This question is from JCR's 500+ question mock exam. 27% of students got this wrong. Try it with your 2020 NEC open, then check your answer below.
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The answer: D, the 70 pound paddle fan
The box is designed for luminaires. Nothing says it is listed and marked for fan support, so 314.27(C) rules it out as the fan's only support.
Most people who missed it picked C, the 50 lb luminaire. That one is allowed: 50 lb is the minimum a ceiling luminaire box must support.
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The rules in brief
- A ceiling box for a luminaire must be able to support a luminaire of at least 50 lb.
- A heavier luminaire needs support independent of the box unless the box is listed for at least that weight.
- A box that is the only support for a paddle fan must be listed and marked for fan support.
- No box may be the sole support for a fan over 70 lb.
Luminaire boxes: 314.27(A)
Outlet boxes or fittings designed for the support of luminaires and lampholders, and installed as required by 314.23, are permitted to support a luminaire or lampholder.
Ceiling outlets: 314.27(A)(2)
- At every outlet used only for lighting, the box must be designed or installed so a luminaire or lampholder can be attached.
- It must support a luminaire weighing at least 50 lb.
- A luminaire over 50 lb must be supported independently of the box, unless the box is listed for not less than the weight to be supported.
- The manufacturer must mark the inside of the box with the maximum weight it can support.
Wall and other vertical-surface outlets: 314.27(A)(1)
- If the box is rated for a weight other than 50 lb, it must be identified and marked on the inside with the maximum luminaire weight.
- Exception: a vertically mounted luminaire or lampholder weighing 6 lb or less may be supported on other boxes or plaster rings secured to other boxes, if it is secured to the box with at least two No. 6 or larger screws.
What is a fan-rated box? (314.27(C))
It's a box, or box system, that its manufacturer has listed and marked as suitable to be the only support for a ceiling-suspended (paddle) fan. A box made only for luminaires can't be a fan's only support.
- It may not support a fan that weighs more than 70 lb.
- Boxes designed for fans over 35 lb must be marked with the maximum weight they support.
- Ceiling boxes in habitable rooms of dwellings, where a paddle fan could be installed, must be either listed for the sole support of paddle fans, or comply with 314.27 and give access to structural framing that can support a fan bracket or equivalent.
Other equipment: 314.27(D)
Boxes that support utilization equipment other than paddle fans must meet the 314.27(A) rules for a luminaire of the same size and weight. Equipment of 6 lb or less gets the same two-screw exception.
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Common questions
Can I hang a ceiling fan from a regular light box?
Not as the fan's only support. A box that is the sole support for a paddle fan must be listed and marked by its manufacturer for that use (314.27(C)). Use a fan-rated box or support the fan independently of the box.
How much weight can a fan-rated box hold?
No box may be the sole support for a fan over 70 lb. Boxes designed for fans over 35 lb must be marked with the maximum weight they support.
Do new houses need fan-rated ceiling boxes?
In habitable rooms of dwellings, where a fan could be installed, the ceiling box must either be listed for sole support of a fan, or meet 314.27 and give access to framing that can support a fan bracket or equivalent (314.27(C)).
2020 NEC references throughout. The 2020 NEC book is available here, and NFPA sells online access through a paid NFPA LiNK subscription. See which edition your state tests.
JCR checked this against the 2020 NEC in NFPA LiNK on October 21, 2026.
Related: Pull box sizing for an angle pull (314.28) · Closet light clearance (410.16(C))
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