What does LUX and LUMEN mean?Updated 19 days ago

Lumens (lm) measure the total amount of visible light a source emits—no matter how far it reaches or how it’s spread out. Think of it as the overall brightness output as perceived by the human eye.

Lux (lx) measures how much of that light actually lands on a specific area or surface. It factors in both the light’s intensity (in lumens) and the distance between the light source and the spot being illuminated. Because of this, lux measurements are always given with a distance reference—for example, “1000 lux at 1 meter.”

The Bucket of Water Analogy
Imagine lumens as the total amount of water in a bucket. That’s your total light output. Now, toss that bucket of water toward a target. Lux is how much water actually hits the target at a given distance. The farther away you throw, the less water (light) reaches the spot.

For more on this topic, check out our blog post.