SpecGrade LED
SpecGrade LED is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of specification-grade LED lighting, serving commercial, industrial, hazardous-location, horticulture, and light-tower markets across North America and internationally through direct sales and an agent network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SpecGrade LED does
SpecGrade LED is a privately held U.S. LED lighting manufacturer founded in 2010 and headquartered in Gahanna, Ohio, in the Columbus metro area. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes specification-grade LED fixtures across four distinct product verticals: (1) commercial and industrial lighting including flood, sports, high-bay, NSF, site, and high-mast/roadway luminaires; (2) hazardous-location and harsh-environment fixtures for Class/Division areas with flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dust; (3) horticulture grow lights sold under the SpecGrade Grow sub-brand, including the Verta-6F, Linea, Flora, Zephyr, Illumina, and UV/Far Red modules targeted at cannabis, vegetable, fruit, flower, and hemp cultivators; and (4) electric light towers and site lighting distributed as the exclusive U.S. Value Added Reseller for Xummit. The portfolio is unified by a passive thermal management architecture using 70+ square feet of double-folded aluminum cooling fins, a modular fixture design enabling in-place component and spectrum swapping, proprietary A1 and R8W spectral recipes, IP66-rated construction, and an industry-leading 10-year / 100,000-hour warranty. The firm uses Inventronics LED drivers and integrates Bluetooth, Casambi, and Plejd wireless lighting controls.
The company sells primarily through a direct sales team supported by an agent network spanning the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and international markets, with a Request-for-Quote process for custom commercial and industrial projects and an e-commerce storefront for SpecGrade Grow products. In October 2022 SpecGrade announced a partnership with Nasdaq-listed urban-gro, Inc. (UGRO) as an authorized horticulture systems integrator for the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) market, enabling its lighting solutions to be bundled with full architectural, engineering, and cultivation integration services. Customers include multi-state cannabis operators (Paragon Development Group, Meridian Development Group) whose five-year-old SpecGrade installations are cited as still operating with no failures, alongside undisclosed commercial, industrial, marine, aviation, sports, and construction-site buyers. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed; the company is led by CEO Rick Nathans and operates with a reported 1-10 person headcount, supplemented by a manufacturing and distribution operation in the Columbus, Ohio region.
SpecGrade LED firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpecGrade LED
- Legal name
- SpecGrade LED
- Website
- https://specgradeled.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SpecGrade LED is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of specification-grade LED lighting, serving commercial, industrial, hazardous-location, horticulture, and light-tower markets across North America and internationally through direct sales and an agent network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpecGrade LED industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial & Industrial LED Lighting
- NAICS
- Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513), Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls) (AFAAAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Outdoor & Area Lighting (Street, Roadway, Parking, Flood, Sports/Architectural exterior) (IMAGAIAB), Hazardous Location & Explosion-Proof Lighting (ATEX/IECEx, intrinsically safe fixtures) (IMAGAIAC), LED Drivers, Ballasts & Power Modules for Lighting (Constant-current/voltage drivers, ballasts, control gear) (IMAGAIAJ), LED Retrofit & Lighting Upgrade Installation (HSAOAFAH), Transformer/Driver/Power Supply Service & Replacement (HSAIAHAL)
Keywords
Where SpecGrade LED is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SpecGrade LED business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- LED Lighting Fixtures: Sale of commercial and industrial LED lighting fixtures including hazardous location luminaires, flood lights, highbay, NSF-certified, site lighting, high mast, grow lights, and light towers.
- Custom Layout Design Services: Engineered lighting layout design services for greenhouses, vertical farms, and industrial facilities. Includes photometrics and performance data, electrical and mounting configurations.
- Value-Added Reseller Products: VAR model for Xummit light towers and partnered manufacturer products, reselling with SpecGrade brand promise and customer experience.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom project-based pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Horticulture grow lights |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
SpecGrade LED product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpecGrade LED manufactures and distributes commercial, industrial, hazardous-location, and horticultural LED lighting fixtures. Its portfolio spans Specification Series (flood, sports, highbay, NSF, site, high mast), Hazardous Location explosion-proof luminaires, SpecGrade Grow LED grow lights (Verta-6F, Linea, Flora, Zephyr, Illumina), and electric vertical mast light towers (Atlas, Sierra, Maya, Fuji) sold via direct sales, agent network, and channel partners.
Product overview
SpecGrade LED is a US-based LED lighting manufacturer offering four distinct product lines: (1) Commercial/Industrial Series covering Flood & Sports luminaires (Hertz, Vanguard, The Wedge, Projector, Pegasus, Juno, AeroFlood), High-Bay, NSF-certified, Site Lighting, and High Mast/Roadway lighting; (2) Hazardous Location/Harsh Environment Series for Class/Division areas with flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dust; (3) SpecGrade Grow Series for horticulture including Verta-6F, Linea, Flora, Zephyr, Illumina, and UV/Far Red modules optimized for cannabis and plant cultivation; (4) Light Towers including Atlas, Sierra, Maya, Fuji with smart controls and area lighting (K2, Nordic Brick, Light Kits, Crane Lighting). The portfolio is unified by common engineering principles: passive thermal management, IP-rated construction, modular design, and spectral optimization with 10-year warranty on core products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SpecGrade Grow: Horticultural LED grow lights for indoor cultivation including cannabis, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
- SpecGrade Light Towers
- Specification Series
- Contractor Series
- Hazardous Series
Products and services
- Verta-6F
Quantifiable outcome
- 20-30% yield increase with under-canopy lighting (Zephyr)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use SpecGrade LED
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SpecGrade LED technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature10 records
SpecGrade LED partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- urban-gro, Inc.coreSpecGrade LED announced urban-gro, Inc. (Nasdaq: UGRO) as an authorized horticulture systems integrator for SpecGrade LED lighting solutions. urban-gro is a fully integrated architectural, engineering and cultivation systems integration company focused on the indoor CEA market. This partnership allows cultivators to integrate SpecGrade photobiological and engineering solutions more easily with urban-gro's full-service CEA solutions.
- XummitcoreSpecGrade LED is the exclusive U.S. Value Added Reseller (VAR) for Xummit electric vertical mast light towers. SpecGrade combines Xummit's products with their lighting industry expertise and dedicated support to deliver electric vertical mast light towers engineered for maximum illumination coverage, smart lighting control, and ease of mobility.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SpecGrade LED competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Fluence by Signify: Signify's horticulture LED brand shipping fixtures and digital cultivation services to greenhouse and indoor cannabis growers worldwide. Direct overlap with SpecGrade Grow in target customer (commercial cultivators), spectral optimization, and PPF/µmol/J performance benchmarks.
- Gavita (Hawthorne Gardening): Hawthorne-owned LED and HPS grow-light brand serving professional cannabis and CEA cultivators. Comparable high-efficiency top-light fixtures, DLC listing, and cannabis yield-optimization marketing strategy.
- Current (Signify) Lighting Solutions: Signify's commercial and industrial LED lighting arm covering flood, high-bay, roadway, and hazardous-location luminaires for stadiums, ports, factories, and warehouses. Direct overlap with SpecGrade's Specification Series in outdoor/flood/industrial LED fixtures.
- Hubbell Lighting: Large North American lighting manufacturer spanning commercial, industrial, hazardous-location, and outdoor LED fixtures under brands like Hubbell Industrial, Columbia, and Prescolite. Direct competitor on Specification and Hazardous LED fixture portfolios and spec-grade reputation.
- Eaton (Crouse-Hinds): Eaton's Crouse-Hinds division manufactures explosion-proof and hazardous-location LED luminaires for oil, gas, chemical, and heavy industrial facilities. Direct competitor on HazLoc-certified explosion-proof fixtures and industrial hazardous-environment positioning.
- Generac (Magnum Light Towers): Generac's Magnum light-tower line dominates the North American mobile construction and rental market with diesel and emerging electric vertical-mast units. Comparable to SpecGrade's Xummit-exclusive Atlas/Sierra/Maya line on construction customer base and electric-mast transition.
Direct peers
- Heliospectra: Swedish LED horticulture specialist offering tunable-spectrum fixtures, wireless controls, and research-grade PAR/PPFD data. Closely comparable to SpecGrade Grow on proprietary spectra, modular design, and university/research-customer focus.
- Valoya: Finland-based provider of horticultural LED fixtures and proprietary spectra for greenhouse, vertical farm, and cannabis research. Direct competitor on full-cycle spectrum design, university validation, and modular form factors.
- Dialight: Specialty industrial LED lighting manufacturer focused on hazardous-location, high-bay, and outdoor industrial fixtures with long-life ratings. Direct competitor to SpecGrade's Hazardous Series and Specification Series on certifications, durability, and industrial customer base.
- Pangea Global LED: Canadian commercial/industrial LED lighting manufacturer with comparable focus on DLC-listed spec-grade fixtures, hazardous-location offerings, and modular thermal-management designs for North American distributors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SpecGrade LED social profiles
Digital presenceSpecGrade LED compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
SpecGrade LED financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpecGrade LED leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SpecGrade LED funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpecGrade LED M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SpecGrade LED
What does SpecGrade LED do?
SpecGrade LED manufactures and distributes commercial, industrial, hazardous-location, and horticultural LED lighting fixtures. Its portfolio spans Specification Series (flood, sports, highbay, NSF, site, high mast), Hazardous Location explosion-proof luminaires, SpecGrade Grow LED grow lights (Verta-6F, Linea, Flora, Zephyr, Illumina), and electric vertical mast light towers (Atlas, Sierra, Maya, Fuji) sold via direct sales, agent network, and channel partners.
Is SpecGrade LED a public or private company?
SpecGrade LED is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SpecGrade LED founded?
SpecGrade LED was founded in 1990. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SpecGrade LED based?
SpecGrade LED is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does SpecGrade LED make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. LED Lighting Fixtures are the primary driver. The others are custom Layout Design Services and value-Added Reseller Products.
Who are SpecGrade LED's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Fluence by Signify, Gavita (Hawthorne Gardening), Current (Signify) Lighting Solutions, Hubbell Lighting, Eaton (Crouse-Hinds) and Generac (Magnum Light Towers). Direct peers are Heliospectra, Valoya, Dialight and Pangea Global LED.
Does SpecGrade LED have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpecGrade LED.
What industry is SpecGrade LED in?
SpecGrade LED's product category is Commercial & Industrial LED Lighting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAHAC, Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls), with a secondary code of IMAGAIAB, Outdoor & Area Lighting (Street, Roadway, Parking, Flood, Sports/Architectural exterior). Its NAICS code is 33513 and its SIC code is 3640.