Is a higher lumen number always better?

No. Lumens measure brightness, and you want the right amount for the room. Too many lumens in a bedroom feels glaring; too few in a kitchen feels dim. Match the lumens to the space rather than always buying the brightest.

Do lumens tell me the colour of the light?

No. Lumens only tell you how bright the light is. Whether it looks warm and yellow or cool and blue is measured separately in Kelvin (colour temperature).

How many lumens replace a 60W bulb?

An old 60W incandescent produces roughly 800 lumens, so look for an LED rated around 800 lumens — usually about 8 to 12 watts.

Last updated: 19 August 2026

What are lumens?

Lumens measure how bright a light is. Watts measure how much energy it uses. For decades we bought bulbs by watts, but with LEDs that habit no longer works — and lumens are the number that actually matters.

Why we used to shop by watts

With old incandescent bulbs, more watts genuinely meant more light. A 100W bulb was brighter than a 60W one, so "watts" became a handy shorthand for brightness. But watts were only ever measuring energy consumption. It just happened that, with that one technology, energy and brightness rose together.

What lumens actually are

A lumen is a unit of visible light. The more lumens, the brighter the bulb. A cosy bedside lamp might be 400 lumens; a bright kitchen ceiling light might be 800 to 1,000 lumens per fitting. When you shop for LEDs, lumens are the figure to look for on the box.

Why LEDs broke the old rule

LEDs produce the same amount of light for a fraction of the energy. An old 60W incandescent gives about 800 lumens; an LED matches that brightness using only around 8 to 12 watts. So a bulb's wattage no longer tells you how bright it is — a 10W LED and a 60W incandescent can be equally bright. That is why buying by watts can leave you with a bulb that is far too dim or surprisingly glaring.

Old watts to lumens

Use this as a rough guide when replacing an old bulb:

Old incandescent	Approx. lumens	Typical LED wattage
25W	250 lm	3–4W
40W	450 lm	4–6W
60W	800 lm	8–12W
75W	1,100 lm	10–14W
100W	1,600 lm	14–18W

These are approximate — LED efficiency varies between brands, so always check the lumens printed on the packaging.

How many lumens do you need?

It depends on the room and the job. Relaxing spaces like bedrooms and living rooms suit softer, lower levels; kitchens, bathrooms and workspaces want more. Rather than guess, our bulb finder works out a sensible lumen range from your old bulb and the room.

What to buy

To replace a typical 60W bulb, look for an LED around 800 lumens. Shop by that lumen figure, then choose the colour temperature (warm or cool) and the right fitting to finish the job.