There are two common units for measuring light, the candela and the lumen. Both are recognized as standard international units, which also include the second (for time), the kilogram (for weight), and the meter (for length). The candela is a measure of intensity; an ordinary candle gives off light with the intensity of about one candela. The lumen is a measure of “luminous flux;” a standard 100-watt lightbulb gives off 1500–1700 lumens. Luminous flux indicates how much light is actually perceived by the human eye. Technologies vary in how efficiently they turn electricity into light; halogen lights produce about 12 lumens per watt, ordinary incandescent lightbulbs produce about 15 lumens per watt, and compact fluorescent bulbs produce about 50 lumens per watt.
Lumen equals brightness!
And watts do not. Not those watts are bad, but they measure energy use, not light output. With new, energy-efficient LED technology, we can no longer rely upon wattage to indicate how bright a bulb is. See how to measure lumens below:
Lumens to Watts:
| How Many Lumens Do You Need? More Lumens = More Light | ||||
| If you used to buy this in incandescent | Look for this much light in lumens | LED (most efficient) |
CFL (more efficient) |
Halogen (more efficient incandescent) |
| 100 W | 1600 | up to 22 W | up to 26 W | up to 72 W |
| 75 W | 1100 | up to 20 W | up to 23 W | up to 53 W |
| 60 W | 800 | up to 12 W | up to 15 W | up to 43 W |
| 40 W | 450 | up to 9 W | up to 11 W | up to 29 W |
| Output & Wattages based on most common products available for each medium screw-based light bulb. Actual output may vary by product. | ||||