You've heard of colour temperature but you're not entirely sure what it is, right?

Colour temperature describes the appearance, tint or hue of a particular lighting. Most modern light fittings emit a white light, but this white light has a colour temperature which ranges from warm to cool.

Some lights, are fixed to a specific colour temperature because of how they are designed. For example, incandescent light fittings use heat to generate light and naturally produce a warmer glow than other fittings. On the other hand, more recent lighting technology like LED can accommodate multiple colour temperatures and can range from warm through to other temperatures similar to daylight.

Colour temperature is measured in kelvins and is marked by a figure followed by the letter "k". A little confused? Well, to make things a little easier to understand, there is actually a colour temperature scale

• 2700K - Extra Warm White
• 3000K - Warm White
• 3500K - White
• 4000K - Cool White
• 6000K - Daylight

So what light appearance and ambience do these different light temperatures create and which colour temperature is the right one for you?

2000K - 3000K creates a warm white light, helping to establish a calm, cosy, inviting ambience within a room. These colour temperatures are best applied to rooms such as living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, decorative outdoor lighting or even restaurant and commercial ambient lighting.

3100K - 4500K creates a cool white lighting that is bright and vibrant. Although this lighting probably wouldn't suit a lounge area or kitchen, it works excellently in areas of low natural light, such as basements, garages and work environments.

4600K - 6500K creates lighting that is very similar to daylight. It's invigorating, crisp lighting is perfect when used in display areas, car showrooms, retail units and for task lighting.

So there you have it, a brief explanation of what colour temperature is, the scale of colour temperature, and where those colour temperatures are best applied.

As always, if you have any questions about colour temperature, how it all works and how our products work, please do not hesitate to contact us!

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