Correlated Color Temperature (CCT)

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CCT is a way for the lighting industry to define the color appearance of a white light source. Measured as a temperature in degrees Kelvin (K), the temperature value corresponds to the hue of visible white light of a theoretical black body emitter (essentially a perfect electromagnetic radiation, or light emitter) at that temperature. In a simple model, a black body emitter heated to a temperature of 2700K would produce a very yellowish almost amber colored light. This yellowish light is described as “warm” and is compared to incandescent bulbs.

A higher temperature CCT such as 6000K would be described as “cool” and is compared to middle of the day sunlight. Interestingly, even though 6000K represents a temperature that is higher or hotter, CCT descriptions are inverse to the temperature as they are designed to provoke a feeling for consumers rather than be an accurate description.

Most light sources are in a CCT range of 2700K-6500K.

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