Recessed light
A light set into the ceiling so it sits flush with the surface.
Easily confused with
How to read it
NECA 100 treats recessed mounting as a modifier on the basic fixture symbol, alongside surface and wall mounting. The Army's print-reading manual marks special types by adding a letter to the lighting outlet symbol, with R for recessed. NECA 100 allows other symbols when the drawing or its legend sheet explains them, so the legend defines the one in use.
Also searched as: can light, downlight, pot light.
This explains what a symbol represents on a drawing. Conventions vary between firms and standards, and a drawing's own legend takes precedence.
Look-alikes
A ceiling light without the recessed marking is surface mounted.
Read next
- Next in Blueprint symbolsSmoke detectorMarks where a smoke detector is installed. Drawings use more than one symbol for it, so the legend says which is meant.
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of the African UnionThe African Union’s flag shows a map of Africa on a green field, surrounded by rays of light and a ring of stars. The African Union says the stars, 55 of them, represent its 55 member states; the Assembly’s 2007 decision asked for a green background to symbolise Africa’s hope.
More blueprint symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Symbols for Electrical Construction Drawings, NECA 100-2013 (ANSI), National Electrical Contractors Association (Internet Archive copy), sec. 2.1
- Construction Print Reading in the Field, TM 5-704 / AFM 85-27, Departments of the Army and the Air Force, fig. 3-32 (continued)
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 24, 2026. How we research
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