Weight is the least glamorous part of large lighting and the part that ends projects. A fixture that is beautiful in a render and unbuildable in a ceiling is a five-figure mistake. Here is how weight works in practice, using 100 kg as the reference point because it is the threshold where domestic assumptions stop applying.
Three different weights, and only one matters
- Shipping weight — the crate. Relevant for freight, access and floor loading during delivery.
- Component weight — individual pieces. Relevant for what can be carried up a stair.
- Finished net weight of the assembled fixture — the number your structural engineer needs.
We supply the finished net weight as part of the technical drawing set, together with the recommended fixing method and load information.
What the ceiling has to carry
A ceiling fixing has to take more than the static weight of the fixture. The honest calculation allows for:
- the fixture's finished net weight;
- a safety factor, as required by your local code — commonly a multiple of the dead load;
- the dynamic load of maintenance, which is a surprisingly common cause of failure;
- the weight of any spreader or bracket needed to distribute the load.
The point is then assessed in a specific place: a slab, a steel beam, a timber joist, or a plasterboard ceiling with a shallow void behind it. The same 100 kg fixture can be routine in one of those and a structural project in another.
At around 100 kg, expect the following
- An engineered fixing point — not a hook, and generally not a single fixing into a joist.
- A spreader or purpose-made plate where the load has to be distributed across several members or across a plasterboard ceiling.
- Two people minimum, usually a lifting aid. The fixture does not go up in one hand.
- A rehearsed sequence. What is assembled on the ground, what is assembled at height, and in what order.
- Access equipment sized for the room, not for the fixture.
Reducing weight without changing the look
Weight can often be reduced at the drawing stage without changing a fixture's character: a lighter frame section behind the same silhouette, less metal in parts that are not seen, a different crystal format, or a change from one heavy body to a tiered composition with the same visual mass. Because these decisions are made before production, they cost nothing if they are raised early — and nothing can be done once the frame is welded.
What to send your contractor
- Finished net weight, clearly identified as such.
- Recommended fixing method, with the canopy and bolt positions.
- The installation sequence, and what arrives pre-assembled.
- Voltage, driver location and control type.
- The crate dimensions, so it can be positioned before it is opened.
All of this is issued with the drawing set when you commission. Related reading: chandelier weight and ceiling load, and installation cost and ceiling capacity. Ready to size one? Start from oversized chandeliers.