Color Temperature Chart printable pdf download

Color TemperaTure and Color rendering

There are two standard measurements for the color characteristics of light: “color rendering index” (CRI), a term used to

describe the extent to which an artificial light source is able to render the true color of objects as seen by natural outdoor

sunlight which has a CRI of 100, and “color temperature”, which expresses the color appearance of the light itself.

Color rendering index: Incandescent is used as the base reference of 100 CRI. Compact fluorescent lamps are graded

at 82-86 CRI, which is considered high quality color rendering. CRI is a more important consideration for retail lighting

design than it is for office lighting.

Any CRI rating of 80 or above is considered high and indicates that the source has good color properties. Incandescent

lamps and daylight have a CRI of 100, the highest possible CRI. The higher the CRI of the light source, the “truer” it

renders color.

Color Temperature: Refers to the way color groups are perceived – the psychological impact of lighting. Color

temperature is how cool or warm the light source appears.

The color temperature of a light source is a numerical measurement of its color appearance. This temperature is based

on the principle that any object will emit light if it is heated to a high enough temperature and that the color of that light will

shift in a predictable manner as the temperature is increased. This system is based on the color changes of a black metal

as it is heated from a cold black to a white hot state. As the temperature increases, the color would shift gradually from red

to orange to yellow to white and finally to a blue white. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Colors and

light sources from the red/orange/yellow side of the spectrum are described as warm (incandescents) and those toward

the blue end are referred to as cool (natural daylight).

The sun, for example, rises at approximately 1800 Kelvin and changes from red to orange to yellow and to white as it

rises to over 5000 Kelvin at high noon. It then goes back down the scale as it sets.

Color Temperature Chart