What size aluminium LED profile do you need?
Measure your tape first, then match it to the internal channel width stated on each product. External size tells you nothing about fit. A 12mm tape will not enter a 10.2mm channel, and forcing it damages the adhesive backing and the solder joints at the cut points.
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5mm to 8mm tape: the slimmest surface channels, for shelf edges, glazing bars and tight joinery reveals.
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10mm tape: 12x10mm surface channel, 10.2mm internal — plinths, cabinet interiors and slat panels.
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12mm tape: the widest group. 17x8mm surface where headroom is tight, 25x7mm recessed for a flush finish, 24x14.2mm recessed where you want depth, and the corner channels used for coving and cornice runs.
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15mm tape: wide channels for high-output COB and double-row strip, including the 15.4mm bendable plaster-in profile.
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Up to 26mm: the 32.2 x 20mm in-ground floor channel, deep enough to take neon flex whole.
Which aluminium LED profile bends around curves?
The bendable plaster-in profile is the one that curves. It measures 60.3 x 15mm, takes tape up to 15.4mm, and has a minimum bend radius of 200mm. It is scored so it flexes in the plane of the wall, letting you follow an arc, a curved bulkhead or a radiused island.
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Order extra tape for curves: bending shortens the effective run, so a 3-metre arc consumes more strip than 3 metres of straight channel.
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Bend before you plaster: set the curve, fix the profile, then skim up to its flanges so the finished line is crisp.
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Tighter than 200mm? Use silicone neon flex in a flexible cover body instead of rigid aluminium — the extrusion will kink below its minimum radius.
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Straight runs on the same job should still use rigid channel: it stays true where a bendable section can waver.
Can you use an aluminium LED profile outdoors?
The channel itself is IP20 and seals nothing — it is an open extrusion with a push-in cover. Outdoor capability comes from the pairing: the profile gives mechanical protection and a clean finish, and an IP67 or IP68 strip or neon flex sealed inside provides the water ingress protection.
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Patios, decking, garden runs: pair with IP67 neon flex, rated for temporary immersion.
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Thresholds and driveways that pond: use IP68 neon flex, rated for continuous submersion.
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Long exterior runs: outdoor COB strip reaches 20 metres on a single 24V feed and 30 metres at 48V.
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IP65 is splash-resistant only. It should never sit in a floor recess or any channel that can hold water.
What lengths do aluminium LED profiles come in?
We stock 1-metre, 2-metre and 2.45-metre lengths. Length is a finish decision as much as a cost one: across a 4-metre run, 2-metre lengths give you one join where 1-metre lengths give three, and every join reads as a faint shadow line in the diffuser once the strip is lit.
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1 metre: ships on a standard service and suits short cabinet, shelf and stair runs.
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2 metre and longer: fewer joins on long runs, but these travel as oversized parcels on a dedicated long-goods service.
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Cut to suit on site: aluminium cuts cleanly with a fine-tooth hacksaw or mitre saw.
Does the diffuser cost you light?
Yes, and it should be designed in rather than discovered. An opal cover trades output for an unbroken line with no visible diodes. Specify a higher-output COB tape behind a diffuser instead of compensating afterwards. Clear covers keep output but show the diodes, so they suit concealed runs.
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COB hides better than SMD: below roughly 120 LEDs/m, a shallow channel can let faint scalloping show through opal.
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Black covers pass considerably less light again, and exist to hide the fitting rather than to spread it.
- See dot-free COB strip for runs that must read as one continuous line. Browse the full set of LED strip profile covers and diffusers, including extra-deep sections.
How do you cut and fit an aluminium LED channel?
Slide the cover out before you cut. Sawing an opal cover while it is clipped into the channel cracks it, and that is the most common damage we see. Cut the aluminium with a fine-tooth blade, deburr the end, then refit the cover and the end caps.
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Fix mechanically where you can: tape stuck to bare MDF or plasterboard softens and peels in summer heat; inside a profile the strip is held by the channel.
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Aluminium is a heatsink, not decoration: it conducts at roughly 200 W/m·K against 0.19 for plasterboard, which is why running strip in a channel extends its life.
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Never power a strip while it is still coiled on the reel, and never mount a strip directly onto bare conductive metal.
- Need a flexible housing? See the silicone cover bodies.
Not sure which channel suits your tape, your substrate or your run length? Call the ATOM LED technical team in Telford on 01952 370028, Monday to Friday 9am–5pm, or email operations@atomled.co.uk.
