Electric Holder Types and What Each One Is For

What is an electric holder?

An electric holder, also called a lamp holder or bulb holder, is the fitting that grips the cap of a bulb and connects it to the supply wires, and it is fixed to a wall, a ceiling or a length of flex, and its pattern decides whether the lamp sits flat, tilts outward or hangs down.

Inside every holder are two spring-loaded contacts that press on the contacts of the lamp cap, a pair of terminals where the phase and neutral wires are clamped, and an insulating body that keeps fingers away from anything live. The body is what you see, and its shape gives each holder its name: batten, angle, pendant, skirt or square.

This guide uses the holders we make at our Mumbai works as worked examples, with catalogue codes and MRPs, and explains the common types we do not make as general practice.

Electric holder types at a glance

There are five electric holder types in everyday Indian wiring: the batten holder, the angle holder, the pendant holder, the ceiling rose that a pendant hangs from, and the 2-in-1 angle/batten holder that can be fitted either way. Skirt, square and fancy are body styles laid over those same types, not separate ones.

Holders are also sorted two other ways. By the lamp cap they take, the common ones are bayonet and screw. By body material, they are polycarbonate, bakelite, brass or porcelain. Both are covered below; the mounting type decides where a holder can go.

Batten holder: the lamp flat to the surface

A batten holder is an electric holder whose base screws flat onto a ceiling, a wooden batten or a round block, so the lamp points straight out from that surface. It is the default for ceilings, verandahs, stairwells, lofts and store rooms.

Because the lamp hangs straight, the weight on the holder is even and the fitting is easy to change from a ladder. In our VIYONA range the batten holder comes in six versions: the Deluxe polycarbonate 202 at ₹26, the Decent 207 with an aluminium ring at ₹29, the Saathi 212 at ₹28, the Sumo 214 with an aluminium ring at ₹30, the Royal fancy 218 at ₹38 and the square 222 at ₹65.

You can see the full set on the Sumo skirt lamp holder and Deluxe skirt lamp holder and ceiling rose pages. For planning how many points each room needs before you buy, our guide to designing a modern electrical layout covers light points room by room.

Angle holder: the lamp tilted off the wall

An angle holder is an electric holder whose base fixes to a wall while the lamp comes out at an angle, pointing forward and down rather than straight out. It is the usual choice above a mirror, beside a door, on a balcony wall or in a passage, where a batten holder would push the lamp straight into the room at eye level.

Every angle holder we make has a batten twin in the same style, so a house can use one family on walls and ceilings. The angle versions are the Deluxe polycarbonate 201 at ₹26, the Decent 206 at ₹29, the Saathi 211 at ₹28, the Sumo 213 at ₹30, the Royal fancy 217 at ₹38 and the square 221 at ₹65. The Decent, Sumo, Royal and square angle holders all carry an aluminium ring.

The Decent skirt lamp holder and Royal fancy lamp holder pages show the angle and batten pairs side by side.

2-in-1 angle/batten holders: one fitting, either position

A 2-in-1 holder is an electric holder that can be set as an angle holder or as a batten holder, so one part covers both jobs. It suits electricians who carry stock to site, and homes where the owner has not decided whether a light point will face down or outward until the furniture goes in.

We make two: the 219 2-in-1 angle/batten holder with an orange body and aluminium ring at ₹52, and the 220 2-in-1 angle/batten holder with an aluminium ring, listed as 3-step, at ₹55. Both sit in the Nano and Royal fancy group of our catalogue, shown on the Nano lamp holder page.

The bulb holder and fancy lamp holder pages group these same VIYONA angle, batten and 2-in-1 patterns by use, and the full list of codes and MRPs is in the catalogue.

Pendant holders and ceiling roses

A pendant holder is an electric holder that hangs on a length of flexible cord, and a ceiling rose is the round fitting on the ceiling that the cord is connected to. Together they drop a lamp below the slab, over a dining table, a shop counter or a stairwell, where a batten holder would put the light too high.

Our pendant holders are the 226 multi pendent black holder with aluminium ring at ₹34, the 227 skirt pendent holder in white at ₹27 and the 229 black skirt pendent holder at ₹24. The ceiling roses are the 203 polycarbonate 2-part at ₹28, the 204 polycarbonate 3-part at ₹36 and the 223 square 5 x 5 rose at ₹54. The 230 adaptor at ₹30 is catalogued in the same group. See the pendent holder and adaptor page, or the pendant lamp holder page for where pendants suit.

Use flexible cord and a cord grip at both ends, so the conductors never take the pull.

Skirt holders: what the skirt is for

A skirt holder is an electric holder with a longer shroud, the skirt, that extends past the contacts and around the base of the lamp. It makes it harder to touch the live contacts or the lamp cap while a bulb is being pushed in or twisted out, and it gives the fitting a neater, finished look.

Most of our holder families are skirt holders: the Deluxe, Decent, Saathi and Sumo skirt lamp holders, and the skirt pendent holders 227 and 229. The difference between the families is mainly the body and the ring. Deluxe is plain polycarbonate, Saathi is a plain body, and Decent and Sumo add an aluminium ring.

See the Saathi skirt lamp holder, and our electrical safety tips for Indian households for changing a lamp safely.

Holder types by lamp cap: B22, E27 and E14

Electric holders are also named by the lamp cap they accept. In Indian homes the B22 bayonet cap, pushed in and twisted, is the usual household fitting. The E27 screw cap is common on decorative and imported lamps, and the smaller E14 screw cap is used in chandeliers and small fancy lights. A holder takes only its own cap.

This is general practice, and the cap is the first thing to check when a new lamp will not go in. Our catalogue lists our holders by pattern (angle, batten, pendant, square) rather than by cap, so if you need a particular cap, confirm it with your dealer before buying a box.

For bayonet holders sold in India, the relevant standard is IS 1258. As with switches, the ISI mark on the product and the licence number are what to check; our guide to spotting a fake ISI mark shows how to check a licence.

Holder body material: polycarbonate, bakelite, brass and porcelain

The four common holder body materials are polycarbonate, bakelite, brass and porcelain. Polycarbonate is tough and resists impact; bakelite is heat-resistant but brittle; brass is a metal body that must be earthed and is now rare in homes; porcelain takes the most heat and is typically used in industrial or high-wattage fittings.

Our Deluxe holders and ceiling roses are listed as polycarbonate in the catalogue, and the VIYONA series is built around a polycarbonate body. The aluminium ring on the Decent, Sumo, Royal, square and pendant holders reinforces the mouth of the holder, where the lamp is pushed and twisted every time it is changed.

How is an electric holder wired?

An electric holder is wired with the phase wire coming through the wall switch and the neutral wire going direct, each clamped under one of the holder’s two terminals, so that the switch is always in the phase and switching it off leaves the holder dead while the lamp is changed. On a screw holder, the switched phase goes to the centre contact.

Strip only enough insulation for the conductor to sit fully under the terminal screw, tighten firmly, and make sure no strands stick out. The cable should enter through the base, not over its edge. On a ceiling rose, the loop-in terminals are for the incoming supply and the flex terminals are for the drop to the pendant.

Lighting circuits are typically protected by a 6A or 10A MCB; our guide to the right MCB for a home explains sizes. Use a line tester to confirm the phase before working on any light point.

Electric holder price: our MRPs

Our electric holders cost from ₹24 to ₹65 at MRP, starting with the 229 black skirt pendent holder at ₹24, through ordinary skirt angle and batten holders at ₹26 to ₹30 and Royal fancy holders at ₹38, up to 2-in-1 holders at ₹52 and ₹55 and the square 5 x 5 holders at ₹65.

MRP is the printed ceiling; your dealer’s selling price may be lower. Holders are packed 20 per box. For the rest of the VIYONA accessory range, see the VIYONA lamp holder range and the VIYONA series.

Holder manufacturer in Mumbai: who makes ours

We are the holder manufacturer behind every holder in this guide: Vinayak Electricals, making electrical accessories since 1995 at our own works in Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai. Our holders are made 100% in-house under an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality process, and sold across India through 500+ dealers.

Every holder goes through the same five steps as the rest of our 2000+ products: raw material selection, in-house manufacturing, assembly with checkpoints, functional and safety testing, and final inspection and packing. Our quality process page describes each step.

How to choose the right electric holder

To choose an electric holder, decide the mounting first (batten for ceilings, angle for walls, pendant for a drop), then match the cap of the bulbs you use, then pick a body style, with a skirt holder wherever it is within reach, and buy one family across the house so every holder matches.

A short list before you order: mounting type for each point; lamp cap of the bulbs you use; skirt body where a holder is within reach; aluminium ring if lamps are changed often; and MRP checked against the catalogue. Our accessories every Indian home needs lists the rest of a light point, and the full range is on our products page.