Light Bulb Brightness

Buying the correct lighting doesn't have to be complicated. Whether you're buying for your home or a restaurant, are confused about lumens vs watts or simply don't know why some lights are brighter than others, this guide is here to help. In this guide, you will learn the ins and outs of light bulb brightness, energy, color and more.

Lumens vs Watts

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What is a lumen, and what is a watt? What are lumens to watts? Most people are familiar with what a watt is, but less familiar with a lumen. When trying to figure out light bulb brightness, it's important that you understand the difference between lumens vs watts. 



A watt measures how much electricity is being used by an item. So if a package for a lightbulb says the bulb uses 60 watts, or 60W, it means that that bulb will use 60 watts of electrical power. This does not indicate, however, how bright a lightbulb is. But a lumen does.



A lumen measures the amount of light that comes from a bulb, also known as light bulb brightness. A standard 40W bulb is equal to 400+ lumens, which represents the brightness of a bulb. Typically, the higher the wattage, the higher the lumens, and the more light output. 

Lumen to Watt Conversion

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You may wonder how many lumens are in a watt. Exactly how bright is 100 lumens? Unfortunately, it's not that simple, since watts measure energy output and lumens measure brightness. The conversion can be tricky since there are so many types of bulbs to choose from. 


Energy-efficient bulbs such as LED light bulbs or CFL bulbs use less wattage than a standard incandescent, halogen light bulb or fluorescent bulb. But even though an LED bulb uses less wattage, it'll have more lumens than a standard bulb. For example, a 4W LED bulb is 220+ lumens, while the same amount of lumens can be found in a standard 25W bulb. A standard bulb uses more energy to produce the same amount of lumens as an LED bulb. This goes to show that you can achieve the same brightness with less wattage, or energy. More lumens per watt means your light bulb is more efficient, since more light is produced with less power.


Use our helpful watts to lumens chart to figure out the conversion.

LED vs Incandescent Bulbs

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Light Kelvin Scale

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The light Kelvin scale is a more complex way of talking about the color temperature of a light bulb. Color temperature describes the warmness or coolness of a light, or the appearance of the light that comes from a light bulb. Color temperature is measured in degrees of Kelvin on a scale of 1,000 to 10,000; for consumers in commercial and residential lighting the range is between 2000K and 6500K.

Color temperature of 2000K-3000K:

  • Warm white light appearance.

  • Cozy ambience.

  • Best used in restaurants and residential areas.

Color temperature of 3100K-4500K:

  • Cool white light appearance.

  • Bright ambience.

  • Best used in garages, basements and when completing a task.

Color temperature of 4600K-6500K:

  • Daylight light appearance.

  • Usually giving off a bluer tone; a bulb with this range is the best light bulb for reading.

  • Crisp, cool ambience.

  • Best used as security lighting, in display areas and when completing a task.

Luc Neesby