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Lighting Specification

Magnetic Track Lighting: Flexible Spots, Fixed Decisions

Archlior
Magnetic Track Lighting: Flexible Spots, Fixed Decisions

Magnetic track lighting is sold on one promise: nothing is final. Spots click onto the track, slide along it and swap for a pendant or a linear diffuser without tools. That is true of the modules, and of nothing else in the system. The line on the ceiling, the way it meets the plaster, the driver that powers it and the control that dims it are all fixed at first fix, and they decide whether the room looks considered or improvised.

This guide covers those fixed decisions, from where to run the track to how to power and control it. Legal, manufacturer and earlier Archlior points are marked as such; the rest is our design view.

What Magnetic Track Lighting Actually Is

A magnetic track is a slim aluminium profile with conductors inside. A driver converts mains electricity to direct current at a much lower voltage and feeds the track, and the modules draw power wherever they sit, held by magnets. XAL, a lighting manufacturer, rates its trimless magnetic tracks at 48 V, describes its modules as installed and moved without tools using magnetic holders with locking, and carries a DALI control signal along the track as well as the supply.

The lower voltage matters in two ways. First, legal scope: in Great Britain, the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 apply to equipment designed for a voltage rating of between 50 and 1000 V alternating current and between 75 and 1500 V direct current, and the EU Low Voltage Directive uses the same limits. A 48 V DC track and its modules sit below that range, so those rules do not apply to them; the mains-connected driver sits within it.

Second, current: for the same load, a higher voltage draws less current and loses less voltage along the run, the reasoning Archlior's LED strip guide sets out for tape.

When Magnetic Track Lighting Is the Right Choice

In Archlior's view, track earns its place when something in the room will really move, or when the ceiling cannot take recessed fittings.

Changing collections. Archlior's guide to lighting artwork at home puts it in one line: "If your collection changes, track is the honest answer." The same applies to shops that re-merchandise and restaurants that move tables.

Shallow voids and concrete soffits. Archlior's low-ceiling guide notes that a standard recessed downlight typically needs around 80 to 120 mm of void depth. A surface track needs fixings and a feed.

Listed interiors. Archlior's listed building guide argues that surface-mounted fittings beat recessed ones almost always, because a fixing can be reversed and a hole in a historic ceiling cannot. A surface track lights a room from one line of fixings, though the consent question in that guide still applies.

Where none of these is true, a fixed scheme is usually quieter.

Draw the Line First

The track position is the hardest thing to revise, so place it by what it lights first and by the architecture second.

Art walls

Archlior's artwork guide recommends light striking a picture at 30 degrees from vertical, the museum angle. The distance from the wall is the vertical drop from the fitting to the centre of the artwork, multiplied by 0.577. With artwork centred at 1.5 m, that is about 0.52 m from the wall under a 2.4 m ceiling, 0.69 m under 2.7 m and 0.87 m under 3.0 m.

Run a track parallel to the wall at that distance and each spot, slid opposite its picture, meets it at the same angle, as long as picture centres stay at the planned height. Archlior's living room guide suggests lighting art at roughly three times the ambient level on the surface of the work.

Washing a wall

A wall-wash module wants to be much closer. Archlior's recessed lighting spacing guide places wall-washing fittings typically 30 to 45 cm from the wall. One track cannot serve both a wash at that distance and art at the museum-angle distance, so decide which job each line does.

Work surfaces and alignment

In our view, a kitchen track should run above the front edge of the worktop, with spots aimed slightly back, so the cook's shadow falls behind them. Align the track with joinery, openings, beams or a centre line, and draw it alongside smoke alarms, grilles and curtain pockets.

The Ceiling Detail: Recessed, Surface or Suspended

Recessed and trimless

A trimless track is plastered in. XAL lists one trimless magnetic track for 12.5 mm plasterboard, with a cut-out 62 mm wide and a recessed depth of 110 mm; its wider version needs 82 mm and 105 mm.

That depth is similar to a downlight's, with one difference: a downlight needs it at a point, and a recessed track needs it along its whole length. Run recessed track parallel to the joists where you can; where you cannot, create a service zone with counter-battens or a dropped section, and agree any notching with the structural engineer.

Mock up the trimless edge and end caps with the plasterer. If the ceiling forms part of a fire-resisting or acoustic separation, for example between flats, a continuous slot is a penetration like any other: confirm with the manufacturer and building control how performance is maintained before the track is drawn.

Surface and suspended

Surface track suits concrete soffits, listed interiors and ceilings with no usable void. Its weak point is the feed: decide where the cable enters first.

In tall rooms, suspending the track brings modules closer to what they light; the recessed spacing guide notes that doubling the mounting height drops the light directly below a fitting to a quarter.

Power, Drivers and Voltage Drop

Add up the wattage of every module the track may ever carry. XAL lists its trimless tracks at a maximum current of 6.67 A, roughly 320 W at 48 V. The LED strip guide notes that industry practice is to size a power supply at 20 to 50 percent above the calculated load, and the same discipline suits a track driver. Twelve 10 W modules make 120 W, so the driver should be rated at 144 to 180 W.

On long runs, feed from the middle, or from more than one point on the same driver or into electrically separate sections, as the manufacturer permits. XAL lists a middle feed, and the LED strip guide explains why feeding tape from both ends roughly doubles its workable length. Ask the manufacturer, in writing, for the maximum run per feed at your load.

The LED strip guide is blunt about location: "A driver buried permanently in a plasterboard ceiling is a future problem you have designed in." Put it somewhere accessible, ventilated and out of earshot.

Control and Dimming

Archlior's guide to dimming and lighting controls notes that phase cut dims a whole circuit rather than individual fittings. On a track fed by one phase-cut driver, every module dims together, so movable spots get no movable scenes. Where the track carries a DALI signal to each module, as XAL's trimless tracks do, the guide's point about DALI applies: it "allows every fitting to be addressed individually, so scenes can be built and rebuilt in software rather than by rewiring." The same guide warns that a DALI controller connected to a phase-cut driver does not dim at all, so specify driver, modules and controls together.

In Great Britain, the Lighting Products Regulations 2021 (SI 2021/1095), and in the EU, Regulation 2019/2020, limit flicker to Pst LM 1.0 or below and, from 1 September 2024, the stroboscopic effect to SVM 0.4 or below, both at full load, for LED and OLED mains light sources, with SVM exceptions for certain outdoor and industrial uses. Both define a non-mains light source as "a light source that requires a separate control gear to operate on the mains", which describes a module running from a 48 V driver. Those limits therefore do not describe your module, and they say nothing about dimmed operation. Ask for Pst LM and SVM figures for module and driver together, at full output and dimmed, especially where spaces will be filmed.

Choosing Modules: Colour, Optics and Glare

Colour. The same GB and EU rules require light sources to have a CRI of at least 80, with exceptions such as certain outdoor and industrial applications; unlike the flicker limits, this applies to mains and non-mains light sources alike. Archlior's standard is higher: CRI 90 minimum, 95 or above for work you care about, and R9 above 50. Archlior's CRI and TM-30 guide gives an example specification line that adds a TM-30 report, SDCM 3 or less, and one colour temperature and one product family within each space. Ask for those figures module by module.

Optics. For art, the artwork guide suggests 20 to 25 degrees for individual paintings and 30 to 40 degrees for large canvases, and recommends field-changeable optics where possible. Changeable optics let a track spot move from a drawing to a canvas by changing its lens.

Glare. A track spot hangs below the ceiling, closer to the eye line than a deep-recessed downlight. In our view, choose modules with the emitter set well back, aim along walls rather than across the room, check from seated positions, and use fewer, better-aimed modules.

For Architects: Regulation, Coordination and Handover

Notification. In England, regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010, explained in Approved Document P (2013 edition), sets out the electrical work in dwellings that is notifiable: installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location, such as the defined space around a bath tap or shower head. Other additions and alterations outside special locations are not notifiable. In a dwelling in England, a new dedicated lighting circuit for a track is therefore notifiable. Either way, the driver's mains connection should be carried out by a suitably qualified electrician.

Coordination. Brief the structural engineer, plasterer, joiner and controls installer early, and building control wherever the ceiling has a fire or acoustic role.

Handover. Record feed points, driver locations, loads and spare capacity, a module schedule and an aiming drawing, with the manufacturer's instructions for moving modules safely.

Checklist

Placement

  • Track placed by what it lights, then aligned with the architecture
  • Art-wall track at the museum-angle distance for the actual ceiling and hanging heights
  • Wall-wash runs separate, typically 30 to 45 cm from the wall

Ceiling and structure

  • Recess depth and cut-out width taken from manufacturer data
  • Recessed runs parallel to joists, or a service zone agreed with the structural engineer
  • Fire and acoustic performance confirmed where the ceiling has that role

Power and control

  • Load calculated for the maximum module count and kept within the track's current limit
  • Driver rated 20 to 50 percent above the load
  • Maximum run per feed confirmed in writing; drivers accessible and ventilated
  • In a dwelling in England, Part P notification for a new circuit or work in a special location
  • Driver, modules and controls specified as one compatible system
  • Flicker data requested for module and driver together, dimmed

Modules and handover

  • CRI 90 minimum and R9 above 50; CRI 95 or above for art and valued finishes
  • SDCM 3 or less; one colour temperature and one product family within each space
  • Glare checked from seated positions
  • As-built record, module schedule and aiming drawing issued

Five Mistakes

  1. Choosing modules before the line. Spots are the easiest part to change and the track the hardest.
  2. Recessing across joists without a plan. The full recess depth is needed along the whole run.
  3. Sizing the driver for opening night. Size for the maximum the track may carry, with headroom.
  4. Burying the driver. A driver sealed into the ceiling turns a simple replacement into a ceiling repair.
  5. Letting spots do the ambient job. A ceiling of spots gives pools, glare and a dark ceiling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is magnetic track lighting good for homes? Yes, where something will move, such as a changing art collection, or where a concrete soffit or shallow void rules out recessed fittings. Treat it as one layer, not the whole scheme.

What voltage does magnetic track lighting use? Direct current at a much lower voltage than the mains, from a separate driver; XAL, a lighting manufacturer, rates its tracks at 48 V. In Great Britain, the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 cover equipment designed for 50 to 1000 V AC or 75 to 1500 V DC, so a 48 V DC track sits below their scope, while the mains-connected driver sits within it.

Can magnetic track lighting be recessed into a plasterboard ceiling? Yes, with trimless profiles. XAL lists one for 12.5 mm plasterboard with a 62 mm cut-out and 110 mm recessed depth. That depth is needed along the whole run, so plan recessed tracks parallel to the joists or within a service zone.

Is magnetic track lighting dimmable? It depends on the driver and protocol. With phase cut, or a single DALI driver, every module on that driver dims together. Where the track carries DALI to DALI-addressable modules, each can be addressed individually. A DALI controller will not dim a phase-cut driver.

How far from the wall should track lighting be? For artwork, Archlior recommends the museum angle of 30 degrees from vertical: multiply the drop from the spot to the artwork centre by 0.577. With artwork centred at 1.5 m, that is about 0.69 m under a 2.7 m ceiling. Wall-wash fittings sit closer, typically 30 to 45 cm.

Do I need an electrician to install magnetic track lighting? The driver's mains connection should be carried out by a suitably qualified electrician. In a dwelling in England, installing a new circuit is notifiable under regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010, explained in Approved Document P, as is any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location.

More on Magnetic Track Lighting

Notice

This article is published by Archlior for general information and educational purposes. It is written for architects, interior designers and homeowners as an introduction to specifying magnetic track lighting.

It is not professional lighting design advice, structural advice or a statement of compliance with the Building Regulations or product law for any project.

Regulatory guidance is summarised from the sources listed and may change; check the current legislation and Approved Documents, and consult building control for your project. Manufacturer data is labelled as such. The sections on placing, detailing and aiming track describe design practice, not rules.

All mains electrical work should be carried out by a suitably qualified electrician working to the regulations in force locally.

Archlior accepts no liability for any loss, cost or damage arising from reliance on the information in this article. Readers act on it at their own discretion.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

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