COLOR RENDERING

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.

CRI

22

common high pressure sodiumstreet lighting

62

common 4 foot fluorescent lampoffice

80

common warm white CFLresidential

84

premium warm white CFLresidential

85

premium 4 foot fluorescentretail

88

premium cool white CFLresidential/retail

95

common incandescent light bulbresidential

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.