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How bright is 2500 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.
2500 lumens means the light has an intensity of 2500 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.
LED light is directional and very efficiently delivers light compared to most other light sources. This amount of light is distributed with minimal wastage and creates a brighter intensity on a surface than 2400 lumens from other technologies.
Lumens is the unit measurement of brightness, with 1 lumen equalling the brightness of 1 candle, so 2500 lumens has the brightness of 2500 candles.
2500 Lumens is a very good level of light for LED, CFL or incandescent lighting. It’s more suitable for commercial recessed lighting, commercial downlighting and up lighting and for exterior security and flood lighting.
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The brightness of a flashlight is rated in lumens. A standard flashlight will have around 50 to 100 lumens. For general use, a torch with 400-600 lumens should be bright enough but if you are looking for a more powerful flashlight for outdoor activities then 2500 lumens is great.
For more information on choosing, see our full guide to how many lumens is good for a flashlight.
The brightness of an 2500 lumen torch (UK for flashlight) is the power of light of 2500 candles. This level is regarded as a very bright level of torch suitable for most outdoor tasks.
A head torch with an output of 2500 lumens is extremely bright and would be overkill for most situations unless you are riding at night on unlit roads or trails where there are no streetlights. In these circumstances, it makes sense to have the brightest illumination possible so that you can see everything in front of you.
To compare how much light you get with different lumens levels, imagine a one by one meter room. If the room has lights bulbs that emits 2500 lumens,then it can illuminate that area to roughly 250 lux (depending on the reflectivity of surfaces in the room).
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 2500 lumens with a tight beam angle has a peak illumination of 150,000 candela delivering light up to around 775 metres at no less than 0.25 lux. (using throw = SQRT (candela * 4)
When looking for a LED light source with a lumen output of this level you can expect something that is very bright and intense. It’s perfect for use in areas where a lot of illumination is needed such as workshop or garage spaces, or if you are looking for a powerful LED security light.
LED light when a cool white color temperatures of 4000K to 6500K will feel brighter with the same amount of light when compared to the warmer yellowish tones of 2700K or 3000K, warm white or soft white.
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A 2500 lumen LED is a very bright light source, and is likely to be too bright for some applications. For example, it would be too harsh for general room lighting where a more subtle level of illumination is required. In these circumstances, it’s worth considering an LED bulb with a lower lumen output such as 1000 lumens which will still provide more than enough brightness for most tasks.
A 2500 lumens LED flood light is bright enough for most applications and a common output found in retailed models. It is powerful enough to fill a large area with light and can provide excellent lighting for outdoor activities such as security or sports. It’s also great for illuminating the exterior of your property or driveway.
A bike light with an output of 2500 lumens is extremely bright and would be overkill for most situations unless you are riding at night on unlit roads or trails where there are no streetlights. In these circumstances, it makes sense to have the brightest illumination possible so that you can see everything in front of you.
If you want to watch movies on a big screen in a dark room, you will need a projector that is bright enough but does not need to be of the brightest specification. For screens that are 100”~120”, 2,000 lumens is ideal but if there is ambient light or if there are bright light sources in the room, you will need a projector with 3,000 lumens or more.
If you want your main ceiling light to provide a moderate amount of brightness for activities such as reading or working on a computer, we recommend using an LED with 2500 lumens. However, it would be best to supplement this with other lighting at lower heights within the same room.
Be aware that although 2500 lumens may be a lot of light, some output will be lost in the light fixture so you may have to compensate with a higher output or find a fixture with multiple bulbs.
We have more on How Much Lighting Do I Need for A Room?
A 2500 lumens head torch is perfect for any outdoor activity that requires a lot of light, such as camping or hiking. With a penetrating throw of light, it will suit most applications and be greatly appreciated.
A camping lantern should be bright enough to light up your surroundings, but not so harsh that it’s blinding. 2500 lumens is very bright but not overpowering.
The 2500 lumens security light is a great way to effectively and brightly illuminate any outdoor areas around your property. PIR motion sensors are available as an add-on feature, depending on how much control or automation you want. Keep in mind that this security floodlight is still on the lower end of the brightness spectrum for exterior LED flood lights.
The brightness of a 2500 lumens LED bulb is very bright and requires a good level of heat management to ensure the LED chip is protected from heat build up and potential early failure.
A 2500 lumens per metre LED strip is a very bright light source and will be perfect for use in areas where a lot of illumination is required.
Since it is highly adaptable, you can use this brightness of LED strip to uplight onto ceilings or as task lighting over countertops.
An 2500 lumen LED downlight is very bright for residential applications, in fact unless for ceilings around 4m high and above, too bright from a single source as it provides an intense beam of light. It can be a great way to get more light in your room without the hassle of having many individual sources dotted around however, the brighter the source the more potential glare will be created so be sure to choose a recessed light that has designed in some glare protection.
Although wattages are often used when describing how bright a bulb is, lumens are a better and significantly more accurate measurement.
When comparing 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.
Useful comparative measurements often asked:
Lux can only be measured by knowing the distance and the area the lumens have to travel to.
2500 lumens is 2500 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 is colder and consequently seems brighter.
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 2500 lm would be less than 2500 candela with the candela only quantified if the angle of beam width is known.
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