Retrofit Guide – Light Output and Terminology

Light Output and Terminology

•Candela

•Lux

•Lumens

•Wattage

•Color Temperature

Candela

Candela (CD) is the base measurement for describing luminous intensity. It tells you how bright the light source is which shows how far away from an object you can be and while still being able to see it.

Short explanation: The higher the CD, the brighter the output

Text Credits: https://blog.1000bulbs.com/home/whats-the-difference-between-candela-lux-and-lumens

Image Credits: https://lamphq.com/wp-content/uploads/luminous-intensity-with-unit-candela-948×632.jpg

Lux

Lux (unit lx) is a measure of illumination of a surface. Light meters often measure lux values (or footcandles, but these are directly related: one footcandle is 10.764 lx). Formally, lux is a derived unit from lumen, which is a derived unit from candela. Yet, the concept of lux is more easily compared to candela than to lumen.

Short definition: this is the intensity of a light output being measured against the pavement, or a wall. The higher the Lux, the brighter, and more intense the light output is.

Text Credits: https://www.compuphase.com/electronics/candela_lumen.htm

Lumens

Lumen (lm) is a measurement of luminous flux, or the total amount of visible light. To put it simply, the lumen rating is how much total visible light is produced by a light source.

Short definition: Lumens is the coverage of light output being produced by the source. The higher the lumen, the wider the scope of a light output.

Text Credits: https://blog.1000bulbs.com/home/whats-the-difference-between-candela-lux-and-lumens

Image Credits: https://lamphq.com/wp-content/uploads/lumens-explained-948×632.jpg

Wattage

What does a Watt mean? The Wattage of the light is the amount of energy it takes to produce a certain amount of light. The higher the wattage, the brighter the light, but also the more power it uses. The efficiency of this system was introduced using incandescent lamps. Short definition: the higher the wattage doesn’t mean the brighter the output.

Text Credits: https://blog.1000bulbs.com/home/whats-the-difference-between-candela-lux-and-lumens

Image Credits: https://www.lampshoponline.com/media/wysiwyg/cmsblog/lampshoponline-wattage-comparison-chart.jpg

Color Temperature

Lighting color is measured in temperature, in the unit of Kelvin. The higher the color temperature the whiter the light will be. Kelvin is typically referenced as the letter “K”.

Short definition: on a scale of 1,000 to 10,000, from warm to cool color temperature, 1,000 being the warmest.

Text Credits: https://retrofitcompanies.com/led-lighting-understanding-color-temperature/

Image Credits: https://retrofitcompanies.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/color.jpeg