Center Beam Candlepower (CBCP) is the peak intensity at the middle of a beam, in candela. Enter the lumens and beam angle to estimate CBCP, plus the light level it delivers on a target at a given distance.
How CBCP works
The same lumens packed into a narrower beam produce a higher CBCP — more punch on the target. CBCP comes from dividing the lumens by the beam solid angle, which the beam angle sets. The on-target light level then follows the inverse-square law, falling with the square of the distance.
See the CBCP Comparison Chart and the Beam Spread Calculator.
Using center beam candlepower
CBCP matters when you care about the brightest spot a fixture throws rather than its total output. Because intensity in candela is independent of distance, you can predict the light landing on a surface with the inverse-square law: lux = candela ÷ distance². A fixture rated at 2,000 cd delivers about 2,000 ÷ 3² ≈ 222 lux at 3 metres on-axis. CBCP climbs as a beam narrows, which is why a tight spotlight reads far higher candela than a flood of the same wattage and lumen output — the same light is concentrated into a smaller cone. Compare fixtures by CBCP when you need punch (accent lighting, retail display, long throws) and by total lumens when you need broad, even coverage.
How is CBCP different from lumens? Lumens measure total light output in all directions; CBCP measures peak intensity at the beam’s center, so two lamps with equal lumens can have very different CBCP depending on beam angle.