Specifying the Correct Colour Temperature
Added: 04/04/19
Colour temperatures are incredibly important in lighting design. They can be the catalyst that makes or breaks a project both in terms of the project aesthetic and the practicality of the light.
If you wish to bring forth brown or red colours in textures such as wood or brick, warmer colours should be specified (at the red end of the colour spectrum) to highlight these textures. By contrast, a neutral white light would accent surfaces such as marble.
There is no specific industry standard to define the exactly where one colour temperature band ends and another starts. It is entirely possible to have the same colour temperature called two different names by different people or manufacturers.
White light is produced in different shades as it is made by combining other colours together. We use a simple method of describing the colour characteristics of this white light by using the Kelvin scale.
- Very Warm Whites are typically 2700k - similar to traditional Incandescent bulbs
- Warm Whites are typically 3000k - similar to Halogen bulbs
- Neutral Whites are typically 4000k - similar to natural white
- Cool Whites are typically 5000k plus - similar to natural sunlight