Tube lights, known as linear light bulbs, are frequently used in office buildings, kitchens, work spaces and commercial installations, as well as homes, with varying sizes and brightness levels. This guide reviews the different types and configurations of tube lights, both fluorescent and LED, so you can choose the best tube lights for your light fixtures and other lighting needs.
Types of Tube Light Bulbs
While there are multiple types of LED and fluorescent tube lights, the three most common are T12, T8 and T5. The terminology comes from “T” for “tubular” and the diameter of the bulb in eighths of an inch, so “T8” represents a tube of 8/8ths of an inch, or 1 inch.
Tube lights can also be compared by such factors as the power in watts and the amount of light given off, measured in lumen output. The color-rendering index, or CRI, represents the quality of light output, with 100 being equivalent to natural sunlight.
T12 lights have a regular width compared to the other lights.
- Diameter is 1 1/2 inches
- Length is 48 inches
- Energy to emit 2,500 lumens is 40 watts
- Durability is 10,000 hours
- CRI is 62
T8 lights have a thin width.
- Diameter is 1 inch
- Length is 48 inches
- Energy to emit 2,500 lumens is 36 watts
- Durability is 10,000 hours
- CRI is 85
T5 lights have an ultra-thin width.
- Diameter is 0.62 inches
- Length is 45.2 inches
- Energy to emit 2,500 lumens is 28 watts
- Durability is 15,000 hours
- CRI is 85
Fluorescent vs. LED Tube Lights
Fluorescent tube lights are low-pressure mercury-vapor gas discharge lamps that use fluorescence to produce visible light. Fluorescent tubes require an electronic ballast to regulate the flow of electricity.
LED tube lights are increasingly used to replace fluorescent lights. Compared to fluorescents, LED lighting lasts longer, is more energy efficient and uses no mercury.
Switching from Fluorescent to LED Tube Lights
LED tube lights not only offer energy efficiency, but bulbs and ballasts for T12 fittings are becoming increasingly rare and T8 bulbs and electronic ballasts may become similarly scarce in the near future. There may be limited options to replace fluorescent bulbs with LED bulbs.
Different types of LED tube lights have different requirements for replacing fluorescent tube lights.
- Direct fit or “plug-and-play” LED tube lights can be directly swapped out for fluorescent tube lights with no additional adjustments. They are easy to install but the approach requires continued ballast maintenance.
- Ballast-bypass LED tube lights must be retrofit by removing the original fluorescent ballast. This option uses less energy but requires rewiring the fixture.
- “LED lamp and driver” tube lights must be retrofit by replacing the ballast with an LED driver. This option sees better energy savings and reduced maintenance but higher initial materials and labor costs.
- Outdated fluorescent tubes can be replaced with LED strip lights.
Just as fluorescent lamps replaced incandescent and CFL bulbs in many lighting applications, LED tube lights are frequently replacing fluorescents. This costs more up front, but the benefits allows for less energy consumption over time—and lower power bills. No matter which types of light bulbs you need, find products fast with image search in The Home Depot App. Snap a picture of an item you like and we'll show you similar products.
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