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How bright is 10000 lumens? Just what is that level of light good for? We give you real life applications and comparisons to help you understand what a level of 10000 lumens brightness will deliver.
Table of Contents
A Lumen is a measure of the total amount of light emitted from a source.
10000 lumens means the light has the intensity of 10000 lumens of light.
When you are looking for how bright a certain light bulb will be, whether it is LED, CFL or incandescent – the number of lumens is what you need to use as your comparison.
Lumens is the unit measurement of brightness, with 1 lumen equalling the brightness of 1 candle, so 10000 lumens has the brightness of 10000 candles.
10000 lumens is a very high level of light for LED or metal halide lighting. It’s suitable for use in high output light fixtures, floodlights and projectors, but can even be used in flashlights for short bursts of time.
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The brightness of 10000 lumens is very good for most outdoor applications. It is bright enough to light up a large area and can be used for security purposes through floodlighting.
The brightness of an 10000 lumen flashlight is extremely good in its class and will provide a very far reaching beam of light as all the illumination is focused and directed forwards and efficiently by its design. The wider the beam of a flashlight the less intense the light will be and therefore feel less bright. The narrower the beam the more concentrated the light will be.
We have more on How Many Lumens Are Good for a Flashlight.
The brightness of a 10000 lumen torch (UK for flashlight) is the power of light of 10000 candles. This level is regarded as a very bright level of torch suitable for professional use and search and rescue. The throw of light can be over 1000 ft in distance.
The brightness of an 10000 lumen bike light is extremely powerful and will allow you to see everything in your path while riding at night. However, it is too bright to be used on roads with cars, creating too much glare for oncoming vehicles.
The brightness of an 10000 lumen projector is good for an outdoor projector. It is bright enough to project a large image on a screen indoors and out regardless of ambient lighting conditions.
We have more on How Many Lumens are Good for a Projector?
To compare how much light you get with different lumens levels, imagine a one by one meter room. If the room has an incandescent bulb which emits 10000 lumens then it can illuminate that area to roughly 1000 lux (depending on the reflectivity of surfaces in the room).
LED light is directional and very efficiently delivers light compared to other lighting sources. This amount of light is distributed with minimal wastage and creates a brighter intensity on a surface than 10000 lumens from other technologies.
LED light with cold white color temperatures of 4000K to 6500K will feel brighter when compared to the warmer yellowish tones of 3000K warm white or 2700K soft white, when using the same lumen output.
To know whether 10000lm is bright enough, it depends on the task it is being used for. For direct illumination from hand held sources like lanterns and flashlights it is extremely bright and certainly bright enough for even the most demanding of applications.
The number of lumens you need for a room depends on the size of the room and the level of brightness you want.
We have lots more on How Much Lighting Do I Need for A Room?
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The answer depends on how high the light source is from the floor, how wide the light spreads and the type of lighting product delivering this light.
However, in general terms the foot-candle or lux requirements of the activity in the space will determine if there is sufficient light in that room.
For example, a living room that is 100 square feet needs between 1,000 and 2,000 lumens of light. A dining room that is also 100 square feet needs between 3,000 and 4,000 lumens of light.
For more brightness guides see How Bright Should a Room Be?
The distance light will travel depends on how the light is being delivered, particularly the beam angle of the light and it’s intensity. The more compactly the lumens are delivered the further the distance will be.
For example, a flashlight with 10000 lumens with a tight beam angle has a peak illumination of 600,000 candela delivering light up to around 1549 metres at no less than 0.25 lux. (using throw = SQRT (candela * 4)
The distance of travel is entirely dependent on the width of the beam of light. The Fenix LR35R flashlight will throw light 500m, that is 1640ft, on the 10,000lm setting.
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ANSI lumens is a measure of the total light output from a projector in all directions. This amount of brightness is suitable for very large spaces like conference halls and outdoor venues. The range of 10000 ANSI lumens can provide an image up to 280 inches wide with good contrast and color accuracy even in high ambient lighting conditions.
10000 ANSI lumens is equivalent to 4200 lumens, check out ANSI Lumens vs Lumens for more.
A 10000 lumen torch is extremely bright indeed and good for all outdoor activities such as camping and hiking, and trekking. It can be used generally and will easily illuminate a whole back yard from this single source of light.
It is too bright and not suitable for close up task related jobs. Care should be taken with this amount of light from a single point small source as the light is very intense and the batteries will drain quickly. This level of light intensity from a flashlight will get hot and can even burn through paper when held close, as shown on the video below!
An 10000 lm floodlight is very bright and will easily illuminate the areas around your home. It’s a good option for lighting up where you need it most, with additional features such as motion sensors available to choose from depending on how much control or automation you require.
An 10000 lumen outdoor solar light is often in a floodlight style design comprising of several panels each with many multiples of exposed LED chips. This amount of light is very bright and can be used to light up a wide area of your garden or outdoor living space. Perfect for those who want all the convenience of solar, with no wiring required and little ongoing maintenance.
The brightness of an 10000 lumen LED bulb is typically 100W depending on its efficacy, and is extremely bright. It is equivalent to 800 watts of incandescent light and has a ‘corn on the cob’ LED form factor, so it must be shrouded within a product to hide the source for aesthetic and glare reasons.
A 10000 lumen short throw projector is very bright and can project a large image on a screen in relatively high ambient lighting conditions. This is due to the amount of light that is emitted from the projector and how it’s directed towards the screen.
A 10000 lumen headlamp is super bright for a head mounted light source and can be used for a variety of activities such as running, biking, hiking, and more. The light is intense and should be used with care, avoiding directing the light into eyes.
Even at this level it’s important to note that the further the distance you are trying to see, the dimmer the light will appear.
A 10000 lumen work light is very bright and can be used for a variety of applications such as construction, automotive work, and more.
A 10000 lumen garage light is very bright and can be used to illuminate your garage so you can see while working on projects or parking your car.
When considering 10000 lumens to watts you need to consider the type of bulb or light source. The efficiency of the technology determines the power used to create the same amount of light:
Useful comparative measurements often asked:
Lux can only be measured by knowing the distance and the area the lumens have to travel to.
10000 lumens is 10000 candles.
A degree of kelvin is the unit of measurement for color temperature, therefore there is no direct comparison with kelvin to lumen. However, an impression of brightness will increase with a high degree of kelvin as the light seems colder and brighter to the viewer.
Lumens and Candela. Lumens is the total amount of light from a fixture. Candela is how much of that light from a fixture shines in one direction. So 10000 lm would be less than 10000 candela with the candela only quantified if the angle of beam width is known.
Lumens are additive, meaning they can be added together to get a total output of light.
For example; 2 x 5000 lumen bulbs = 10000 lumens
Comparisons between other lumen levels are therefore possible but there are more variables to consider, such as the angle or beam width and colour temperature can alter the perceived brightness of a light source.
The deciding criteria between brightness levels depends on their application and the desired results.
This video demo of a flashlight on 3000lm output shows a good level of brightness travelling approximately 100 ft, and when increased to 10,000lm the throw of light is at least 3 times further and brighter.
The primary difference between 10000 lumens and 20000 lumens is the 20000lm light source will create twice as much light. This does not mean it will travel twice as far in distance however, but will offer twice as much light within the same area. 20000 lumens bulbs require a fan to cool them, 10000lm bulbs can rely solely upon a static heat sink to dissipate the heat.
A difference between 4000 lumens and 10000 lumens is 4000lm is 60% weaker in light output but still remains a bright intensity.
10000 lumens of total light from artificial lights sources would be approximately 12 qty 806lm bulbs or recessed ceiling lights, creating a bright ambient level of light dependent on how large the room is. 4000 lumens would be the equivalent of approximately 8 qty 470lm bulbs in table lamps, creating a comfortable level of lighting conducive to relaxing and eating.
To achieve 10000 lumens of light, it is best to use multiples of smaller outputs of light, such as two 5000lm sources depending on the application. A 5000lm flashlight is still very bright and will travel about the same distance as a 10000lm model, but will have half the light intensity. Use 10,000 lumens to illuminate a workshop rather than 5000lm.
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