20w IP20 896LED COB

This is a high-output LED strip. At this density it is doing real work – lighting a benchtop, a wardrobe interior or a commercial display – rather than adding an accent to something already lit.

Output at this level brings heat with it, and heat is what decides how long a strip holds its brightness. An aluminium profile stops being a nice finish and becomes part of how the installation works.

Output and colour

This strip draws 20W per metre, producing 500lm per metre.

Both figures are per metre, not per reel. A long run multiplies them, and that is the number that decides the driver.

It is a RGBW product – red, green and blue plus a dedicated white channel. Colour-changing strip needs a matching controller as well as a driver; the driver supplies the power and the controller decides the colour.

Colour rendering is CRI>80 CRI, which describes how faithfully colours appear under the light. It matters most where the lighting falls on food, skin, timber or fabric.

The beam spread is 120.

Where it can be installed

At IP20 this has no moisture protection. It is for dry interior positions only – inside joinery, a cove, or a ceiling recess.

Bathrooms, kitchens near a sink, and any outdoor position need a weatherproof rating instead. An IP20 strip in a damp position fails at the circuit board, and it fails patchily rather than all at once.

Powering it

This strip runs at 24V DC, so it needs an LED driver between it and the mains. It cannot be connected to mains directly.

Size the driver from the run, not the reel, and be generous. At this wattage per metre a run reaches a large total quickly, and a driver chosen to just cover it will spend its life at the limit – which is where power supplies fail.

On a long high-output run it is also worth feeding from both ends rather than one. Voltage drop is what makes the far end of a long run visibly dimmer, and it bites hardest where the current is highest.

The driver’s output voltage has to match the strip. At this output a mismatch does not simply leave the run dim – it destroys the strip, and that is not a warranty claim.

Cutting and installing it

Strip is cut to length at the marked cutting points only. Cutting between them severs the circuit and kills everything past the cut, so plan the run to the nearest marked point rather than to the exact millimetre.

Use an aluminium profile on this one, not a plastic channel and not bare tape. High-output strip stuck to plasterboard or timber has nowhere to send its heat, and it shows within a couple of years as uneven brightness and drifting colour along the run.

Test it powered up and leave it running for a while before closing anything in. A high-output run shows problems – a dim section, a warm spot, a bad joint – under load rather than at the moment it is switched on.

Frequently asked questions

Does it come with a driver?

No. The strip is supplied on its own and needs a 24V DC driver sized to your run.

Is the wattage per metre or per reel?

Per metre. 20W is what one metre draws, so multiply by the length of your run before sizing a driver.

Can I cut it to length?

Yes, but only at the marked cutting points. Cutting between them kills the section past the cut.

Can it go in a bathroom or outside?

No. At IP20 it has no moisture protection and is for dry interior positions only.

Do I need a controller?

Yes. RGBW strip needs a controller as well as a driver – the driver powers it, the controller sets the colour.

Do I need an electrician?

For the mains connection to the driver, yes. That is licensed electrical work in Australia.

What warranty does it carry?

3 Years*