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Lighting · Tool · 5 min ·

How many lumens does a room need? Light it and see

Watts used to tell you how bright a bulb was; with LEDs, the number to read is the lumen. A room needs a total, and a handy way to find it is lumens per square metre of floor, with more for a kitchen than a bedroom.

Pick a room, enter its size, light it with bulbs of different brightness, and tap the plan to place them. A bar shows whether you are under, inside or over the range. Plus when to break it, and what to measure before you buy.

Top-down plan of a room with a sofa and three glowing bulbs

What to buy, if anything

Affiliate links, marked sponsored. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Examples that match this guide, not tested reviews. Prices checked 19 Oct; every shop is on each product page.

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