How bright is 55 lumens? Just what is that level of light good for? We give you real-life applications and comparisons to help you understand what this level of brightness will deliver.
Table of Contents
A Lumen is a measure of the total amount of light emitted from a source.
55 lumens means the light has an intensity of 55 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 55 lumens have the brightness of 55 candles.
55 Lumens is suitable for recessed low-level marker lighting, wayfinding along pathways outdoors and soft accent lighting.
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55 lumen solar lights are sufficient in dark spaces to create a pleasing illumination and is used for low level general lighting purposes. It can be used to light up your driveway, walkway and steps.
Solar spotlighting is a great way to add some visual interest to your garden. With just 55 lumens, you can highlight objects and foliage to create dimension and drama.
For a flashlight, 55 lumens is bright enough to light up a dark room, or to light your way in the dark. An EDC flashlight will have around 50 to 100 lumens.
For general use, a torch with 400-550 lumens should be bright enough but if you are looking for a flashlight for simple general use then 50+ lumens are ideal and still small enough and lightweight to easily carry and store.
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 55 lumens then it can illuminate that area to roughly 5.5 lux (depending on the reflectivity of surfaces in the room).
55 lumens is a low level of light but it can still be useful for minor accent lighting and close-up task lighting activities.
55 lm of 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 therefore generally creates a brighter intensity on a surface than compared to other technologies.
The visual impression of a 55 lumens brightness will differ in looks according to its color temperature, using the same amount of light.
LED light with a cool white color temperature of between 4000K to 6500K will feel brighter when compared to the warmer yellowish tones of warm white and soft white between 3500K and 2700K.
55 lumens is not enough light for a bedroom. For a bedroom, you need at least 400 lumens in a single table lamp.
We have more on How Much Lighting Do I Need for A Room?
It is not bright enough to read by either, you need at least 200 lumens from a bedside LED reading light for comfortable use.
We have more on the best reading light for bed.
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A 55 lumen head torch creates a level of illumination suitable for close-up activities and trail lighting for walks and trekking. With a comfortable amount of light for general outdoor activities, it will suit applications that need a handy smaller amount of light and are suitably micro-sized.
55 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 night. It is classed as one of the brighter illumination levels for night time navigation.
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55 lumens is a good brightness for accent and ambient lighting on a deck or patio. It will provide pleasing and subtle lighting for entertaining or relaxing outdoors.
55 lumens marker lights are a type of auxiliary light that indicate the location of something in the dark. They emit a soft light, making it easy to see at night without being overwhelming.They are usually placed on the side of boats or caravans.
A 55lm bike visibility light is a low level of illumination suitable for being seen in low light conditions. It is not bright enough to light up the road ahead but will help you to be seen by drivers, particularly when illuminated through a red diffuser and positioned rear facing tail light.
A 55 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.
55 lumens to watts is a 2W LED light bulb.
To convert 55 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.
55 lumens is 55 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 55 lm would be less than 55 candela with the candela only quantified if the angle of beam width is known.
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