Let’s clarify the difference between an LM80 report and an L90 report:
LM80 Report
LM80 (Lumen Maintenance Test for LED Light Sources) is a standardized testprocedure developed by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) that focuses on evaluating the lumen maintenance of individual LED-light sources (LED chips). The LM80 report provides data on the lumen output of the LED-chips over time, typically up to 6,000 hours of operation. This data allows manufacturers and users to understand how the light output of the LED-chips degrades as they age. It does not provide information about the lifespan of the entire LED fixture.
L90 Report
An L90 report, on the other hand, provides information about the lifespan of an entire LED lighting fixture. It is not a standardized test like LM80 but rather a way to indicate the operational life of the LED fixture. The “L90” value represents the time it takes for the LED fixture’s light output to degrade to 90% of its initial output. In other words, it estimates the point in time when the LED fixture will have retained 90% of its initial brightness, and it has typically reached the end of its useful life.
In summary, the main difference between an LM80 report and an L90 report is that LM80 is focused on testing and reporting the lumen maintenance of individual LED-light sources (LED chips) over time, while L90 is a measure used to estimate the operational life of an entire LED lighting fixture, indicating when it reaches 90% of its initial brightness. Both are essential in understanding the performance and reliability of LED lighting systems, with LM80 providing insights into LED-chip degradation, and L90 offering an estimation of the fixture’s useful life.
