Lamp max wattage is low, can I safely use a higher watt light bulb? I just purchased a new bedroom lamp. The lamp says Max 10W on the sticker where you screw the light bulb in. The other lamps I have in my house are 60W and 100W watts. How can this lamp only be rated for 10W? Does it mean that this is the max wattage for an LED bulb? I don’t really understand this but I assume the number 10W is for when it’s an LED and the higher numbers are for incandescent bulbs? Can I use the 60W LED bulb in it safely?
Lamp max wattage – Which bulb to use?
When the lamp states that it can only handle 10W watts, then it can only handle a true 10W draw. The wires and the on/off switch in the lamp are designed to handle only up to a 10 watt draw. A bulb that pulls more than 10 watts will cause the wiring & switch to overload. This can be a safety hazard and should be avoided. Always use the same or lower wattage light bulb the lamp or light fixture recommends.
To answer your question: You can safely use an LED bulb that draws (or states on the package) 10 watts as it will be as bright as a normal type of a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. Just remember a watt is a watt. If the lamp says maximum 10 watts, then that means it is not safe for anything with a higher wattage. Not only could the wiring overload, but the parts of the lamp could melt or even catch on fire if using a higher watt bulb. See chart below to understand brightness of light bulbs in lumens.
Watt Lumens LED CFL Incandescent light bulb chart
To try and understand watt and lumens, a 60 watt incandescent standard bulb will have a brightness of 700+ lumens. An LED light bulb that draws 10 watts, will have the same brightness of a 60 watt incandescent bulb at 700+ lumens. Since LED bulbs are newer, we are used to how bright incandescent bulbs are in reference to wattage. On average, people usually use 60 watt incandescent light bulbs in the kitchen area and 75 watt incandescent bulbs in the bathroom. The ACTUAL wattage used by a bulb (not it’s brightness in reference to incandescent bulbs) is what you need to pay attention too.
Light bulb chart energy savings
If you will be using different types of lights in the lamp, remember that halogen lights burn very very hot. Use only exactly what is recommended on the lamp and no higher. 10 watts is the max whether it is an LED, Halogen, Fluorescent, Compact Fluorescent, or Incandescent. It makes no difference but be aware of the heat the bulb produces no matter what type of light you use.
Do you have questions or comments about using certain types of light bulbs in low wattage lamps or light fixtures? Please leave your question below and we can help you to safely find the correct wattage light bulb.
Barbara,
Using a higher wattage LED than the lamp is rated for can cause overheating and damage the lamp.
Since your multi-head lamp is rated for 25W, it is recommended to use LED bulbs with an equivalent wattage.
For example, a 5W LED bulb is often labeled as a 60W equivalent, meaning it provides the same amount of light as a 60W incandescent bulb but only consumes 5 watts of power.
Therefore, you can safely use 5W LED bulbs that are labeled as 60W equivalents in your 5-light multi-head lamp.
Did this help you?
-RR
We have a 5-light multi-head lamp which is rated for 25W. What is the highest LED wattage I can use on all of the lamps? Can I use 5 60W LEDs?
I’ve got a lamp that states E27 MAX 11W. I bought a light bulb with 11 W on but on the side it said it was 60 watts. Will this be safe to use??
I am trying to figure out whether I can use a 3000k LED (22w) LED light bulb in my overhead ceiling lamp. The fixture says it is wired for a 100w incandescent or a 23w CFL or a 9w SBLED. If a watt is a watt, then it seems like I should be good – in theory I could go all the way to 100w and still be safe, no matter whether it’s LED or incandescent. Is that really right?
I have recently bought a ceiling light that says max 13w 600 lm.
I cannot find any bulbs with a lm as low as 600 with a wattage of 13.
Is it safe to use a higher lumens rating if I use a wattage of 13.
As the LED bulbs do not get hot I do not understand what the implication are of using higher lumens than recommended.
I have bought a new bedroom light fitting. It states the correct bulbs to use are 3 x 2.3W LED or max 28W halogen. What is the maximum size LED I can use as the 2.3W are no way near giving enough light in the room. What would happen if I used 9 or 10W LED bulbs? Thanks for any help/suggestions you can offer.