Help Finding a Light Bulb
Sometimes, identifying a burnt-out light bulb can be a challenge. We've tried to make it easy to find the light bulb you're looking for. Currently, you can browse bulbs by technology, base, bulb shape, and ANSI code.
About Finding a Light Bulb
We know that finding the right light bulb can be a challenge. It used to be easier -- simply take out the bulb and replace it with the exact same thing.
With the rise of LED and the rapidly-changing market, though, finding the right bulb is no longer so easy. That's why we've designed our help guides.
Light Bulb Technologies
For some people, finding a light bulb starts with the technology -- incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, LED, or otherwise. If you know the type of bulb you're looking for, starting here is great.
Light Bulb Shapes
Light bulbs come in dozens of shapes, some of them so similar or obscure that locating a replacement bulb can seem overwhelming or impossible. We've collected a large number of bulb shapes -- both common and uncommon -- so you can compare the bulb you have with a huge list of shapes.
Base Types
If the bulb doesn't screw into the socket you have, it's worthless. That's why we've spent so much time on our light bulb bases. Just like with shapes, there are dozens of light bulb base types, and many of them can look extremely similar. The last thing you want is to purchase a light bulb online and have it be the wrong size for your fixture.
Bulbs With ANSI Codes
Many automotive and older projector bulbs have a code printed right on the bulb (FCS, ENX, 194, 168, etc.). These codes are called ANSI codes because a bulb with a particular code should be standardized across all manufacturers. If you have a bulb with a three-letter or numerical code on it, starting here can help you narrow down.
With the rise of LED, ANSI codes may become a thing of the past. Some LEDs, especially for automotive lighting, may replace a whole range of ANSI numerical or alphabetical lamps.
Color Temperature & Color Rendering Index (CRI)
In our help guides on color temperature and color rendering index, you can learn how these important lighting concepts work. Especially with the rise of LED bulbs in consumer applications, people have had to become more familiar with these concepts in order to pick out the right replacement lamps and new fixtures. Increasingly, LEDs are now able to meet the color-critical needs of high-end retail stores, museums and art galliers, and anywhere else high CRI is important. Additionally, now LEDs come in a wide range of color temperatures, so choosing the right product has become more complicated.
