Technology


Advanced Grow Lights is built on a simple idea: the data behind a grow light should be verifiable. Marketing copy is easy. Audited photometric files are not. This page explains exactly what we check, how, and what the badges on each listing mean.

The Three Things We Verify

For every listing in our directory, we audit three claims against the photometric data the manufacturer provides:

  1. PPF Output (μmol/s) — the total photosynthetically active photons the fixture produces per second.
  2. Efficacy (μmol/J) — how many of those photons you get per watt of input power.
  3. Coverage Area — the usable footprint at the manufacturer’s stated mounting height, for both vegetative and flowering light intensities.

How Our Verification Process Works

  1. Manufacturer submits a contact form with basic information about their company and products. We don’t allow public file uploads — that’s a malware risk we won’t take.
  2. We audit the submitted IES file in-house. When the manufacturer sends us their photometric file through our reviewed email channel, we parse it and compare its candela distribution data against the claimed PPF, efficacy, and coverage. This step is something we do here, in-house — no lab visit required. The IES file itself is the source of truth for what the fixture emits; if the manufacturer’s marketing numbers don’t match what their own photometric file reports, that’s a red flag we can catch directly.
  3. Third-party lab certifications get an extra badge. If a manufacturer also provides independent lab verification (a DLC listing, an accredited photometric test report, ANSI/ASABE compliance documentation), we add a separate Third-Party Lab Verified badge to their listing. This goes beyond what we can do in-house and gives buyers an additional confidence signal.
  4. Listings publish with the appropriate badge tier. If a listing doesn’t pass our IES audit, we contact the manufacturer with the specific discrepancy — they can revise their claimed specs, submit a corrected file, or list without the Verified badge.

The Three Badge Tiers

Badge What It Means
Unverified The manufacturer submitted a listing but didn’t provide an IES file. Specs are taken at face value from the manufacturer’s marketing.
✓ Verified The manufacturer provided an IES file. Our team audited it and confirmed the claimed PPF, efficacy, and coverage are consistent with what the photometric data actually reports.
★ Lab Verified In addition to the in-house IES audit, the manufacturer provided independent lab certification (DLC, accredited photometric test, etc.). This is the highest confidence tier.

Why This Matters

Without an IES audit, every grow light spec sheet looks plausible. Manufacturers can — and do — report PPF figures measured at the LED diode level rather than at the fixture output, or they can quote peak PPFD at the center of the footprint rather than averaged across the coverage area.

The IES file removes that ambiguity. It encodes the candela distribution from the fixture at every angle. Once you have that file, math takes over: PPF, PPFD at any mounting height, true coverage at usable light levels — all calculable, all verifiable.

What We Don’t Do

We want to be clear about the limits of in-house verification:

  • We don’t operate a calibrated integrating sphere. PPF measured from a manufacturer’s IES file is what their photometric test reports — we can verify internal consistency but not re-measure the fixture from scratch.
  • We don’t conduct thermal or lifecycle testing. Claims about driver efficiency, LM-80 ratings, or projected lifespan are reported as-stated by the manufacturer unless they provide third-party documentation.
  • We don’t enforce purchase outcomes. Verification is about the spec sheet, not whether the light performs perfectly in your specific room.

For verification that goes beyond what we do in-house, look for the Third-Party Lab Verified badge.

Learn More

Are you a manufacturer ready to list? Start the submission process here.