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Lighting · Explainer · 4 min ·

Which bulb cap fits your lamp? Match the socket and see

A bulb can be the right brightness and the right colour and still be useless, because it will not fit the lamp. The part that decides is the cap, the short code like E27 or GU10 printed on the bulb.

Pick a socket and a bulb and watch them slide together or stay apart, then type in a measurement to find your own cap. Learn what the letters and numbers mean, how to read or measure what you have, which cap shows up in which lamp, and what else to check once it fits.

A light bulb with a screw cap lowering into a lamp socket

What to buy, if anything

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