Light bulbs for automobiles are made in several standardized series. Bulbs used for

headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...

s, turn signals and brake lamps may be required to comply with international and national regulations governing the types of lamps used. Other

automotive lighting The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted to or integrated into the front, rear, sides, and in some cases the top of a motor vehicle. They illuminate the road ahead for the driver and increase th ...

applications such as auxiliary lamps or interior lighting may not be regulated, but common types are used by many automotive manufacturers.

International

The

World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party (WP.29) of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Its responsibility is to manage the multilateral Agreements ...

(ECE Regulations) develops and maintains international-consensus UN Regulations on light sources acceptable for use in lamps on vehicles and trailers type-approved for use in countries that recognise the UN Regulations. These include Regulation 37,[http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/r099r2e.pdf ECE Regulation No. 99: Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Light Sources for Use in Approved Gas-Discharge Lamp Units of Power-Driven Vehicles">ECE Regulation No. 37: Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Filament Lamps for Use in Approved Lamp Units on Power-Driven Vehicles and of their Trailers, Revision 7 which contains specifications for filament lamps, and Regulation 99 and its addendaECE Regulation No. 99: Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Light Sources for Use in Approved Gas-Discharge Lamp Units of Power-Driven Vehicles
/ref> which covers light sources for Headlamp#High-intensity discharge (HID), high-intensity discharge
headlamps. Some UN-approved bulb typesTypes of bulbs and socles
/ref> are also permitted by some other regulations, such as those of the United States or of Japan, though Japan has begun supplanting the former Japanese national regulations with the international UN regulations.

Filament lamps

UN Regulation 37 covers motor vehicle filament lamps. These are categorized in three groups: those without general restriction that can be used in any application, those acceptable only for signalling lights (not for road illumination lamps), and those no longer allowable as light sources for new type approvals but still permitted for production as replacement parts.

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Gas discharge lamps

UN Regulation 99 covers gas discharge light sources for use in vehicle headlamps. All light sources acceptable under Regulation 99 are also acceptable under US regulations.

Germany

There is a German national regulation for vehicle bulbs, now superseded by international ECE regulations. Bulbs according to the old German regulation are still manufactured. The German regulation is contained in §22a, Subsection 1, No. 18 of the ''Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung'' (StVZO, Road Traffic Approval Regulation). Per the ''Fahrzeugteileverordnung'' (FzTV, Vehicle Parts Regulation), such light bulbs must bear an approval mark consisting of a sine wave and the letter 'K'. The technical requirements themselves are established by standards produced by Deutsches_Institut_für_Normung, DIN.

United States and Canada

In the United States, entry 49 CFR 564 in the

Code of Federal Regulations In the law of the United States, the ''Code of Federal Regulations'' (''CFR'') is the codification of the general and permanent regulations promulgated by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States. ...

requires manufacturers of headlight bulbs, officially known as "replaceable light sources", to furnish the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" relat ...

(NHTSA) with product specifications at least 60 days prior to first use. The specifications supplied by the manufacturer, on approval by NHTSA, are entered in Federal docket NHTSA-1998-3397.NHTSA Docket 1998-3397: Replaceable Light Source Information
/ref> From then on, any light source made and certified by any manufacturer as conforming to the specifications is legal for use in headlamps certified as conforming to

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (FMVSS 108) regulates all automotive lighting, signalling and reflective devices in the United States. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 108 is administered by the United States ...

. Light sources for vehicle lamps other than headlamps are not Federally regulated. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, vehicle headlamps may use light sources (bulbs) conforming to either the US or the international ECE regulations.Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108

Other countries

References

{{CarDesign nav Auto parts Automotive lamps