How bright is 20 lumens? Just what is that level of light good for? We give you real-life applications and comparisons to help you understand what levels of brightness certain quantities of lumens will deliver.
Table of Contents
A Lumen is a measure of the total amount of light emitted from a source.
20 lumens means the light has an intensity of 20 lumens of light.
When you are looking for how bright a certain light bulb or lighting product is, 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 20 lumens have the brightness of 20 candles.
20 Lumens is a very low level of light . It’s suitable for gentle accent lights, fairy lights, incidental lighting to help build up small pockets of light, decking and waymarking.
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20 lumen solar lights are sufficient in dark spaces to create a pleasing illumination and are used for waymarking lighting purposes. It can be used to light up your driveway, walkway, and steps.
The brightness of a flashlight is rated in lumens. A standard flashlight will have around 20 to 100 lumens.
For general use, a torch with 400-600 lumens should be bright enough but if you are looking for a flashlight that is powerful then it needs to be over 1000+ lumens.
The brightness of a 20 lumen torch (UK for flashlight) is the power of the light of 20 candles. This level is regarded as a low level of torch suitable for most general household tasks. The throw of light can be approximately 10 feet.
We have more on How Many Lumens Are Good for a Flashlight.
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 that emits 20 lumens then it can illuminate that area to roughly 2 lux (depending on the reflectivity of surfaces in the room).
20 lumens is a low level of light but it can still be useful for accent lighting and close up task lighting activities.
LED light with a cool white color temperature of 4000K to 6500K will feel brighter when compared to the warmer yellowish tones of warm white 3000K or soft white 2700K, using the same amount of light.
LED light is directional and efficiently delivers light compared to most other light sources with a less unwanted light spill. This amount of light is distributed with minimal wastage and therefore generally creates a brighter intensity on a surface than compared other technologies.
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A 20 lumen head torch creates a very low level of illumination suitable for close-up activities only. The beam can reach a distance of around 10 feet (depending on the model).
This is not a powerful headlamp and is not suitable for running or other activities where you need to see further ahead.
A LED penlight with 20 lumens has a low level of light output making it good for very close-up work only. The beam can reach a distance of around 20 feet (depending on the model).
20 lumens is a good level of brightness for a night light. It’s not too bright to be disruptive at night but still emits enough light to see where you are going if you need to get up in the middle of the night.
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20 lumens marker lights are used as an auxiliary light to help indicate the location of something in the dark. For example, they can be used on the side of a boat or caravan to make it more visible at night.
With 20 lumens, a decking light can provide enough light to see your way around the garden while entertaining guests or relaxing outdoors in the evening.
20 lumens path lights are perfect for lighting the way to your front door or around the garden. They provide just enough light to see where you are going without being too bright.
20 lumen solar lights are a great way to light up your garden without using any electricity. They are environmentally friendly and easy to install.
20 lumens fence post lights are perfect for lighting up the adjacent area in your garden or driveway. They provide just enough light to see where you are going without being too bright.
A 20 lumen flashlight is a small, handheld light that is usually used for close-up tasks such as reading or looking for something in the dark. It is not powerful enough to be used for long-range tasks.
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A 20 lumens keychain light is a small, handy flashlight that can be easily carried with you for general tasks or emergencies. It is bright enough to light up a dark area or to find something in your bag, but not so bright that it will be blinding.
To sum up, 20 lumens is a moderate level of brightness that has many uses. It is bright enough for most general tasks but not so bright that it is disruptive or blinding. There are many lighting products available with 20 lumens output, from headlamps to bike lights, making it a versatile and popular choice.
20 lumens to watts is a 1W LED light bulb.
To convert 20 lumens to watts you need to consider the type of light source being used as the greater the efficiency the higher the lumen level created per watt of power used.
Although wattages are often used when describing how bright a bulb is, lumens are a better measurement. For example, an incandescent light bulb will emit around 15 lumens per watt while a fluorescent lamp can reach up to 100 lumens per watt.
Useful comparative measurements often asked:
Lux can only be measured by knowing the distance and the area the lumens have to travel to.
20 lumens is 20 candlepower.
The degree of kelvin is the unit of measurement for color temperature, therefore there is no direct comparison between kelvin to the 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 20 lm would be less than 20 candela with the candela only quantified if the angle of beam width is known.
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