What Is Candlepower?
Candlepower is an obsolete term that was once used to express the intensity of light at the source. Today, the term has been replaced by “candela,” but many people continue to use the original word. This term is in especially common use on the packaging for flashlights. It is applied inconsistently, however, so a term like “200 candlepower” may not be very helpful for determining how bright something is at the source. Like other measurements, candlepower revolves around a standardized and easily replicated base. When people were originally standardizing the term, they used a basic candle as the basis for measurements. Over time, the standard base was adjusted several times to different light sources. In 1948, this unit of measurement was abandoned in favor of the candela. The candela is based on a physical process and can be precisely calibrated.
