Micro Thin 3mm LED Strip

It's all about the final look. A 3mm SMD strip uses tiny, individual LED chips, so if you're looking directly at it, you might see faint dots of light. A 3mm COB strip covers the chips in a continuous line of silicone, giving you a completely seamless, dot-free line of light right from the source. For architectural reveals or reflective surfaces where you can't have any spotting, COB is the way to go. For hidden accent lighting, SMD is perfectly fine and often a bit more efficient.

The adhesive we use is strong for its size, but surface prep is everything. The surface must be 100% clean, dry, and non-porous. Wipe it down with isopropyl alcohol first. For wood, plastic, or anything with a texture, the tape alone won't be enough for a permanent install. In those cases, you absolutely need to use a slim aluminum channel or add a thin bead of clear silicone adhesive.

Some of them are, yes. You have to look at the lumen output, not just the width. As a general rule, if you need functional task lighting, look for a strip with at least 180 LEDs per meter and run it on 24V for better brightness consistency.

It takes a steady hand and the right tools. You'll need a fine-tipped soldering iron, thin solder (0.5mm is good), and flux. Pre-tin both the wire and the pad on the strip first — that's key. It makes the final connection a quick touch instead of a prolonged heat-up. If you're not comfortable soldering something this small, we can do it for you. Many of our customers just send us a drawing with the lengths and lead wires they need, and we build it.

For any given LED model, the 24V version will give you better performance over longer runs. A 3mm 12V strip is great for shorter lengths up to about 5 meters. Beyond that, a 3mm 24V strip will maintain more consistent brightness from one end to the other because it suffers from less voltage drop. If your total run is over 5 meters, or if you're linking multiple shorter pieces that add up, go with 24V. Our guide to voltage drop explains the physics behind this in more detail.

You'll destroy the strip, almost instantly. It's the most common wiring mistake we see, and it's not covered by warranty. The LEDs will flash intensely bright for a split second and then burn out permanently. Some might even smoke. The voltage rating is a hard limit, not a suggestion. Always, always double-check that the output voltage of your power supply matches the input voltage printed on the LED strip before you connect them.

Yes, absolutely. A huge portion of the strips we ship are built to customer drawings. You can send us anything from a CAD file to a photo of a sketch on a napkin. Just tell us you need a 3mm COB strip, the exact length in millimeters, the color temperature, the voltage, and the length of the lead wires you need attached. An engineer will send back a formal spec and a quote, usually the same business day. There's no fee for this, and no obligation to order.