Quick answer: Cree LEDs are LED chips and components sold under the Cree LED brand, which is a Penguin Solutions brand (Penguin Solutions was formerly SMART Global Holdings). Wikipedia's Penguin Solutions overview identifies the connection.
If you are comparing a component or a light advertised as using Cree LEDs, start with the exact product being offered. This guide separates the brand from the original company, explains the main product families, and shows how to calculate electrical resistance and beam coverage with explicitly assumed inputs.
What happened to Cree and Wolfspeed?
The original company changed its name; saying it simply stopped existing is misleading. According to Wikipedia's Wolfspeed history, Cree Research was founded in July 1987 in Durham, North Carolina, and the company changed its name to Wolfspeed in October 2021.
The LED business followed a separate path. Cree announced its sale to SMART Global Holdings in October 2020 for up to $300 million, consisting of $50 million upfront, a $125 million seller note, and an earn-out of up to $125 million. Those are the announced terms, not proof that the maximum was ultimately paid. Wolfspeed's sale announcement.
The same announcement explains that SMART would license and incorporate the Cree LED brand name. That licensing arrangement explains how the LED name could continue after the business changed hands. Wolfspeed's brand-licensing announcement.
Cree described the sale as part of a transformation toward silicon carbide and gallium nitride devices and materials. That semiconductor strategy is distinct from choosing an LED lighting component. Wolfspeed's explanation of the sale.
For a purchase decision, use the full component identifier rather than treating “Cree,” “Cree LED,” and “Wolfspeed” as interchangeable specifications. A company name alone does not give you a forward voltage, light output, or beam angle.
Which Cree LED families should you compare?
Start with XLamp and J Series, then narrow the choice to a specific part. According to Cree LED's product listing, XLamp includes XD/XQ, XE, XB, XP/XT, XM, XN, XHP, XFL, and COB arrays; J Series includes the size designations shown below.
| Product group | Names in the manufacturer's listing | Useful comparison to make |
|---|---|---|
| XLamp | XD/XQ, XE, XB, XP/XT, XM, XN, XHP, XFL | Compare the exact part's electrical and optical specifications |
| XLamp COB arrays | COB arrays within the XLamp portfolio | Decide whether your design calls for a chip-on-board array |
| J Series | 2016, 2835, 3030, 5050, 7070 | Match the listed package to your board and application |
The family names and size designations in this table come from Cree LED's own portfolio listing. According to that listing, these are product groups; the table is not a brightness or efficiency ranking.
“Cree versus COB” is not a like-for-like comparison. Cree LED is a brand, while COB means chip on board, a packaging description. According to Cree LED's product listing, its XLamp range includes COB arrays, so a component can be both Cree LED and COB.
Use this selection checklist when comparing candidates:
- Identify whether the offer is for a component, an assembled module, or a complete light.
- Compare lumen output at the stated operating conditions; lumens describe light output.
- Match forward voltage and intended current to the electrical design.
- Compare colour temperature in kelvin and the stated colour-rendering specification.
- Use the finished light's beam specification when planning coverage.
What are Cree LEDs used for?
The manufacturer's application categories cover general lighting, specialty lighting, and video screens and signs. According to Cree LED's application listing, general lighting includes indoor and outdoor use; specialty categories include architectural and entertainment, broadcast, horticulture, portable, retail, and automotive and emergency-vehicle lighting.
Use those categories to find relevant candidates, rather than assuming every component suits every listed application. For a portable light, frame the comparison around the available supply and desired beam. For a room light, frame it around required output and coverage. For a sign, start with the display requirements. These are selection questions, not performance promises attached to the brand.
How do you calculate a current-limiting resistor?
For an assumed series circuit, subtract the LEDs' combined forward voltage from the supply voltage, then divide by current in amperes. The LED resistor calculator uses this relationship:
R = (supply voltage − LED count × forward voltage) ÷ current
Assumed inputs: a 5 V DC supply, one LED with a 3 V forward voltage, and a target current of 20 mA. These are arithmetic inputs, not specifications for a Cree LED part.
- Current conversion: I = 20 ÷ 1,000 = 0.020 A.
- Combined LED voltage: 1 × 3 = 3 V.
- Voltage across the resistor: 5 − 3 = 2 V.
- Resistance: R = (5 − 1 × 3) ÷ 0.020 = 2 ÷ 0.020 = 100 Ω.
- Resistor dissipation: P = V × I = 2 × 0.020 = 0.040 W = 40 mW.
The calculator's power calculation gives the same result: P = I² × R = 0.020² × 100 = 0.0004 × 100 = 0.040 W. This is power dissipated in the resistor, not the power of the entire circuit.
The example establishes the arithmetic only. Confirm the actual part's voltage, current, and drive requirements before applying it; it does not establish that a resistor is an appropriate drive method for an unspecified component. For any work involving mains voltage, use a qualified electrician.
How much area will the beam cover?
For a circular cone aimed perpendicular to a flat surface, beam diameter follows directly from distance and full beam angle. The beam angle calculator uses:
Diameter = 2 × distance × tan(full beam angle ÷ 2)
Assumed inputs: a full beam angle of 90° and a source-to-surface distance of 2 m. This is a geometric example, not a claimed Cree LED beam specification.
- Half-angle: 90° ÷ 2 = 45°.
- Tangent: tan(45°) = 1.
- Diameter: 2 × 2 × 1 = 4 m.
- Radius: 4 ÷ 2 = 2 m.
- Circular area: A = π × radius² = π × 2² = π × 4 ≈ 12.57 m².
That area describes the assumed cone's footprint. It does not calculate illuminance or establish uniform brightness across the circle. Keep the output and coverage questions separate: lumens describe light output, while this calculation describes geometry.
FAQ
Is Cree LED still a brand?
Yes. Wikipedia's Penguin Solutions overview identifies Cree LED as a Penguin Solutions brand. Cree LED's own site, cree-led.com, lists its LED chips and components.
Is Cree LED the same as Wolfspeed?
The names refer to different business paths. According to Wikipedia's Wolfspeed history, the original company adopted the Wolfspeed name in October 2021; the LED-business sale announcement separately provided for SMART to license the Cree LED brand.
How much was the Cree LED sale worth?
The announced maximum was $300 million: $50 million upfront + $125 million seller note + up to $125 million earn-out. “Up to” matters because part of that amount was contingent. Wolfspeed's transaction announcement.
Are all Cree LEDs COB LEDs?
No. According to Cree LED's portfolio listing, COB arrays are part of XLamp, alongside other listed families, and the company also lists J Series products.
Which Cree LED is brightest?
The family listing does not establish a single brightness winner. Compare exact parts using lumen output under matching operating conditions; a family name alone is not a measured output.
Can I use the resistor example for any Cree LED?
No. Its supply voltage, forward voltage, and target current are explicitly assumed. Substitute the intended part's requirements and establish the appropriate drive method before treating the arithmetic as a design.
Jack Shi
Founder & editor, LEDaskJack Shi builds and writes LEDask, an independent LED-lighting tools project operated by clooms. He designs the calculators, checks their formulas and reference values against published engineering data, and writes the guides across the site.
