OEM · Standards
Copper vs Copper-Clad Aluminium Conductors in Lighting Track
Solid copper or copper-clad aluminium (CCA) in lighting track? How to tell them apart on a sample, why it matters for heat and joints, and what to specify.
How to Source Track Systems for Your Luminaire Brand: An OEM Guide
A luminaire brand that sells spots without track sells half a system. This guide covers what an OEM track supplier can change for you, what it costs in quantity and time, and what to ask before you sign.
OEM sourcing of lighting track means buying a complete track system — profiles, feeds, connectors, fixings and adapters — made to your specification and sold under your brand. The track profile, conductors and safety tests usually stay the supplier's proven design; what changes is length, colour, branding, packaging and documentation. Most luminaire brands start with private label on a certified standard system and move to deeper customisation once volumes justify it.
Why luminaire brands add track to their range
- Complete offer. Specifiers and wholesalers prefer to order spots and track from one brand, in one colour, with one set of datasheets.
- Colour match. A black spot on a black track looks like one product only when both are coated to the same RAL and gloss.
- Margin on the whole run. On a retail project the track, feeds and connectors can be a large share of the order value.
- Lock-in by compatibility. A brand that supplies the track can make sure its own adapters and driver adapters are the ones listed as compatible.
What you can customise
| Option | What changes | Minimum order | Typical lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard colour, your label | Label, carton, barcode | None | 1–2 weeks |
| Custom length | Cut and finished at 0.1–6 m | None | 2–3 weeks |
| Custom RAL colour | Powder coating of profile and parts | None | 4–6 weeks |
| Brand on the product | Printed or embossed name on profile, adapter, feed | None; one-off tool or screen cost | 4–6 weeks |
| Your packaging and documents | Carton, sleeves, installation guide, datasheets | None | 3–4 weeks |
| Adapter variants | Housing colour, cable exit, driver adapter outputs | None; quoted per variant | 6–10 weeks |
| New profile | Extrusion die, conductor carrier, re-testing | Quoted per project, die cost | 3–6 months |
The quickest route is a standard system in a standard colour, such as the 3-phase surface track GT-4W-T in black or white, with your label and carton. The full list of parts that can carry your brand is on the products page.
How an OEM order runs
- Enquiry. Tell the supplier what you make, where you sell it and which systems you need. You should receive the catalogue and a price list within a day or two.
- Samples. Track, feeds, connectors and adapters in the colours you need. Test them with your own luminaires: fit, locking force, contact and finish.
- Specification sheet. One written document that fixes every code, length, colour, label, carton and document. Both sides sign it.
- Pre-production sample. A "golden sample" from the production tools, kept by both sides as the reference for every later batch.
- Certification under your brand. Started in parallel with step 4 so it does not delay delivery.
- Production and inspection. Each length is tested for insulation and continuity; batches are sample-inspected before shipping.
- Delivery. By the pallet from the factory, on the agreed Incoterms.
What G-Tracks can change on each system, with lengths, colours and lead times, is summarised under OEM.
Certification under your brand
Lighting track sold in the EU needs a CE declaration of conformity under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, and RoHS compliance. Many specifiers also ask for the ENEC mark, issued by an independent certification body after testing to IEC/EN 60570.
| Document | Required? | Under your brand |
|---|---|---|
| CE declaration of conformity | Yes, EU | Issued by the party placing the product on the market, often you |
| RoHS and REACH declarations | Yes, EU | Supplier declaration, re-issued for your brand |
| ENEC certificate | Market expectation | Certificate or listing in your name, based on the supplier's test file |
| Test reports, IEC/EN 60570 | Basis for all of the above | Copy or reference provided by the supplier |
| UKCA | Yes, Great Britain | As for CE |
When you place a product on the market under your own name, EU law treats you as the manufacturer. Keep the technical file, or a contract that gives you access to it, for ten years after the last unit is sold.
Quality: what to agree in writing
- Routine tests. 100% insulation and continuity test on every track length, recorded per batch.
- Sampling inspection. Dimensions, coating thickness and colour, adapter locking force, packaging. ISO 2859-1 at general inspection level II is common, with AQL 1.0 for major and 2.5 for minor defects.
- Colour tolerance. RAL plus gloss level, approved against the golden sample under the same light.
- Traceability. Batch number on the carton and, ideally, on the product.
- Spare parts. Availability of feeds, connectors and end caps for at least ten years, so your customers can extend installations.
RFQ checklist
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Systems | 3-phase and 3-phase DALI, surface and suspended |
| Parts | Track 1/2/3/4 m, end and middle feeds, couplers, L/T/X connectors, end caps, suspension |
| Adapters | Power adapters, driver adapters, DALI driver adapters |
| Colours | Black RAL 9005 matt, plus one custom RAL |
| Quantities | First order and forecast for 12 months, per code |
| Branding | Name on profile and adapter, own carton, own barcodes |
| Documents | Catalogue, datasheets, installation guide in your languages |
| Certificates | CE, RoHS, ENEC in own name |
| Delivery | Incoterms (EXW, FOB or DAP), destination, pallet type |
Ten questions to ask any track supplier
- Which adapter format does the track accept, and with which luminaire brands has it been tested?
- In whose name are the ENEC and CB certificates, and can a listing be issued in mine?
- Are the conductors copper, and what is their cross-section?
- What is tested on every piece, and what only on samples?
- Which parts are made in-house and which are bought in?
- What are the minimum quantities per code, colour and label?
- How long are feeds, connectors and spare parts available after a code is discontinued?
- Who owns custom tools, and can they be moved?
- How are complaints handled, and how fast are replacements shipped?
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for OEM lighting track?
It depends on the supplier. Many ask for around 500 m per custom RAL colour. G-Tracks has no minimum order, for standard and OEM orders alike. A completely new profile is the exception in cost, not in quantity: it needs its own extrusion die, which is quoted per project.
Can track be certified under my own brand?
Yes. The certification body that tested the original track can issue a certificate or listing in your brand name based on the existing test file. Plan several weeks for this and start it during sampling.
How long does an OEM track order take?
About 4 to 6 weeks from approved samples to shipment for colour, length and labelling changes. A new profile takes longer because the die must be made and the product re-tested.
What should an RFQ for track systems include?
The systems and parts needed, lengths and colours, annual and first-order quantities, branding and packaging, target certificates, delivery terms such as EXW, FOB or DAP, and the destination market.
