LED Specifications
Luminous Intensity
The Luminous Intensity specification of an LED serves to tell you the level of light that an LED emits.
An LED that gives off very bright light will have a high luminous intensity. An LED that doesn't shine very brightly will have a lower luminous intensity.
Luminous intensity is measured in millicandela (mcd). The intensity range of LEDS are anywhere from 80mcd for plain LEDS to several thousand mcd for super color LEDs. For example, a a green (non-bright) LED has an intensity of 80mcd, while a super pure yellow LED emits 7000mcd at 20mA of current. Another point of distinction is that luminous intensity is rated at its millicandela at a certain current passing through, usually 20mA, for visible-light LEDs.
Luminous intensity is also measured for infrared LEDs. However, instead of specifiying the value in millicandela, as is done
with visible-light LEDs, infrared LEDS are measured in milliwatts, normally at 50mA. The range of luminous intensity of infrared LEDs are
typically between 16mW to 26mW.