Understanding LED Bulb Brightness and Color Ratings

LED bulb brightness and color ratings will affect your decision over which bulb to buy. Continue reading to understand LED bulb brightness and color ratings. Save yourself time and money and choose the right bulb for you.

Brightness

A bulb’s brightness is measured in lumens. The more lumens mean the brighter the light; the fewer the lumens, the dimmer the light. Incandescent light bulbs use more energy than LED. Therefore, LED light bulbs are a wise choice. Not only does LED use less energy as wattage, but it produces the same, if not more, lumens.

Lumen Level Replacement

If you want to replace your bulbs, follow these tips to get the most out of your money and time:

• Change out a 100W incandescent bulb for an LED bulb that provides about 1600 lumens.
• Change out a 75W bulb with an LED bulb that provides 1100 lumens.
• Change out a 60W bulb with an LED bulb that provides 800 lumens.
• Change out a 40W bulb with an LED bulb that provides 450 lumens.

Remember—the more the lumens, the brighter the bulb. If you want to replace a bulb in a parking lot, for example, you will need a higher lumen bulb. Consider LED corn lights, an energy efficient HID lamp. They use a large array of LEDs to deliver a large amount of light.

Color Ratings

The color of a light bulb is measured in degrees—Kelvin. While incandescent bulbs produce warm light, LED bulbs allow a wide range of colors. These colors range between 2700k, or warm tones, to 5000k, or cool tones. Follow the Light Kelvin Scale to decide what bulb you need:

• 2800K – Very Warm White
• 3000K – Warm White
• 3500K – White
• 4000K – Cool White
• 5000K – Daylight
• 6500K – Natural Daylight

A firm grasp on LED brightness and their color ratings will help you make your next purchase with confidence. Consider lumens, replacement lumen levels, and the Light Kelvin Scale before you make your decision.