PPFD to DLI Calculator

Easily convert between PPFD (µmol/m²/s) and DLI (mol/m²/d)

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Both PPFD and DLI measure light that's actually usable for plants (PAR). However, PPFD measures the amount of light your plant receives at a given moment, while the DLI measures the total amount of light your plant receives over an entire day. This is why you need to enter the photoperiod — the amount of time your plant is exposed to light each day.

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Common PPFD to DLI Conversions

The table below shows DLI values for common PPFD inputs across typical indoor-grow photoperiods. For instance, a PPFD of 600 µmol/m²/s over a 12-hour photoperiod equals a DLI of 25.9 mol/m²/d; over 18 hours the same PPFD equals 38.9 mol/m²/d.

PPFD (µmol/m²/s) 12 h 16 h 18 h 24 h
1004.35.86.58.6
2008.611.513.017.3
30013.017.319.425.9
40017.323.025.934.6
50021.628.832.443.2
60025.934.638.951.8
80034.646.151.869.1
1,00043.257.664.886.4
1,20051.869.177.8103.7

Formula: DLI = PPFD × photoperiod (hours) × 3,600 ÷ 1,000,000. DLI values rounded to one decimal mol/m²/d.

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PPFD to DLI Calculator

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