C9 vs LED Christmas Lights: Which Should You Choose?
Published August 5, 2026
C9 refers to bulb size and LED refers to the technology inside it — here is how the real options compare for rooflines and trees.
C9 is a size, not a technology
A C9 bulb is the large strawberry-shaped bulb roughly 2.5 inches tall, spaced 12 inches apart on commercial stringers. It can be incandescent or LED. Mini lights are the small bulbs used for tree wrapping. So the comparison most people mean is C9 LED versus C9 incandescent.
Energy and circuit capacity
An incandescent C9 draws about 7 watts; an LED C9 draws roughly 0.8 watts. On a 15-amp circuit, that is the difference between running about 250 feet of lights and running well over 1,000 feet. For large homes and commercial buildings, LED is often the only way to light the property without adding circuits.
Appearance
Modern warm white LED C9s using faceted bulbs are nearly indistinguishable from incandescent at street distance. Cheap LEDs are the ones that look blue and plasticky — the difference is bulb quality, not the technology.
Our recommendation
C9 LED on rooflines and large architectural runs, mini LED for tree wrapping, and warm white as the default color temperature for brick, stone and wood exteriors common in Central Ohio.