Ceiling light
A light fixture on the ceiling. The circle marks where it goes; letters and numbers beside it can give the fixture type and circuit.
This explains what a symbol represents on a drawing. Conventions vary between firms and standards, and a drawing's own legend takes precedence.
How to read it
The Army's print-reading manual divides lighting outlets into ceiling and wall types. NECA 100 draws light fixtures with modifiers for how they are mounted: surface mounted, recessed or wall mounted.
Also searched as: ceiling fixture, light fixture symbol.
Look-alikes
A recessed light sits flush in the ceiling and has its own symbol or an R. A circle with SD is a smoke detector.
More blueprint symbols
Sources
- Construction Print Reading in the Field, TM 5-704 / AFM 85-27, Departments of the Army and the Air Force, fig. 3-32 (continued)
- Symbols for Electrical Construction Drawings, NECA 100-2013 (ANSI), National Electrical Contractors Association, secs. 2.1 and 2.4, symbols 2.100 and 2.401
- Engineering Aid 3 (NAVEDTRA 14069), Nonresident training course, April 1995, Naval Education and Training Command (copy hosted by Navy Tribe), Ch. 9, electrical symbols; ch. 10, drawing symbols
Last reviewed September 24, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research