6 December 2011

China’s LED lamp prices fall to $11 in November

The global average retail price for LED lamps has fallen steadily on a monthly basis from $30 in September to $28 in November, according to IMS Research in its updated ‘Global Monthly LED Lamp Retail Price Tracker’, which currently covers more than 480 different lamp models from 47 different brands available via 27 different retailers in 12 countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and USA).

In particular, says the market research firm, highlighting regional differences shows how the retail LED lamp market is evolving across the globe:

• China - The biggest decline in LED lamp prices was seen in the Chinese market, where the average price fell 62% from $30 to $11. The price of 60W replacement A19 lamps fell 38%, while the price of 20W MR16 replacement lamps fell 52%. Chinese manufacturers have also been pushing to increase the efficiency of their lamps, with lumens/Watt rising 24% from September to November.

• USA - November was the first month in which Samsung lamps have been sold in Lowe’s home improvement stores. The firm has seven new PAR (parabolic aluminized reflector) and MR (multifaceted reflector) replacement lamps available and one 50W incandescent replacement. It appears that Samsung is delaying the introduction of its other incandescent replacement lamps available in other countries.

• Japan -November was the first month that a 40W incandescent replacement lamp has been priced under 1000 Yen ($13). The average price of 40W replacement lamps in Japan is still over $30.

• South Korea – Of the 31 incandescent replacement lamps tracked in South Korea, 26 were mislabeled with regards to their wattage replacement. The average luminous output of LED lamps labeled as 60W replacements was 505 lumens, almost 200 lumens below the threshold used by IMS for a 60W replacement.

• World - Of the more than 480 LED lamps tracked by IMS in 12 countries, only 32 (7%) were for 60W and 75W replacements, with no 100W replacement lamps (using IMS metrics) on the market. Achieving omnidirectional light distribution while keeping costs low, generating enough lumens and dealing with heat dissipation are the biggest constraints for lamp manufacturers to penetrate mainstream applications.

Charts: Chinese LED lamp makers raise lumens/Watt efficiency by 24% from September to November, while price drops 62%.

Tags: LED lamps

Visit: www.imsresearch.com