Color temperature, also known as light color, is a decisive characteristic of a lamp. It makes the emitted light appear warmer or colder. So depending on where you want to use a lamp, you should choose a different color temperature. The common light colors are: Extra Warm White (2.700 K and less), warm white (up to 3.300 K), cool white (3.300 – 5.300 K) and daylight white (from 5.300 K). For example, lamps with a pleasant warm light are suitable for a foyer, bar or restaurant, cool white light is used in offices or warehouses, and a daylight white light color is used, among other things, in industry and the healthcare sector.
The most important thing at a glance:
- Color temperature is measured in kelvin (K)
- The higher the Kelvin number, the bluer (colder) the light
- We offer four light colors:
- Extra warm white (<2.700 K), warm white (up to 3.300 K)
- Cold white (3.300 – 5.300 K) and daylight white (from 5.300 K)
Color temperature influences working environment and atmosphere
(Image: iStock/tiero)
Color temperature – warm white, cool white and co.
Before you decide to buy LED lamps, you should take a look at the color temperature: This refers to the tone of a white light from a light source and is measured in Kelvin, it is also known as "light color". Here you should note: Lamps with RGB function, which shine in concrete color tones, are not defined by a specific Kelvin number. The scale starts at approx. 1.500 Kelvin – a warm light color like a candle – and ends at approx. 27.000 Kelvin – white like northern skylight. Incandescent bulbs and halogen lamps only produce a small range of color temperatures, whereas LEDs produce a wider range of approx. 1.500 to 8.000 Kelvin enter. You will find four different color temperatures: Extra warm white (2.700 K and less), warm white (up to 3.300 K), cool white (3.300-5.300 K) and daylight white (from 5.300 K).
By the way:
Natural daylight has around 5.500 Kelvin or more – the light of the sun therefore contains a high blue component. LED lamps with daylight white (from 5.300 K) therefore also do not emit a warm but a cool light.
The color temperature affects how people feel in a room. It can also have an impact on productivity. Imagine a bar illuminated by the same bright light color as that of an operating room – or vice versa: in your office, a dimmed, warm light shines like in a lounge. Of course, the light would be very pleasant for your eyes, however, your productivity would suffer. To help you choose the right color temperature, we will now explain which light color is suitable for which application area. Are you interested in products of a certain color temperature, click on the button below the respective image.
Which color temperature is suitable for which application?
Extra warm white – light color for the perfect atmosphere
(Image: Unsplash/Quinnguyen)
Extra warm white:< 2.700 K
Extra warm white is pure mood lighting that creates an atmosphere similar to candlelight. This light color can be used to create a relaxing or romantic environment, for example, in bars, lounges, in restaurants or for lighting in the bedroom. If you are looking for the color temperature of the traditional light bulb, luminaires with a color temperature of ca. 2.700 K the right choice. Click on the button and we will show you all the extra warm white LEDs in our range:
Warm white – ideal for restaurants or living rooms
(Image: Pixabay/leemelina08)
Warm white: 2.700 – 3.300 K
Warm white light color is recommended wherever you want it to be cozy and comfortable. It invites people to relax and linger. Therefore, it can be used both at home and for catering and restaurant lighting, as well as in hotels. Almost all common LEDs – from LED tubes to LED spotlights, are available in a warm white variant. Click on the button and we will show you all warm white LEDs in our assortment:
Cold white – increases concentration and performance
(Image: AdobeStock/zhu difeng)
Cool white: 3.300 – 5.300 K
Cool white is the perfect light color for areas with high demands on concentration and visual performance – it is therefore very suitable as office lighting. This bright color shows details that you would not see with warm white light color due to the higher red spectrum. Therefore, cold white light is also well suited for store lighting in retail stores and supermarkets as well as fashion stores, but also in the kitchen. For example, in the form of LED track spotlights – but of course, all other LEDs are available in cool white light color. Click on the button and we will show you all the cool white LEDs in our range:
Daylight white – for particularly demanding fields of work
(Image: AdobeStock/Sasint)
Daylight white:> 5.300 K
A daylight white light color is especially recommended for work areas where concentration is required, leading to an increase in performance. This color temperature provides the best contrast between colors, as it mimics a natural sunlight spectrum. It thus shows the highest possible degree of detail. Therefore, it can be used not only as lighting in health care as well as in hospitals, but also for warehouse logistics with highbays and similarly powerful LED spotlights. Click on the button and we will show you all the daylight white LEDs in our range:
Info
To visualize the principle of color temperature, let’s take a white top as an example. If you wash it with your blue tops, the white top will still look white on its own. However, if you compare it to a new white top, it may look a bit bluish in contrast. White light also looks different when two bulbs with white light but two different color temperatures are placed next to each other and switched on. Try it out!
Is it possible to change the light color?
Yes! Some LED lamps, such as the Philips DimTone, Osram GlowDim, or various products from Noxion, can change color temperature when dimmed. They are called "Dim to Warm LED lamps". Regular lamps only get darker when dimmed. With the special Dim to Warm LED lamps, however, you can not only adjust the brightness – at the same time, the color temperature also becomes lower, making the light of the lamp warmer. As a result, many of these products have a Kelvin range of 2.700 K to 2.200 K. For example, in a lounge or restaurant, depending on the event or situation, you can adjust the color temperature.
If you are looking for a lamp that you can dim in both luminous intensity and color temperature, you should check our Filter on the left side pay attention to categories that indicate more than one Kelvin value, such as "2200K – 2700K Dimmable Colours". Or you simply click on one of the following products or their buttons. Here we have listed all our Dim to Warm LEDs:
Products with dimmable color temperature
Philips DimTone
Osram GlowDim
Noxion Dim-to-Warm
How to find out what color temperature a lamp has?
Finding out the color temperature of a lamp is not difficult: it is usually already written in the product title. If you do not find there, you can look in the technical data of each product. Here, under "Light Color (Kelvin)" indicates the light color and Kelvin value of the lamp.
Also about Color code you can identify the light color. You can always find this in the product title. It consists of three numbers: The last two describe the color of the emitted light. The color code 865, for example, means that the LED has a daylight white light color with a Kelvin value of 6.500 K has.
Our video tip: Color temperature explained
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