CSL Recessed Downlighting: counter reference

Keep this page at the counter. Every number here is published by CSL on its spec sheets, selection charts and family selector. If a number is not on this page or in the course, do not say it out loud.

Find the family in ten questions

1. Quick ship? Yes: ECO or Forme. No: any of the three.
2. IC rated? Any of the three.
3. Hot aiming? Yes: Acrobat. No: ECO or Forme.
4. Trimless millwork? Yes: Acrobat. No: ECO or Forme (all three offer trimless drywall).
5. A lens at the reflector, not only on the optic? Yes: Acrobat.
6. Premium drivers (DALI-2, DMX, EcoSystem)? Yes: Acrobat.
7. 4000K? Yes: Acrobat or ECO.
8. Trim finishes besides black and white? Yes: Acrobat.
9. Two-tone trim and reflector finishes? Yes: Acrobat or ECO.
10. Chicago Plenum rated? Yes: ECO or Acrobat. No: Forme is in play.

Shared across all three: field-changeable optics in 10, 30, 50 and 80 degrees; damp location standard, wet location optional; adjustability available in every family.

The three families

Also available: ECO adds Chicago Plenum (SAIC housing) and wet location; Acrobat adds acoustic tile ceilings, an integral emergency trim, Chicago Plenum, spray foam and wet location; all three are Title 24 JA8 compliant. Published warranty: five year limited on the Forme downlight and the Forme cylinder.

Aperture, housing and trim

Aperture. 1" pinholes and accent (ECO, Acrobat). 2" accent and GyroShift heads (Acrobat, GyroShift). 3" general ambient (every family). 4" specification grade output (Acrobat). 5" high ceilings and double-height spaces, up to 3,000 lm (ECO).

Housing condition, ECO. NC new construction pan (the lower lumen package in each aperture is IC rated). SAIC adjustable and shallow plenum IC, 2.5", lockable straight down, also the Chicago Plenum housing. RM remodel, installs from the room side. Forme: standard remodel module for 1/2" to 2" ceilings, DTL3-PAN new construction pan, DTL3-SMASH smash plate.

Part number, ECO example ED3LSAIC-309050-12S. ED3 is the family and aperture. The code before the housing condition is the lumen package: read it from the chart. SAIC is the housing condition. 309050 is 3000K, 90 CRI, 50 degree installed optic (color codes 27, 30, 35, 40; Forme 27, 30, 35 only). 12S is the driver package.

Forme order. Module DLT3RIC (fixed) or DLT3RAIC (adjustable, 40 degrees), driver DRV-DLT3RIC-150-250 (120V, 8W/12W switch, 5 percent) or DRV-DLT3RIC-12S (120/277V, 12W, 1 percent), trim DLT3-RFST or DLT3-RAST in round (R) or square (S), white (WT) or black (BK). Premium ECO 3" trims fit.

Trims. Standard flanged (round or square, RF fixed, RA adjustable). Wall wash (3" and 5" ECO; Acrobat post-install wall wash lens). Regressed wet location (carries the UL wet listing). Dead front (3", round, white only). Trimless mud plate ED3-R-RMTL (converts an existing 6" hole to a trimless 3"). Two-tone premium: champagne, black or silver reflector with a white flange, fixed trims. Acrobat adds millwork, pinhole and slot pinhole reflectors.

Optics and media. 50 degree installed. 10, 30 and 80 degree optics as accessories. Media: clear, Solite, frosted, linear spread, hex louver.

Alternatives to a recessed can

GyroShift multiples. Specification grade. 2" and 3" heads in two, three and four head systems, ordered as trim plus housing. 1,000 lm per 2" head, 1,200 lm per 3" head. 50 degree installed, 10 and 30 optional. 2700K to 4000K. At full 45 degree tilt the fixture never breaks the plane of the ceiling.

Forme CLT3 cylinder. 14W, up to 1,396 lm, 90+ CRI, 2-step SDCM, 2700K to 3500K. Universal 120/277V driver to 1 percent, inside the cylinder body, not the canopy. 5" canopy on a 4" round box. 10 foot cord (CD) or flush mount (FM); 36" field-cuttable stem kit hangs straight to a 35 degree slope. Semi gloss white or matte black. UL damp, five year limited warranty.

The seven qualifying questions

1. When does it have to be on site? Inside the week: Forme or ECO.
2. How much room is above the ceiling? Under 3": ECO SAIC, Forme remodel module, Acrobat shallow plenum.
3. One aperture, or a matched set? 1, 3, 5: ECO. 1, 2, 3, 4: Acrobat. 3" only: any.
4. What controls the lights? Wall dimmer: any. EcoSystem, DALI-2, DMX: Acrobat.
5. Will anything move after install? Hot aiming and post-install wall wash: Acrobat.
6. What is the ceiling made of? Millwork and plaster: Acrobat. Timber and slopes: Forme cylinder.
7. Which finish and color? Two-tone, 4000K, warm dim: ECO or Acrobat. Custom color, millwork: Acrobat.

The three objections

"Basic downlights are cheap and my electrician knows them." Acknowledge the cost. Basic downlights often flicker when dimmed. Forme is commercial grade, 90+ CRI, 2-step color consistency, JA10 flicker compliant, and the optic or trim swaps from below the ceiling without patching plaster. Quote from your own pricing.

"I have a spec-grade housing on my schedule for a shallow joist ceiling." Ask what plenum depth it needs. ECO needs 2.5" with SAIC, takes round or square trims on the same housing, offers warm dim to 1800K, and is quick ship.

"We specified a premium spec-grade line for the estate. Why Acrobat?" Hot aiming and the 2.5" shallow plenum housing are standard. The wall wash is a field-changeable lens with no trim change. Millwork and trimless are on the order matrix. Offer the side by side through your account lead.

Claim discipline

Safe to say: the numbers on this page. Do not say: any price or distributor figure; a competitor's name, number or lead time from memory; "museum quality" or "best in the industry"; a dimming floor below 1 percent for Acrobat; warm dim, 4000K or Chicago Plenum for Forme; bi-coastal for ECO; a warranty term for ECO or Acrobat; a lead time you have not confirmed that day.

Where to get help

Your Enlightening Sales account lead handles spec support, side by side comparisons, crossovers from competitive lines, quotes and display program questions. Enlightening Sales, www.enlighteningsales.com, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. Discussion: Enlightening Sales on Skool.

Sources

All product data is drawn from CSL first party documentation, current versions at csllighting.com: the CSL Downlighting Family Selector; the CSL Downlight Guide, Good, Better and Best (January 2026); the CSL 3" and the 1" and 5" Downlight Customer Selection Charts; the GyroShift Multiples and CSL Forme Cylinder Customer Selection Chart; the Forme 3" LED Downlight spec sheet, Spec-00292 (revised July 14, 2026); the Forme 3" LED Cylinder spec sheet, Spec-00291 (revised June 25, 2026); the Forme DLTARIC installation instructions, FIG-00046 (revised May 8, 2026); the Forme Adjustable What's in the Box case card; and the CSL Acrobat and ECO cross comparison charts (January 2026).