The difference between Lumens, Kelvin, and Wattage
Whereas lighting used to be all about choosing the right fitting, today more technical terms are used. Examples include Lumens, Kelvin, and Wattage. Traditional incandescent bulbs and their old wattages are no longer produced. These bulbs have made way for LED alternatives. The wattage of these lamps varies, even though they provide the same light output. There is also a wide selection of different light colors, which are expressed in Kelvin. But what do all these terms actually mean? They are explained in further detail below.
What are lumens?
Lumens is a unit of measurement for the amount of visible light produced by a light source. It represents the total amount of light that a light source emits in all directions.Therefore, lumen is a measure of a lamp's light output and indicates how much light a lamp actually produces, as opposed to watts, which are a measure of the lamp's energy consumption.
The higher the number of lumens a lamp has, the brighter the light it produces. The number of lumens is determined by the intensity of the luminous flux and the amount of light emitted per unit of time. Lumen is an important metric when choosing lighting for various applications, such as at home, in the office, in industry, or for street lighting. For example, a 60-watt incandescent bulb has a light output of 700 – 800 lumens. For the same light output, you only need a 10-watt LED lamp. You can easily convert lumens to watts and vice versa using the table below.
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| Incandescent bulb | LED lamp | Energy-saving lamp | Lumen | ||||
| 25 Watt | 4 Watt | 7 Watt | 200 – 300 Lumen | ||||
| 40 Watt | 6 Watt | 10 Watt | 400 – 500 Lumen | ||||
| 60 Watt | 10 Watt | 15 Watt | 700 – 800 Lumen | ||||
| 75 Watt | 12 Watt | 20 Watt | 900 – 1000 Lumen | ||||
| 100 Watt | 16 Watt | 25 Watt | >1300 Lumen |
What does the term Kelvin mean?
The term Kelvin is used to indicate the color temperature of light, or the "warmth" or "coolness" of the light emitted by a light source.
Colour temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K) and indicates how "warm" (yellow/red) or "cool" (blue) the light from a light source appears. The higher the number of Kelvin degrees, the cooler (bluer) the light appears. For example, an incandescent bulb has a warm white colour temperature of approximately 2700K, while daylight has a cooler colour temperature of approximately 5500K.
Colour temperature is important when choosing lighting, as it can influence the atmosphere and appearance of a space. Warmer colour temperatures are often used in living rooms, bedrooms and restaurants to create a cosy atmosphere, while cooler colour temperatures are frequently used in offices, workspaces and shops to create a bright and energising environment. The table below shows the various light colours with their corresponding Kelvin values.
| Light color name | Kelvin value | Photo: | |
| Extra warm white | 1800 – 2200 Kelvin |  |
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| Warm white | 2400 – 3000 Kelvin |
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| Neutral white | 4000 -4500 Kelvin |  |
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| Cool white | 5000-5900 Kelvin |  |
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| Extra cool white | 6000 – 6500 Kelvin |  |
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What is a wattage?
A wattage is a unit of measurement for the amount of electrical energy used or produced per unit of time.It stands for the amount of energy converted in a specific device, lamp, or system, and is expressed in Watts (W).
Therefore, wattage indicates how much energy is consumed or produced per second. For example, a lamp with a power rating of 60 watts consumes 60 watts of electrical energy per second, while a device with a power rating of 1000 watts (1 kilowatt) consumes 1000 watts of energy per second.
Wattage is an important metric when choosing appliances, lighting, and electrical systems, as it indicates the amount of energy required to operate them and affects the costs associated with their use. It is important to consider wattage and the energy consumption of electrical devices to limit energy use and costs, and to promote efficient energy use.
Bulbs with various wattages, lumens, and light colors at MeinLED
MeinLED offers a wide range of LED bulbs with different wattages, lumen outputs, and light colors to suit the needs of various applications and environments. Here are some examples of the LED bulbs that MeinLED offers:
- LED bulbs with wattages ranging from 1W to 150W
- LED bulbs with lumen outputs ranging from 50 lumens to 18.000 lumens
- LED bulbs with various light colors, including warm white, neutral white, and cool white, as well as color-changing LED bulbs with RGB colors
- LED bulbs in various shapes and sizes, such as spots, downlights, panels, strips, and tubes
It is important to consider the wattage, lumen output, and light color when choosing LED bulbs to ensure they are suitable for the intended application and to create the desired ambiance and appearance. MeinLED can provide advice on choosing the right LED bulbs and can also assist in designing lighting plans for various applications, such as offices, retail, hospitality, and residential properties.
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