How to Cut LED Lighting Strips

Where to cut

LED strips can only be cut at designated cut marks — indicated by a scissors icon or dotted line, printed at regular intervals along the strip. The spacing depends on the LED density:

• 30 LEDs per metre: cut points every 100mm
• 60 LEDs per metre: cut points every 50mm
• 120 LEDs per metre: cut points every 25mm
• COB strips: cut points every 25–50mm, marked with a scissors symbol

How to make a clean cut

Mark the centre of the cut point with a soft pencil or piece of masking tape. Use sharp scissors and make one clean, straight cut perpendicular to the strip. You want to leave equal amounts of copper pad on each side of the cut.

What to do if you cut in the wrong place

If you cut through a section of the LED strip rather than at a cut point, you have severed the series chain within that section. The section from the cut to the next cut point will not illuminate. The rest of the strip, on the driver side of the cut, will usually still work.

The fix: find the cut point immediately before the bad cut on the driver side, and cut there instead. This gives you a slightly shorter strip but it will work correctly. The off-cut section may also be salvageable — find the nearest good cut point beyond the bad cut and cut there. That piece is usable from that point onwards.

Connecting cut strips with clip connectors

Solderless clip connectors lock onto cut strip ends and allow runs to be extended, routed around obstacles, or joined after cutting. Three types are available:

• Strip-to-strip connectors — join two cut strips end to end
• Strip-to-wire connectors — one end clamps to the strip, the other has flying leads for running cable between sections
• Corner connectors — for 90-degree turns within the same plane without cutting and resoldering

To use: open the clip by lifting the lever or tab. Slide the strip in with the copper pads facing the connector pins. Close the clip firmly. Give the strip a gentle tug to confirm it is secure — a connector that releases easily is not making full contact.

What to do with off-cuts

As long as both cuts were made at cut points, both pieces of strip will work independently when connected to appropriate drivers. Off-cuts are fully usable — many people use them for drawer interiors, wardrobe lighting, or under-shelf accent light.

The only exception is if one of the cuts was made through a section rather than at a cut point — in that case the section immediately beyond the bad cut will be dead, but the rest of that piece is intact from the next good cut point onwards.

Test before fitting profiles and diffusers

Always test all connections before fitting profiles, diffusers, or finishing surfaces. Far easier to re-seat a connector or check polarity at this stage than after the installation is complete.

Power up the strip and check every section lights evenly. Check that any joins or connectors are not causing visible dark spots or brightness differences. If a section does not light, check polarity at that connector first before assuming a fault with the strip.