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Light

How many lumens replace an old incandescent bulb?

Short answer

Look at lumens, not watts. Under the former EU rule, an LED lamp claiming to replace 60 W had to give at least 806 lumens.

Lumen ladder: Old wattages (25–100 W) next to the minimum lumens for an LED claim (249–1521 lm).
Lumen ladder — Old wattages (25–100 W) next to the minimum lumens for an LED claim (249–1521 lm). (The text inside the figure is in Dutch.)

Lumen converter →

Explanation

Watts tell you how much power a lamp uses. Lumens tell you how much light comes out. With incandescent bulbs the two rose together; with LEDs they no longer do. The EU Regulation 244/2009 contained a table for claims such as 'replaces 60 W'. That regulation has been repealed; since 1 September 2021 Regulation 2019/2020 applies. The table had separate columns for compact fluorescent, halogen and LED lamps; the thresholds were highest for LEDs. The old table is still a handy rule of thumb.

Rules of thumb

  • LED lamp replacing 25 W: at least 249 lm. 40 W: at least 470 lm. [SW-S02]
  • LED lamp replacing 60 W: at least 806 lm. 75 W: at least 1055 lm. 100 W: at least 1521 lm. [SW-S02]
  • For energy-saving lamps (compact fluorescent) the thresholds were lower, for example 741 lm for 60 W. [SW-S02]
  • Calculate intermediate values linearly between the two nearest rows. [SW-S02]
  • LED lamps already reached 80 to 140 lumens per watt in 2015. [SW-S03]
Figures from the source
ValueUnitRegionSourceNote
15 · 25 · 40 · 60 · 75 · 100 · 150 · 200Wnot given as data in the sourceSW-S02geclaimd gelijkwaardig gloeilampvermogen (tabel 6)
125 · 229 · 432 · 741 · 970 · 1398 · 2253 · 3172lmnot given as data in the sourceSW-S02compacte fluorescentielampen
119 · 217 · 410 · 702 · 920 · 1326 · 2137 · 3009lmnot given as data in the sourceSW-S02halogeenlampen
136 · 249 · 470 · 806 · 1055 · 1521 · 2452 · 3452lmnot given as data in the sourceSW-S02led- en andere lampen

The source does not give the region as separate data for these figures; see the regional notes. The notes are in Dutch.

Pitfalls

  • The table is a minimum for a claim, not a guarantee that the atmosphere stays the same. [SW-S02]
  • Light colour and beam angle also shape how bright a room feels; lumens alone do not tell the whole story. (practical tip, not a source value)

Search terms

These search terms are in Dutch; only terms that also find a topic in English are links.

lumen watt ledlamp gloeilamp E27

Read also

General information, not personal advice. Check the source and reference date.

Sources

  1. SW-S01 Verordening (EU) 2019/2020 — ecologisch ontwerp lichtbronnen — Europese Commissie (EUR-Lex) (Reference date 2026-09-27)
  2. SW-S02 Verordening (EG) 244/2009 — niet-gerichte huishoudlampen (ingetrokken) — Europese Commissie (EUR-Lex) (Reference date 2026-09-27)
  3. SW-S03 Light sources — product list page — Europese Commissie, Energy Efficient Products (Reference date 2026-09-27)

Reference date: 2026-09-27 · Translated with AI from the Dutch original.