The structure of ILCOS designations applies to:

• Incandescent lamps
• Halogen incandescent lamps
• Fluorescent lamps
• High-pressure sodium lamps
• Low-pressure sodium vapor lamps
• High-pressure mercury vapor lamps
• Metal halide lamps
• Lamps/starters for special applications

ILCOS goals

• to improve communication across the different lamp types
• help with interchangeability and compatibility
• improve clarity between international standards and manufacturer documentation
• to enable correct lamp replacement
• to be used as an additional marking on the luminaire
• replace national and regional marking systems

The structure of ILCOS

The first letter stands for the lamp category:

 V = automotive lamps

 F = fluorescent lamps

 I = conventional incandescent lamps

The next letters stand for the details:

Lamp shape, light color, design features (with one slash if applicable, other features with two slashes).

 -

 Numbers for indication of wattage

-

 Numbers to indicate voltage

-

 Numbers to indicate lamp socket

-

 Numbers indicating the dimensions of the lamp

The different ILCOS versions

The ILCOS marking system makes it possible to compare and thus exchange lamps from different manufacturers - company-specific lamp designations are compared in a translation list.

ILCOS covers almost all lamp characteristics. In practice, this leads to a length of designations that is difficult to handle. Therefore there are three versions for the detail of the designations:

ILCOS L consists only of the letter part. A medium version ILCOS D consisting of the letter and number part is so detailed that the user can also exchange lamps from different manufacturers. The complete specification as ILCOS T contains the complete designation part and a standardization part, thus all specifications required for the application.

ILCOS Example

A rod-shaped T8 fluorescent lamp 58 W of light color 840 is designated according to ILCOS D as follows.

"FD-58/40/1B-E-G13-26/1500" - the meaning in detail:

FD double-ended lamp

58 Power

58 W

40 Light color

4000 K

1B for Ra from 80 to 89

E starting behavior: external starter, with preheating

G13 Base designation

26 Tube diameter 26 mm 1500 Length 1500 mm