Pigs are dichromatic: two peaks, no red
Human vision runs on three cone types, which is why we argue about colour rendering. Pigs run on two. Their peak sensitivities sit at 439 nm in the blue and 556 nm in the green, and everything above roughly 650 nm — the whole red end of the spectrum — simply does not register. Put the three numbers together and the usable "daylight" for swine is the 380–580 nm band. That band, not the wattage, is the spec that matters.
This is not a fringe detail of animal science. It is the difference between a pen that looks lit and a pen that is lit. A stockman walking the alley judges brightness with human eyes; the pig experiences something measurably different from the same lamp.
What the 439 nm peak means for the fixture spec
A swine fixture earns its place by putting usable photons inside the blue-green region rather than spreading output evenly across a warm-white curve. The practical spec has three parts: measured output inside the 380–580 nm band, intensity adjustable per growth stage from farrowing through finishing, and photoperiod control that can run a program rather than a switch. IWAY swine fixtures are tuned to that band, and lux levels are quoted per project because the right intensity depends on the pen, the stage and the behaviour being managed.
Dimming quality matters as much as the spectrum. The livestock range dims to 0.1% without flicker, which is what makes a gradual dawn and dusk ramp possible instead of a hard on-off that empties feed lines in a panic.
A red-heavy lamp burns money twice
Every watt spent generating light above 650 nm is a watt the pigs cannot see. The energy bill does not care about their dichromatic vision; the lamp keeps drawing power to make photons that never reach a working photoreceptor. That is the first waste. The second is behavioural: light outside the 380–580 nm band can stress the herd, and stressed pigs in a finishing barn convert feed less efficiently. A cheap warm-white tube is not the saving it appears to be on the quote.
The pig house environment is the other half of the spec
Spectrum decides whether the light is useful. The housing decides whether the fixture survives the year. Swine houses commonly run above 20–50 ppm NH3, and ammonia dissolves in the condensation on every cold surface to form an alkaline solution that eats aluminium bodies, copper traces, solder joints and powder coat. A standard warehouse LED loses its driver first and dies months before its rated life.
Ingress protection is the second filter. IP66 covers powerful water jets, which suits the ACL-T8-E swine tube for routine hosing; where between-batch cleaning means a full pressure wash at temperature, IP69K — 100-bar water at 80 °C from any angle, per IEC 60529 — is the rating that holds, while IP65/IP66 fixtures typically fail within 6–12 months under that duty. The build behind the number is what survives: conformal-coated drivers, stainless or ceramic housings, sealed optics, and IP68 quick connectors on the ACL-T8-E so the tube-to-driver joint never becomes the leak path. The full washdown spec is covered in our ammonia-resistant farm lighting guide.
The IWAY swine fixture: ACL-T8-E
The ACL-T8-E is the swine workhorse: an IP66 tube in T8 form factor that drops into existing troffers, throwing a 220° V-shape beam down into the pen instead of across the walkway. It delivers 120–130 lm/W, runs on the ammonia-resistant build described above, and carries the range's 80,000-hour / 5-year rated life with a 3–5 year expected service life under continuous high-ammonia conditions. Spectrum, intensity and photoperiod are set per growth stage, and voltage, spectrum, form factor and branding can be tailored for OEM orders. For full washdown zones, the IP69K livestock fixtures cover the same spectrum tuning with the higher ingress rating.
Specifying a pig house lighting order
Before signing off, get five things in writing. First, measured spectral output inside 380–580 nm, not a "warm white" label on the box. Second, the beam pattern matched to pen geometry — the 220° V-shape for swine tubes. Third, the ammonia spec: driver coating, housing material and the NH3 basis. Fourth, the IP rating matched to your actual wash protocol. Fifth, the service-life evidence: 80,000-hour / 5-year rated, with 3–5 years the credible band under ammonia. Then confirm the control side: 0.1% flicker-free dimming and photoperiod programming per growth stage. If the supplier cannot answer all five, the quote is a guess.
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