| COLOR
RENDERING |
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Color
rendering relates to the way objects appear under a given light source.
The measure is called the "color rendering index", or CRI. A
low CRI indicates than objects may appear unnatural under the source,
while a light with a high CRI rating will allow an object's colors to
appear more natural. For lights with a "warm" color temperature
the reference point is an incandescent light. For lights with a cool color
temperature the reference is sunlight. The table below lists typical color
rendering index ratings for a variety of lights, including compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulbs. |
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| CRI |
|
|
| 22 |
common high pressure sodium | street
lighting |
| 62 |
common 4 foot fluorescent lamp | office |
| 80 |
common warm white CFL | residential |
| 84 |
premium warm white CFL | residential |
| 85 |
premium 4 foot fluorescent | retail |
| 88 |
premium cool white CFL | residential/retail |
| 95 |
common incandescent light bulb | residential |
| Lights with CRIs of 80 or higher are generally considered to have a high CRI. CRI values should only be compared when the light sources being compared have similar color temperature ratings. |
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