T-12 and T-8 Lumens

[tom baker]

does this sound right for average mean lumens
T-8, Lumens 2520
T-12 Lumens 2610

[Dennis Alwon]

I thought the T-8 had a higher lumen than the T12.

I found this for T-8 , 4' tubes

[Keri_WW]

does this sound right for average mean lumens
T-8, Lumens 2520
T-12 Lumens 2610

Pretty generic! :grin: It will depend on length, color temperature, CRI, manufacturer, and lamp variety (TCLP compliant, long life, extra-life, etc.).

But for your generic 4' 4100K T8 lamp with a CRI of 78, it is 2660 mean lumens. For a close comparison the T12 at 4100K with a CRI of 80 is 3050 lumens. There is a wide variation once you start changing the variables.

Your best resource is the GE Lamp catalog: http://www.gecatalogs.com/download.html

[Keri_WW]

I thought the T-8 had a higher lumen than the T12.

No. The benefit of the T8 over the T12 is the lumen per watt value. Remember you are comparing a 40W T12 versus a 32W T8. So you are saving energy, providing a better lumen per watt ratio, and typically a better CRI.