Mars Hydro FC6500 PPFD & PAR Data

Mars Hydro · FC6500 · Grow

The numbers below are compiled from public sources: Mars Hydro’s own specifications and an independent PAR test by Coco for Cannabis. They are not our own measurements. Each row says where the value came from.

A note on which FC6500 this is

Mars Hydro sells the FC6500 in more than one trim: an older 650 W version and a newer “EVO” / Smart FC6500 rated around 730 W. The manufacturer figures in the first table are for the 650 W spec sheet. The independent test unit drew ~710 W at full power, which is closer to the higher-wattage trim, so treat the two tables as reference points from slightly different hardware rather than the same unit measured two ways.

Manufacturer stated (650 W spec sheet)

Metric	Manufacturer stated	Source
Rated power draw	650 W (±5% @120V)	hydro-lite.com FC-6500 650W
PPF	1813 µmol/s	hydro-lite.com FC-6500 650W
PPE (efficacy)	2.8 µmol/J	hydro-lite.com FC-6500 650W
Coverage (core)	5×5 ft	hydro-lite.com FC-6500 650W

The 1813 µmol/s figure is listed on the retailer spec sheet as “average PPFD,” but the unit (µmol/s, not µmol/m²/s) is total photon flux (PPF), not PPFD. We report it as PPF to avoid propagating the mislabel.

Independent PAR test (Coco for Cannabis)

Coco for Cannabis re-ran Mars Hydro’s test conditions with an Apogee sensor and a 5×5 ft grid. These are true area PPFD numbers, so they are the most useful ones on this page.

Condition (height / power)	Max PPFD	Average PPFD	Corner (min) PPFD	Measured draw	Source
48 cm (19 in) / 100%, 5×5 ft	1040 µmol/m²/s	737.7 µmol/m²/s	524 µmol/m²/s	710 W	cocoforcannabis.com
30 cm (12 in) / 100%, 4×4 ft (CO₂ grows)	1257 µmol/m²/s	not stated	not stated	710 W	cocoforcannabis.com
36 cm (14 in) / ~80%, 4×4 ft	1000 µmol/m²/s	not stated	not stated	565 W	cocoforcannabis.com

Manufacturer vs measured (comparable line)

Metric	Manufacturer stated	Third-party measured	Notes
Efficacy	2.8 µmol/J	2.45 µmol/J (ePPE)	Coco reports 1740 µmol usable ePPF ÷ 710 W
Coverage	5×5 ft “core”	Corners drop to 524 µmol/m²/s at 19 in / 100%	Usable as 5×5 for veg; denser for flower closer in

PPFD map (per grid position) — manufacturer chart

Manufacturer stated, transcribed from Mars Hydro’s official “NEW FC 6500 PPFD MAP” image, tested in a 5×5 ft (150×150 cm) tent at three hanging heights (8 in, 12 in, 16 in). The map is a full 10×10 grid of µmol/m²/s readings. These are Mars Hydro’s own printed figures read off its chart, hosted on the hydro-lite.com retailer listing (map image); they are not our measurement.

Each column header is the grid position along the 5 ft width (ft, cell centers); rows run from the back of the tent (4.75 ft) to the front (0.25 ft). All values µmol/m²/s.

Height: 8 inches

y ↓ \ x →	0.25	0.75	1.25	1.75	2.25	2.75	3.25	3.75	4.25	4.75
4.75	950	1020	995	1015	1111	1030	1020	1000	1020	950
4.25	1020	1090	1062	1099	1189	1200	1099	1072	1093	1023
3.75	1040	1120	1152	1200	1265	1277	1211	1162	1130	1050
3.25	1035	1111	1182	1230	1310	1316	1234	1184	1123	1040
2.75	1030	1102	1175	1251	1320	1328	1258	1180	1103	1032
2.25	1010	1100	1170	1243	1320	1325	1245	1175	1100	1005
1.75	1035	1105	1182	1231	1314	1318	1234	1185	1121	1032
1.25	1040	1100	1144	1200	1260	1271	1211	1152	1130	1035
0.75	1010	1088	1062	1099	1189	1200	1099	1072	1093	1020
0.25	945	1023	997	1010	1115	1031	1025	1001	1021	950

Height: 12 inches

y ↓ \ x →	0.25	0.75	1.25	1.75	2.25	2.75	3.25	3.75	4.25	4.75
4.75	820	900	940	948	904	971	958	950	900	821
4.25	900	973	1021	1023	1035	1046	1033	1025	971	902
3.75	756	1066	1103	1131	1161	1170	1136	1113	1070	755
3.25	1002	1082	1122	1147	1180	1190	1157	1132	1092	1000
2.75	1020	1110	1100	1134	1260	1267	1133	1112	1102	1021
2.25	1025	1105	1105	1143	1255	1261	1135	1114	1100	1022
1.75	1010	1090	1122	1145	1172	1191	1152	1130	1082	1008
1.25	976	1066	1103	1131	1161	1167	1130	1113	1070	975
0.75	900	971	1021	1023	1030	1041	1033	1025	966	903
0.25	825	902	941	931	955	966	958	950	896	826

Height: 16 inches

y ↓ \ x →	0.25	0.75	1.25	1.75	2.25	2.75	3.25	3.75	4.25	4.75
4.75	758	830	921	922	911	912	922	926	840	755
4.25	845	910	991	991	981	980	993	996	919	849
3.75	945	1010	1063	1071	1065	1070	1070	1068	1020	940
3.25	990	1060	1085	1097	1088	1098	1095	1087	1061	991
2.75	1011	1071	1080	1091	1151	1155	1095	1081	1080	1010
2.25	1010	1080	1085	1095	1150	1152	1090	1088	1080	1010
1.75	985	1050	1080	1092	1085	1093	1089	1081	1060	990
1.25	930	1000	1061	1069	1062	1065	1072	1068	1010	935
0.75	830	900	991	981	971	981	991	991	911	830
0.25	762	832	923	925	910	915	923	925	836	750

Read across the heights: at 8 in the center peaks around 1320 but the corners sit near 950; raising to 16 in flattens the whole field into the 750–1150 band (a more uniform canopy at lower peak). Every cell above is Mars Hydro’s stated figure off its own chart — the useful cross-check is that the independent Coco for Cannabis test (5×5 ft, 19 in) puts real average PPFD at ~738 and corners at 524, below the manufacturer’s 16 in corners of ~750, which is the usual gap between a vendor map and a metered bench test.

Sources

Manufacturer specs (FC-6500 650 W): https://hydro-lite.com/products/mars-hydro-fc-6500-650w
Official PPFD map image transcribed for the grid tables: https://hydro-lite.com/cdn/shop/products/marshydrofc6500ppfd.jpg
Independent PAR test (Coco for Cannabis): https://www.cocoforcannabis.com/grow-light-guide/mars-hydro-fc-6500-par-test-and-review/

Notes

The measured efficacy (2.45 µmol/J from usable photons over the footprint) runs below the 2.8 µmol/J spec, which is normal: the spec is a raw fixture number and the test figure counts only photons landing inside the grid. The corner reading (524 µmol/m²/s) is the honest limit of the 5×5 ft claim at 19 in and full power; lowering the light or the coverage area raises it.