A row of certification logos implies more than most of them cover. What a spec sheet should state:
- Which certification, covering what. CE for electrical safety and EMC is a different statement from CE under medical device regulation.
- Which model. A certificate issued for one model in a range does not cover another — the most common gap buyers find.
- Nothing implied beyond that. Certifications establish conformity with specific requirements; they don’t establish performance or medical status.
What each marking actually covers is in our certifications guide, and per-market regulatory positioning is indexed in our compliance hub. Whether your brand’s version needs its own registration is a question for a qualified regulatory professional in each target market — a factory’s documentation generally does not transfer automatically.
Stating limitations is a positioning move
Counterintuitive but consistently true in this category: saying what a product does not do makes the rest of the sheet more credible.
Examples worth including:
- That the irradiance figure applies at a stated distance and falls off beyond it.
- That the device is a general wellness product, not a registered medical device, where that is the case.
- That LED output declines gradually over operating hours, as covered in our L70 and LM-80 guide.
In a category where nearly every competitor overclaims, a spec sheet that volunteers its own boundaries reads as competence. The buyers who notice — distributors, clinics, informed resellers — are disproportionately the ones worth acquiring.
The spec sheet checklist
- Every performance figure has its measurement conditions attached.
- Irradiance states distance, instrument, peak-or-average, and thermal state.
- Wattage is labelled as to which wattage it is.
- LED count states packages and dies separately.
- Wavelengths include tolerance ranges.
- Undefined marketing phrases removed and replaced with figures.
- Certifications state scope and the specific model covered.
- Limitations stated plainly where relevant.
- Every claim traceable to a document you could produce if asked.
This is one of four brand-side decisions covered in our brand launch hub.
What a manufacturer can do about it: supply measured figures with their conditions rather than headline numbers, state package and die counts separately, provide wavelength tolerances and actual wall draw, and tell a brand plainly which certifications cover which model. A supplier who hands over specifications a brand can publish without rewriting is doing part of the brand’s job for them — and both parties benefit when the resulting listing holds up. Our OEM and ODM process covers what documentation comes with a private label programme.
Frequently asked questions
What should a red light therapy panel spec sheet include?
Every performance figure with its measurement conditions attached: irradiance in mW/cm² at a stated distance, with the instrument type and whether the reading is peak or averaged; wavelengths with tolerance ranges; actual wall power draw stated separately from LED ratings; physical dimensions and weight; and any certifications named to the specific model rather than the product range.
Why does an irradiance figure need measurement conditions on a spec sheet?
Because the same panel produces very different numbers depending on how it is measured. Distance, instrument type, whether the panel was warmed up, and whether the reading is a centre peak or an average across the surface can each change the figure substantially. A number without those conditions is unverifiable, and buyers who know the category treat it as marketing rather than specification.
Should I use the wattage figure my supplier gives me?
Only after establishing which wattage it is. LED rated power, actual electrical draw at the wall, and delivered optical output are three different numbers, and supplier spec sheets often quote the largest without labelling it. Stating actual wall draw, clearly labelled, is more useful to a buyer and more defensible than repeating an unlabelled headline figure.
Which phrases should be removed from a red light therapy spec sheet?
Terms with no defined technical or regulatory meaning: medical grade, clinical strength, hospital quality, professional grade, and similar. No standards body defines these for this product category, so they add no verifiable information while creating claim exposure. Replace them with the specific figures they are attempting to imply.
How do I state certifications on a spec sheet correctly?
Name what the certification actually covers and which model it applies to. A CE marking covering electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility is different from medical device conformity, and a certificate issued for one model in a range does not cover another. Stating the scope precisely is more credible than a row of logos, and avoids implying regulatory status the documentation does not support.
Is it a disadvantage to state what a product does not do?
Generally not, in a category where most competitors overclaim. Stating limitations plainly — that a figure is measured at a specific distance and falls off beyond it, or that a device is not a registered medical device — signals that the rest of the numbers can be trusted. Sophisticated buyers, including distributors and clinics, tend to read this as competence rather than weakness.
Get specifications you can publish as written
Tell us the panel you’re sourcing and we’ll provide the measured figures with their conditions — distance, instrument, thermal state, package and die counts, wavelength tolerances. Written so your spec sheet holds up when a distributor checks it.
Request full specifications →