Headlight Bulb Sizes Explained: What H11, 9005, 9006 and H13 Mean, and How to Find Yours

A headlight bulb code such as H11, 9005, 9006 or H13 names a standard bulb: its shape, its plug and how many filaments it has. That tells you whether one bulb handles a single beam or both. The quickest way to find yours is the bulb chart in your owner's manual, then match that exact code when you buy.

I get this question every time the clocks fall back and a headlight goes dark on the 401. People walk into a parts store, stare at a wall of boxes, and guess. Here is how to stop guessing.

Each code names a bulb type, so you shop by the code rather than the brand. Some bulbs go by two names: the 9006 is also called HB4 in OSRAM's catalogue, and the H13 is sold as 9008, as the PIAA bulb cross-reference and Philips's own 9008/H13 spec sheet both show. The key difference is the filament count. A single-filament bulb lights one beam. A dual-filament bulb carries a low-beam filament and a high-beam filament in the same glass.

Common halogen headlight bulb codes and how carmakers use them

Code	Also sold as	Filaments	Example from an owner's manual
H11	—	1	Low beam on the 2011 and 2013 Jeep Compass
9005	—	1	High beam on the 2011 and 2013 Jeep Compass, and on the 2009 and 2010 Dodge Charger
9006	HB4	1	Low beam (halogen) on the 2009 and 2010 Dodge Charger and the 2008 Dodge Avenger
H13	9008	2	The one headlight bulb listed for the 2009 Dodge Caravan, doing both beams

Source: Filament counts and alternate names from the PIAA headlight and fog light bulb cross-reference, OSRAM and Philips spec sheets for the 9005, 9006 and 9008/H13. Applications from owner's manual bulb charts: 2013 Jeep Compass, 2011 Jeep Compass, 2010 Dodge Charger, 2009 Dodge Charger, 2008 Dodge Avenger, 2009 Dodge Caravan. Examples only: check your own manual.

Notice the pattern. Cars with single-filament bulbs use two per side, one for low beam and one for high beam, so a Charger owner shops for a 9006 and a 9005. A car built around an H13 uses one bulb per side for both. Buy the exact code for each position; a different code is a different bulb.

One filament or two

1. 1Glass capsuleHandle a new halogen bulb by its base. Skin oil on the glass shortens its life; clean it with rubbing alcohol if touched.
2. 2Single filamentH11, 9005 and 9006 bulbs each have one, so a car using them has separate low-beam and high-beam bulbs on each side.
3. 3Base and plugThe bulb code sets the shape and the plug, so match the exact code when you buy.
4. 4First filamentAn H13 carries a low-beam filament and a high-beam filament in the same glass.
5. 5Second filamentWith both in one bulb, a single H13 handles low and high beam.
6. 6Dual-filament baseThe H13 is also sold under the code 9008.

The orange coils are the filaments that glow. Simplified drawing; the layout differs between vehicles.

Source: Filament counts and codes from the PIAA cross-reference, the Philips 9008/H13 spec sheet and the Jeep and Dodge owner's manuals.

Start with the owner's manual. Look up bulb replacement in the index; most manuals have a chart that lists every exterior bulb by position, as NAPA's guide also advises, and the Jeep and Dodge manuals in the table above all have one. If the manual is gone, a bulb maker's online lookup by year, make and model is the next step, and trim can matter, so enter it if asked. When you pull the old bulb, check its base for a printed code and make sure it agrees with what you found.

One warning from the Jeep manuals themselves: handle a new halogen bulb by its base. The 2013 Compass and 2013 Wrangler manuals both explain that skin oil on the glass shortens the bulb's life.

The codes above are halogen bulbs, and the light comes from their filaments. Some cars come from the factory with high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights instead, and those use a different bulb family. On the 2009 and 2010 Dodge Charger, for example, the HID low beam takes a D1S bulb, and both manuals mark it for service at a dealer rather than by the owner. Whatever your car has, the bulb chart in the manual is the authority.

Two numbers on a bulb box get mixed up. Lumens measure how much light comes out: more lumens, more light. Kelvin (K) describes colour: a lower number looks warm and yellowish, a higher one looks cooler and bluer. Natural Resources Canada puts warm light at about 3000 K and cool light at about 4000 K, and ENERGY STAR describes the same warm-to-blue scale. A higher Kelvin rating changes the colour, not the amount of light.

Lumens and Kelvin at a glance

Number on the box	What it measures	What a higher number means
Lumens (lm)	Light output	More light
Kelvin (K)	Colour of the light	Cooler, bluer light (about 3000 K reads warm and yellowish)

Source: Natural Resources Canada, Enlighten Yourself (ENERGY STAR Canada); ENERGY STAR Light Bulb Purchasing Guide. These are general lighting guides, not headlight standards.

Straight answer: the sources do not agree, and I could not find a Transport Canada page that rules on plug-in retrofit bulbs. Here is what is solid. Canada's vehicle lighting standard is CMVSS 108, and Transport Canada says its technical document sets the requirements for original lamps and related devices, per its TSD 108 consultation page.

A 2019 SAE International study put LED replacement kits made for H11 halogen sockets into three different low-beam headlamps. None of the beam patterns met every photometric test point: some spots were too dim, others too bright. Quebec's licensing agency, the SAAQ, cites the same study and says kits made up of just a bulb and ballast are not authorized there; swapping to LED or xenon headlights is allowed with the manufacturer's original parts, housing and all.

On the other side, Lumileds, the company behind Philips car bulbs, described its Ultinon Essential LED bulbs as street legal in Canada in a 2021 announcement, which Jobber Nation also reported. My advice: the bulb type your manual lists is the choice nobody argues about. Your headlights are aimed and shaped around it, and the people coming the other way on the DVP will thank you.

Yes. Philips recommends it on its own bulb spec sheets, and Lumileds runs a change-in-pairs campaign because bulbs dim as they age, so one new bulb next to an old one gives a lopsided beam. Halfords makes the same case, adding that the second bulb tends to fail soon after the first and that mixed bulbs can differ in colour. One trip, two bulbs, even light.

Check them, especially if the headlamp came out to reach the bulb. Ford's how-to has you park about 25 feet (7.6 m) from a wall, mark the headlamp centre height with tape and compare the beams, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol's aiming chart uses the same 7.62 m distance and tells drivers to follow the owner's manual. The adjuster locations differ by vehicle, so look them up in yours.

Before you buy a bulb

• Get the code

  Start with the bulb chart in your owner's manual and buy that exact code.

• Hold it by the base

  Skin oil on halogen glass shortens its life. Clean it with rubbing alcohol if you touch it.

• Change them in pairs

  Bulbs dim with age, so replacing both sides keeps the beam even.

• Check the aim

  Park about 7.6 m from a wall and follow your manual to check where the beams land.

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Headlight Bulb Sizes: Common Questions

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What is the difference between 9005 and 9006 bulbs?

Both are single-filament halogen bulbs. Philips's spec sheets list the 9005 for high beam and the 9006 for low beam and front fog, and the 2009 and 2010 Dodge Charger and 2008 Dodge Avenger manuals list the 9005 as the high beam and the 9006 as the halogen low beam. Buy the code your own manual names for each position, since one does not stand in for the other.

Is H11 a low beam or a high beam bulb?

It depends on the vehicle. H11 is a single-filament bulb, so it does one job. In the 2011 and 2013 Jeep Compass manuals it is the low beam, paired with a 9005 high beam. Always check the bulb chart in your own owner's manual before buying.

What does an H13 bulb do?

An H13, also sold as 9008, has two filaments: one for low beam and one for high beam. A car built around H13 bulbs uses one per side for both beams. The 2009 Dodge Caravan manual, for example, lists a single H13 headlight bulb.

Does a higher Kelvin bulb give more light?

No. Kelvin describes the colour of the light, from warm and yellowish at lower numbers to cool and bluish at higher ones. Light output is measured in lumens. Natural Resources Canada and ENERGY STAR both explain the two numbers this way.

Can I put LED bulbs in my halogen headlights in Canada?

Sources disagree. Lumileds has called some Philips LED bulbs street legal in Canada, but an SAE study found no LED kit made for H11 halogen sockets met every beam test point, and Quebec's SAAQ says bulb-and-ballast kits are not authorized there. The bulb your owner's manual lists is the safe choice.

Should I change both headlight bulbs at the same time?

Yes. Bulbs lose output as they age, so a new bulb beside an old one gives an uneven beam, and the other bulb often fails soon after. Lumileds (Philips) and Halfords both recommend changing them in pairs.

Why shouldn't I touch the glass of a halogen bulb?

Oil from your skin left on the glass shortens the bulb's life, according to the 2013 Jeep Compass and Wrangler owner's manuals. Hold the new bulb by its base, and if you do touch the glass, the Wrangler manual says to clean it with rubbing alcohol.

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