What is colour temperature?
What does colour temperature / light colour mean?
If you are looking for lighting for your company or your own home, you often end up with standard lighting. In other words; light sources with white light. This white light has a Kelvin value (K), which refers to the colour temperature / light colour of the light source. The colour temperature is literally the colour of the light. If you look at this in more detail, the colour temperature tells you how warm or cold the tone of the white light is. The following applies here. The lower the number of Kelvin, the warmer the light. The higher the number of Kelvin, the cooler the light. The light colour plays a crucial role in the appearance of the light source and determines what the light can be used for.
Which colour temperature do I need?
Choosing a light colour is not always easy. Which colour temperature you need depends on various factors. It is useful to know:
- What the space is used for. Work, self-care or relaxation?
- Whether the space is multifunctional or not (example given; a dining room that is also a home workplace).
- What kind of lighting will be installed. Conventional lighting or LED?
Nowadays, dimmable lighting and DimTone lighting make it easier to make a room multifunctional. Nevertheless, it remains important to choose the right colour temperature. To help you with this choice, we have made an overview of the different colour temperatures.
LED Light Colours (Lights)
1800 - 2700K | very warm white light
Using light sources with very warm white light (1800-2700K) is the best way to give a room a warm and attractive appearance. It is easy to switch between tones of this light colour when using 1800-2700K and 2200-2700K DimTone lamps. Therefore, these light sources are extremely suitable for locations where people come together for relaxation (restaurants, etc.) or areas in your own home where you can relax.
3000K | warm white light
Warm white light (3000K) is suitable for rooms or shops in which a relaxed atmosphere is desired, but where work needs to be done as well. This light colour provides cosiness, but also emits enough light to perform household tasks (such as cooking) and / or routine activities (such as receiving guests or helping customers with selecting their products).
4000K | cool white light
Cool white light (4000K) is appropriate for areas that require a concentrated mindset while working. You can think of offices, home workplaces and professional workspaces (such as hairdressing chairs at hairdressers). The light has a fresh appearance and stimulates people to work actively and focused on their daily tasks. Therefore, this light colour stimulates productivity in the workplace .
6500K | daylight
The colour temperature daylight (6500K) corresponds almost exactly to natural daylight. This natural light makes the light colour very suitable for rooms in which detailed work is carried out. As an example, you can think of operating rooms and laboratories. This light colour increases peoples concentration and performance in a room.
LED Light Colours (Fixtures)
Has colour rendering something to do with the light colour?
It is useful to know that colour rendering has nothing to do with the colour temperature. The colour rendering or Colour Rendering Index (CRI) indicates how 'colour authentically' a light source renders the colours. Good colour rendering (80-100Ra) reveals only subtle variations in colours. Therefore, a high CRI is extremely suitable for rooms in which colours play a major role. Click here if you want to know more about CRI!
Do you need help switching to LED?
Would you like to contribute to the environment? LED is a simple way to save energy. Moreover, LED contains no harmful substances and lasts for years. Do you want to know more? Our team of LED specialists is at your service. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to receive a personalized quotation and / or tailored advice.