Comparison between 3528 LEDs and 5050 LEDs: What are SMD 3528 and SMD 5050 LEDs?

Here's an easy-to-understand comparison between LED chip numbers and sizes.

The different numbers correlate to the different physical dimensions of the chip. The numbers 5050, 3528, 2835, etc correlate to the size of the chip in millimeters. Some LEDs are brighter than others and some give off more light per watt.

The LED chip you will need will depend on your project. Read below for more information.

Before you start, are you new to LEDs?:

 What are LED strip lights and what can they do?

LED Strip Light Examples and Ideas / Customer submitted Gallery

Showdown: The Difference Between LED 3528 vs 5050

LED strip lighting can be manufactured with a variety of LED chips. The numbers you see such as 3528 and 5050 refer to the size of the chip. The older style strips that have been popular for a few years now are the sizes seen above. Currently, there are even smaller and more efficient LED chips on the market with the sizes of 2835, 3014, 5630, and 3020. Each have benefits when used properly. No "one" chip can rule them all. 

So, what is the difference between SMD 5050 and 3528 LEDs and why should you care?

SMD 5050 LED Flex Strip light

Simply put, these LED chips are called SMD 5050 because the dimensions of the chips are 5.0mm x 5.0mm. They have 3 LED diodes in one housing (sometimes called tri-chips), and are a lot brighter than individual 3528 LED chips.