Most LED strip sold in Singapore is bought on price per metre and a product photo. Then it goes into a cove or under a cabinet and shows dots, flattens the timber, or flickers on the dimmer. This is what to check before buying — the specifications that decide how it looks on the ceiling, in order of how much they matter.
1. LED density: the difference between a line and a row of dots
COB (chip-on-board) strip packs the chips close enough under a phosphor layer that the light reads as one continuous line. Standard SMD strip at 60–120 LEDs/m shows individual points unless it is buried deep.
Density is the number to look at. 320 LED/m is the common COB spec; it is fine in a deep cove seen from across the room. 480 LED/m stays dot-free at close range — a shallow cove, under a kitchen cabinet, a wardrobe, a mirror surround, anywhere the strip or its reflection is near eye level. If the strip will be fully concealed and only washes a ceiling, 320/m can do; if it is seen or reflected, 480/m is the safer buy. COB vs SMD in detail.
2. Colour rendering: Ra and R9
Most strip is Ra80. It renders about 80% of the colour information in a scene and the deep reds go first, so timber looks flat and skin reads grey. Ra90 is better. Ra95+ with R9 above 50 is what makes wood, paint and food look like they do in daylight — and R9 is the number almost no listing publishes. If a seller cannot tell you the R9, assume it is low. What the difference looks like.
High colour rendering costs lumens. A generic Ra80 strip will beat a Ra95 strip on the spec sheet at the same wattage. That trade is worth making in every room you live in; it is not worth making inside a storeroom cabinet.
3. Colour temperature and consistency
2700K for living rooms and bedrooms; 4000K for kitchens, study areas and wardrobes. Pick one per room and do not mix them in a continuous run.
Two reels labelled "warm white" can look different side by side. The spec that controls this is the SDCM (MacAdam step). SDCM ≤5 means two reels in the same cove will not read as different whites; SDCM 7 is visible. Look for the number and a tolerance on the CCT (for example 2700K ±100K).
4. Output: 12W/m is the right default
Wattage is power, not brightness, but at a given efficacy it is the practical proxy. For cove and under-cabinet work, 12W/m (roughly 1,000 lm/m) is deliberately at the bright end: you dim it down to the level you want rather than buying a dim strip and being stuck with it. 8W/m is decorative. 20W/m+ is for task lighting at a distance and needs a bigger driver and better heat sinking.
5. Voltage: 24V, not 12V
24V halves the current for the same wattage, so voltage drop is lower and runs can be longer before the far end dims. For anything over 6m, feed from both ends or split into segments either way. 12V still makes sense only for very short runs. 12V vs 24V, explained.
6. Cut interval and PCB width
COB strip cuts only at the marked points — on a 480/m strip that is every 50mm. Check the interval against your cove or shelf length so you do not end with a dark 40mm or an overhang you have to hide. Check the PCB width too: 8mm fits standard aluminium profiles; 10mm does not fit all of them.
7. The driver — where most setups go wrong
The strip is a passive 24V load. Everything about brightness stability, flicker and lifespan is the driver. Rules:
- Size at load plus 20%: 12W/m × metres × 1.2. A 10m run (120W) wants a 160W driver. Calculator here.
- LED drivers are Controlled Goods in Singapore and need a SAFETY Mark. An unbranded S$15 marketplace driver is not legal to supply here.
- Put the driver somewhere ventilated and reachable. A driver at full load sealed above plaster fails early.
- If you want a wall dimmer, you need a TRIAC/ELV-dimmable driver with a trailing-edge wall dimmer. For app or remote dimming, a non-dimmable driver plus a 24V PWM controller between driver and strip works. Dimming a 24V strip — what actually works.
8. Lifetime and the heat behind it
Look for an L70 figure — hours until the strip is at 70% of its original output. 20,000 hours at L70 is nearly seven years at eight hours a day. Whether you get it depends on heat: strip stuck straight onto plasterboard runs hot; strip in an aluminium profile runs cool. Budget for the profile.
From the KAYVA range
How the 480 Pro Strip scores on this list
480 LED/m COB · Ra95+ with R9 above 50 · 2700K or 4000K, held to ±100K, SDCM ≤5 · 12W/m · 24V · cuts every 50mm · 8mm PCB · 20,000 hours at L70. Measured on our own spectrometer, 10 units in every 100 shipped, numbers published on the product page.
Where COB strip is worth it, and where it is not
| Application | Buy |
|---|---|
| Living-room or bedroom cove | 480/m, Ra95+, 2700K, 12W/m — the strip is reflected off the ceiling every evening |
| Kitchen under-cabinet | 480/m, Ra95+, 4000K — strip is close to the counter and its reflection; kitchen cabinet guide |
| Wardrobe, mirror, display shelf | 480/m — the source is partly visible |
| Deep concealed cove, ceiling wash only | 320/m is acceptable; Ra still matters |
| Inside a closed storeroom cabinet | Anything that switches on |
The three mistakes
- Strip first, driver later. Measure the run, calculate the load, buy the driver with the strip.
- Buying on price per metre. Cheap strip looks the same on day one. Uneven output, colour drift between reels and flicker on a dimmer show up after the plaster is on, when replacement means a rebuild.
- Ignoring the pocket. No strip fixes a cove that is too shallow. The dimensions are in the cove ceiling dimensions reference; the whole build is in the cove lighting guide for Singapore HDB.
Accessories you will also need
Aluminium profile and diffuser, connectors for corners and joins, and a driver with the right rating. The full accessories list. Where a COB strip can be cut.