With the fast development of LED technology, the continuous reduction of costs, and the global trend of energy saving and emission reduction. From home decoration to outdoor municipal engineering construction, more and more LED lamps are adopted by consumers and projects. When people choose a variety of lamps, most customers only pay attention to the price of the lamps, emphasize the quality of the power supply and LED chips used in the LED lamps, and often overlook the importance of color temperature in LED lamps and various usage scenarios. Roles. Choosing the right color temperature for LED lamps will enhance the texture of the project and make our lighting environment more reasonable.

What is color temperature?

this video is from youtube Studiobinder

Color temperature measures the color components in light, theoretically representing the temperature at which an idealized black body emits light while heating from absolute zero (-273°C). As the black body heats up, it shifts from black to red, yellow, white, and ultimately emits blue light. At a specific temperature, the light’s spectral components are called color temperature, measured in Kelvin (K)

If the light from a source matches the color of a black body at a specific temperature, it is referred to as a certain K color temperature. For instance, if the light from a 100W bulb matches a black body at 2527°C, then the bulb’s color temperature is calculated as (2527 + 273) K = 2800K.

The unit of color temperature is “K” (Kelvin). Absolute zero is at -273.15 degrees Celsius, and this is equivalent to 0K in Kelvin. Each 1-degree Celsius increase in temperature is equal to a 1K increase.

In simple terms, 0 degrees Celsius corresponds to 273.15K, and 100 degrees Celsius corresponds to 373.15K.

The color temperature starts with the lowest for red, gradually increases through orange, yellow, and white, and reaches its highest at blue.

What are the common color temperatures of light sources in life?

Following is led color temperature chart:

Light SourceColor temperature
Halogen lamp3000K
Incandescent lamp2800K
CFL6000-6500K
Tungsten lamp2700K
Candle light2000K
Fluorescent lamp2500K-5000K
High pressure sodium lamp1950K-2250K
High-pressure mercury lamp3450K-3750K
Metal halide lamp4000K-4600K
Clear sky8000-8500K
Cloudy day6500-7500K
Summer noon sun5500K
Afternoon daylight4000K
Remark:Picture come from internet

At present, most of the LED lamps on the market are in the following three color temperature ranges. Each color temperature has its own unique characteristics:
          ♦ Low color temperature. Below 3500K, the color is reddish, giving people a warm and stable feeling. Using low color temperature LED lamps can make red objects more vivid. It is often used in leisure places for people to rest and relax.
          ♦ medium color temperature. The color temperature is between 3500-5000K. Often referred to as neutral color temperature, the light is soft, giving people a pleasant, refreshing, and clean feeling, and it also reflects the color of the object itself.
          ♦ High color temperature. Also called cold light, the color temperature is above 5000K, bluish, bright, calm, and cool, which can make people concentrate. Generally not suitable for families, it can be used in offices, hospitals, and other places that require concentrated work. At the same time, high color temperature light sources generally have higher luminous efficiency than low color temperature light sources.
The specific performance of different color temperatures on LED lamps is shown in the figure below:

Remark: This picture came from the internet

After clarifying the color temperature and the specific performance of color temperature on LED lights, we also need to understand the relationship between sunlight and color temperature in daily life. This often affects our choice of lamp color temperature. The right picture is clearly showing the relationship between sunlight and color temperature

comes from the internet

As can be seen from the above picture, the natural light source during the daytime has a higher color temperature, while the natural light source at dusk has a low color temperature. Therefore, the human brain will be more energetic under high color temperature lighting but will think under low color temperature lighting Time to sleep.

Suggested Color temperature for different area

Residential area


      ♦ Living room: As the main area for home activities, the living room generally adopts a neutral color temperature of 4000-4500K, and the light is soft, giving people a pleasant, refreshing, clean, natural, and unrestrained feeling, and it also reflects the color of the real thing in the house. that is why most of the magnetic rail lights are mostly 4000-4500K, especially for European markets. Of course, it can also be matched with yellow floor lamps and table lamps to create a sense of warmth and make the lighting atmosphere of the living room more layered.

      ♦ Bedroom: As the main relaxation space in the home environment, the best color temperature for bedroom is around 3000K. This temperature creates a relaxing and warm ambiance, making it easier for people to quickly fall asleep


      ♦ Kitchen: The led lights with 6000-6500K color temperature are usually used for the kitchen. After all, knives are often used in the kitchen. The kitchen led light should be able to make people concentrate and prevent accidents. And the kitchen is easy to hide dirt and dirt, white light makes dirt nowhere to hide, a clean kitchen will look cleaner and brighter under white light.


      ♦ Dining Room: Suitable for reddish low color temperature LED lamps. Food under low color temperature has higher color saturation, which can improve people’s appetite. The lamps can be Modern linear pendant lighting.


      ♦ Bathroom: The bathroom is also relaxing space. Too high color temperature is also not suitable. It is suitable for 3000K warm light or 4000-4500K neutral light. At the same time, it is best to use waterproof lamps such as waterproof downlights in the bathroom, which can avoid the erosion of the internal led chips by water vapor.

Choosing the right color temperature for white light significantly improves interior decor. Match lighting color temperature with the room’s color scheme for optimal results. Consider factors like walls, floors, furniture, and room purpose. Also, be mindful of blue light hazards, especially for seniors and children; opt for lower color temperature lighting when possible..

Commercial area

     ♦ Offices: 6000k-6500K cold white. 6000K color temperature is not easy to doze off, can invigorate people and improve work efficiency. You can find most of the led panel lights used in offices are all with 6000-6500K color temperature.

    ♦ Supermarkets: 3000K+4500K+6500K mix color temperature. The supermarket contains different areas. The color temperature of the lamps in each area is also different. For example, the meat area is good to use 3000K low color temperature, which will make the meat look more vivid. But for the fresh food area, the track lighting of 6500K color temperature is the most suitable. It can make seafood products look fresher under the reflection of crushed ice. Just contact us if you have detailed projects for supermarkets, we can make a good design freely for led lights for your reference.

    ♦  Underground parking lots: The 6000-6500K is the best. 6000K color temperature can make people concentrate and drive safer.

    ♦ Schools(classrooms):4500K color temperature lamps can take into account the comfort and illuminance requirements of the classroom, while avoiding the disadvantages of 6500K color temperature that will aggravate students’ brain fatigue and visual fatigue, and reduce learning efficiency.

    ♦ Hospitals: Mainly use led lights with 4000-4500K. In the ward area, patients need to stabilize their emotions. A healthy light environment will enhance their happiness; medical staff pursues focus and efficiency, and a good and comfortable light environment will make them more engrossed. Therefore, it is recommended to use lamps with high CRI, high illumination, and medium color temperature 4000-4500K is the best.

    ♦ Hotels: A hotel is a place for travelers to rest and reorganize. No matter what the star hotel, the atmosphere should be warm and friendly, emphasizing comfort and friendliness. Hotel lighting fixtures should use warm colors to express their demands in the light environment, and the color temperature should be 3000K. Warm colors are closely related to psychological evaluations and emotional activities such as kindness, warmth, and friendliness. led spotlight lamp wall washer type with 3000K warm white is popular in markets.

Industrial area

Industrial areas refer to places where there is a lot of work, such as factories and warehouses. Generally, two types of industrial lighting are used-normal lighting and emergency lighting. The color temperature table of lamps corresponding to different places is as follows:

AreaColor temperatureReasons
Workshop6000-6500KThe workshop has a relatively large working density and high illumination requirements. Therefore, the 6000-6500K color temperature lamp is the most suitable, which can not only meet the maximum illuminance requirements but also make people concentrate on work.
Warehouse4000-6500KWarehouses are generally used to store goods, and the staff is mainly responsible for the tally, inventory, and pick-up. The color temperature is suitable for 4000-4500K or 6000-6500K.it will be with enough brightness to deal with cargoes
Emergency area6000-6500KIndustrial areas generally require emergency lighting installations to prepare for the rapid escape of the staff in the event of an accident. Or when there is a power outage, it is convenient for the staff to quickly deal with the current affairs.

In addition to the above personal households, commercial and industrial areas. Outdoor lamps such as floodlights, street lamps, landscape lighting, etc. also have strict requirements on the color temperature of the lamps.

Road lights: As an important part of urban lighting, street lights play an important role in urban lighting. Different color temperatures will have different effects on drivers. It deserves our attention. So what do we need to pay attention to when choosing street lights? The following table shows the characteristics of color temperature on streetlamps:

Color temperatureAdvantageDisadvantage
2000-3000KLooks yellow or warm white. It has the strongest penetrating power on rainy days.it is the lowest brightness
4000-4500kIt is closest to natural light, and the light is relatively soft, which can provide higher brightness while maintaining the driver’s attentionLumens less than 6000-6500K
6000-6500KIts brightness is the highest.the glare of 6000-6500K color temperature is the most serious, and it can easily cause visual fatigue. This is very dangerous for the driver.

As can be seen from the above table, the most suitable street light color temperature is 2000-3000K Warm white and 4000-4500K Natural white. This is also the traditional mainstream street light source on the market (metal halide lamp color temperature 4000-4600K Natural white and high-pressure sodium lamp color temperature 2000K Warm white) color temperature. Among them, the 2000-3000K color temperature is mainly used in rainy and foggy weather. For road projects in other areas, a color temperature of 4000-4500K is the best choice. However, when people began to adopt LED street lights, many customers chose 6000-6500K cold white as their main choice. In this case, customers often pursue high light efficiency and high brightness. As a professional LED street lights manufacturer, we have the responsibility to remind customers of the choice of street light color temperature.

Outdoor floodlightsFloodlights occupy a large proportion in the use of outdoor lighting. For example, outdoor courts, squares, or some outdoor municipal lighting projects can use floodlights. At the same time, red light is often used in some lighting projects. Greenlight, blue light cast light. Among them, the stadium floodlights have the most stringent requirements for color temperature. Generally, there will be some competitions in the stadium. When choosing color temperature or lighting, it is necessary to consider that the lighting can not cause adverse effects on players. For stadium floodlights, 4000-4500K color temperature is a good choice, it can bring moderate brightness while reducing the glare value to the greatest extent.

Landscape lights such as pathway lights, outdoor spotlights, etc., are generally used for outdoor recreational places such as gardens, path decorations, and local lighting. Generally, 3000K warm color light is more suitable, which looks warm and relaxing.

Conclusion

Color temperature plays an important role in the performance of LED lamps, and a suitable color temperature will bring a qualitative improvement to the lighting in the place of use. As a professional LED lights manufacturer, GRNLED has helped customers complete thousands of lighting projects perfectly. We will give customers the best advice in a responsible attitude towards customers and projects, and at the same time meet their different requirements. If you have any questions about the color temperature or the choice of lamps, please feel free to contact us.

Hello, customers

My name is Ricky Wang, I’m the business manager of GRNLED. I have been in LED lights industry for more than 10 year. Feel free to contact us. I’m happy to provide you the best service and products.

Email:  info@grnled.com | WeChat: ledfixture

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