LED Inground and Underground Lights for Outdoor Landscape Projects

1x5W COB LED underground light with stainless steel cover
1x5W COB LED underground light with stainless steel cover

Comlite manufactures LED inground lights for driveways, pathways, plazas, decking and facade lighting. The range covers 1W marker lights through 24W high-power fittings, in COB and SMD, with fixed or adjustable beam angles, round and square covers, and single colour, RGB or RGBW control.

An inground light lives in the worst position an outdoor fitting can occupy: set into the ground, standing in water after every rain, and driven over. Two decisions decide whether it survives — the IP rating of the seal, and whether the fitting can drain. Get those right and the rest is a matter of output and beam angle.

Quick Selection Guide

  • By output: 1-3W marker and accent lights for pathways and decking edges; 6-12W for driveway borders and general area lighting; 18-24W high power fittings for tree uplighting and tall facades.
  • By light source: COB gives a single intense beam with no dot pattern, suited to accent and uplighting; SMD spreads output wider and suits area and step lighting.
  • By beam: fixed beam for repeatable rows and grid layouts; adjustable beam when the fitting has to be aimed after installation.
  • By rating: IP67 for covered or well-drained positions; IP68 where the fitting will sit in standing water.

We also build IP68 underwater lights for pools and fountains using the same sealing discipline, alongside LED landscape spotlights E Applique a LED for coordinated project specifications. Read the complete specification guide below for IP ratings, load ratings and installation detail, or request a quote with your layout, quantities and finish requirements.

LED Inground Lights: Complete Specification Guide

Comlite manufactures LED inground lights — also called LED ground lights, underground lights or recessed uplights — for pathways, plazas, decks, facades and landscape schemes. Our range covers high power and low power models, COB and SMD light sources, adjustable beam angles and stainless steel covers rated for drive-over applications.

Inground lights are specified more often than almost any other landscape fitting, and they fail more often too. The reason is simple: a light set into the ground sits in standing water, carries foot or vehicle load, and cannot be serviced without breaking the surface. This page covers the four specification decisions that determine whether an inground installation lasts three seasons or fifteen years.

IP67 vs IP68 for Inground Lights

The right rating depends on how much water the fitting will actually sit in.

1x5W COB LED underground light with stainless steel cover
1x5W COB LED underground light with stainless steel cover
  • Grado di protezione IP67 — protected against temporary immersion to 1 metre. Appropriate for most landscape inground lights in well-drained ground.
  • IP68 — protected against continuous immersion beyond 1 metre. Specify this where water pools: poor drainage, irrigation-heavy schemes, pond edges, or any location that floods seasonally.

Our standard inground range is IP67. For pond edges, water features and poorly drained sites, utilizziamo our IP68 underwater range instead — the same engineering, rated for permanent submersion.

High Power vs Low Power: Choosing Output

This is where most specifications go wrong, and usually in the same direction.

Under-specifying leaves a scheme that looks impressive on paper and invisible at night — a 1W marker light will not uplight a mature tree. Over-specifying creates glare, washes out the architecture and multiplies both cost and heat load.

  • 1-3W — marker and wayfinding lights along paths and steps
  • 3-6W — general pathway and deck lighting, low-level planting
  • 6-12W — uplighting for small trees, walls and signage
  • 12W+ — large trees, building facades, statement columns

See our high power LED inground lights and low power SMD inground lights.

COB vs SMD Light Source

COB (chip-on-board) packs many LED dies into a single emitting surface, producing one intense, even beam with no visible dots. It is the better choice for uplighting where beam quality and uniformity matter, and it generally delivers higher output per fitting.

High power COB LED inground light for facade and pathway lighting
High power COB LED inground light for facade and pathway lighting

SMD (surface-mounted device) uses discrete LED packages. Output per fitting is lower, but SMD gives more flexibility in beam distribution and colour mixing, and runs cooler — which matters in enclosed inground housings where heat has nowhere to go.

Both are available across our range. Browse COB LED inground lights.

Fixed vs Adjustable Beam

A fixed-beam inground light is simpler, better sealed and usually cheaper. It is the right default when the fitting position and the target are both known at design stage.

An adjustable-beam fitting lets the installer aim the light after installation, which is genuinely useful for uplighting trees that grow, sculptures whose final position changes, or schemes commissioned on site. The trade-off is one more moving part in the sealing path. Our adjustable beam inground lights are designed to hold their aim without compromising the gasket.

Load Rating and Cover Material

An inground light in a driveway is a structural component, not just a luminaire. Two things matter:

  • Cover material. 316 stainless steel for coastal and de-icing salt environments; 304 stainless or tempered glass for most inland schemes.
  • Load rating. Pedestrian-rated fittings will crack under vehicle load. If cars will drive over it, it must be specified as drive-over rated — check the stated static load in kilograms or kilonewtons.

Installation Notes That Prevent Most Failures

  • Always use a drainage sump. Gravel beneath the housing lets water drain away instead of pooling around the fitting.
  • Use a proper cable gland, not silicone alone. Capillary action will draw water along a cable into the housing.
  • Install an IP-rated junction box, not buried connectors. Most inground lighting failures happen at the connection, not the fitting.
  • Do not pot the fitting in concrete without a sleeve. You will never get it out again.

Our Inground Light Range

  • High Power LED Inground Lights
  • Low Power & Luci a pavimento a LED SMD
  • Adjustable Beam LED Inground Lights
  • COB LED Inground & Underground Lights

Why Source from Comlite

Inground lights fail for the same reason underwater lights fail: water gets in and the fitting dies. Comlite builds both, and we apply the sealing discipline developed for our submersible range — moulded cable glands, 316L stainless covers, pressure-tested assemblies — to a landscape product.

SMD LED step light for recessed outdoor installation
SMD LED step light for recessed outdoor installation
  • High power, low power, COB, SMD and adjustable beam options from one factory
  • 316L stainless steel covers for coastal and saline environments
  • IP67 as standard, with an IP68 underwater range for flooded locations
  • OEM support: beam angle, wattage, colour temperature, cover finish, cable length

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need IP67 or IP68 for inground lights?

IP67 is sufficient for well-drained landscape installations. Specify IP68 where water pools — poor drainage, heavy irrigation, pond edges or seasonally flooded ground.

What wattage do I need for uplighting a tree?

As a starting point, 6-12W for small trees and planting, and 12W or more for mature trees and facades. Canopy density and mounting distance both change this, so test on site before committing to a full scheme.

Can inground lights be driven over?

Only if they are specified as drive-over rated. Pedestrian-rated fittings will crack under vehicle load. Check the stated static load rating before placing any inground light in a driveway.

COB or SMD for inground lights?

COB gives a single uniform beam with higher output per fitting — better for architectural uplighting. SMD runs cooler and offers more flexibility in beam spread and colour mixing — better for enclosed housings and decorative schemes.

Richiedi un Preventivo

Send us your site plan, mounting locations and required beam angles, and we will build a specification and pricing. Project and OEM quantities welcome. Contact our team

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