Lumens to Watts Conversion Chart & Brightness Comparison
For decades, people judged light bulbs by watts. A 40-watt bulb felt nice and dim, a 100-watt bulb felt bright. Simple enough. But watts only measure energy use, not brightness. With efficient bulbs like LEDs, the old connection between watts and brightness no longer works.
That is why lumens are more useful (and accurate). Lumens measure light output, or how bright a bulb actually is. Higher lumens mean more visible light, no matter how many watts the bulb uses.
With lumens provide a more straightforward way to measure light output, many manufacturers now list brightness in lumens rather than watts. In some regions, such as the EU, showing luminous output of light fixtures & bulbs in lumens has become a legal requirement.
Hive Sconce in Polished Nickel
Lumens vs Watts
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Lumens = brightness
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Watts = power consumed
Incandescent bulbs linked the two because more watts usually meant more lumens. A 60-watt incandescent, for example, often produced somewhere between 700 and 850 lumens. People got used to using watts as shorthand. With LEDs, that same brightness might only require 8–10 watts.
Lumens-to-Watts Conversion
Here is a simple chart showing typical comparisons. These are ranges, since incandescent bulbs varied:
| Lumens (range) | Comparable Incandescent Watts |
|---|---|
| 400–500 lumens | 40W bulb |
| 700–850 lumens | 60W bulb |
| 1000–1200 lumens | 75W bulb |
| 1500–1700 lumens | 100W bulb |
Brightness in Context
Numbers are helpful, but context matters.
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400–500 lumens feels like a small accent sconce or hallway light. There are a lot of LED fixtures (including some of ours) that offer outputs around 450 lumens. These can be perfect for rooms with multiple light sources.
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700–850 lumens is close to a standard bedroom light or living room lamp.
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1000–1200 lumens provides stronger task lighting, useful for kitchen lighting or work areas.
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1500–1700 lumens is bright enough for larger rooms or overhead fixtures. Think Chandeliers or linear pendant lights.
Design also affects perception. A frosted shade spreads 800 lumens into a gentle glow, while a clear bulb feels sharper. Placement changes things too: the same bulb overhead may feel softer than it does beside a bed.
Additional Resources
It can take some time to get used to using lumens for those that are more acquainted with watts. So we've been (slowly) building out some additional guides for more specific outputs - or those that don't perfectly align with the outputs of incandescent bulbs. Check out our guide on how 900 lumens compares to watts. or reach out to us if you have questions on another fixture's luminous output and how it compares to watts.
The tldr
Watts no longer tell the full story. Lumens are the clearest way to compare brightness, and this chart offers a quick reference. Use it as a guide, but let the room and light fixture dictate how much light really feels right.
