Issued October 2009

12478

DATA SHEET

PHILIPS INCANDESCENT LAMP Based on Philips Lighting Catalogue 2008 - 2009

12478

Technical information Lamps

Colour characteristics of lamps

Four categories, as a practical guideline, are:

Lamps do not all emit light of the same colour.

Colour rendering

Colour impression

It is often assumed that once a colour temperature

Light colour

Colour

Type of lamp

temperature

or lamp colour

Daylight

6000 K

/865

Cool white

5000 K

/850, /950

there is, for example, a striking difference between

2500 - 2800 K. Warm/cosy

has been chosen, the colour impression is

the pronounced amber light from standard sodium

the colour from incandescent lamps, the

determined. this is not the case. the colour

lamps, and the white light from most other lamps.

fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps in

impression is not solely determined by the colour

Even then, one white light is not the same as

the colours /827 and /927 and the SdW-t White

temperature of the light source, but also by the

Neutral white

4000 K

/840, /940, CDM/942,

another. to select the proper light source for

Son lamp. Generally used for intimate and cosy

colour rendering properties.

“Crisp”

3000 K

Halogen Low Voltage

their colour characteristics, two parameters are

environments where the emphasis is on a peaceful

moreover, colour temperature and colour rendering

warm white

important: the colour temperature of the emitted

relaxing ambience.

are completely separate parameters. cool daylight

HPI Plus, MHN

Halogen, CDM/830,/930, 230 V-Halogen Incandescent, /827/927

and incandescent lamps have fully natural colour

light and the colour rendering.

“Cosy” warm white

2500 K

Very warm white

2000 K

SON Plus

CRI

Type of lamp

2800 - 3500 K. Warm/neutral

rendering properties. the same is true for halogen

Colour temperature

the colour from halogen lamps, colour /830 and

lamps. the reason for this is the continuous

the colour of the light has an important influence

/930 fluorescent lamps and maStEr colour /830

spectrum of the sources.

on the colour impres-sion of the area, the colour

lamps. used in places where people are active,

on the other hand, most gas discharge sources

Colour rendering

temperature of the light source plays an essential

requiring a welcoming comfortable ambience.

have an interrupted or line spectrum. this has an

Indoor applications

SON Comfort

or lamp colour

influence of the quality of their colour rendering

role. Light is popularly termed ‘cool’ or ‘warm’. However, to enable an objective comparison of the

3500 - 5000 K. neutral/cool

properties, which varies from very poor (with

colour impressions from various sources, subjective

the light colour from /840 and /940 fluorescent

SoX low-pressure sodium gas discharge lamps) to

impressions such as these are inadequate. a precise

lamps as well as maStEr colour /942 and mHn

excellent (with the colour /90 series fluorescent

scale is required, and this is given by the term

metal halide lamps. usually applied in commercial

lamps and mastercolour /942 lamps).

‘correlated colour temperature’;

areas and offices where a look of cool efficiency is

In selecting a particular lamp type, a clear

the colour gradation of the light is compared with

desired.

understanding of the colour rendering properties is essential. a fair indication is given by the colour

the light emitted by an intensely heated iron bar of which the temperature is known.

5000 K and above. daylight

rendering index (crI), which is a standardized

In this way, the light colour can be specified by a

daylight and cool daylight. the light colour that best

scale with 100 as maximum value. colours are best

value in Kelvin (K).

matches natural daylight, such as fluorescent colours

shown under a light source with the highest colour

/850, /865, /950 and /965.

rendering index. Incidentally, it is only worthwhile

SDW-T

100

Incandescent, 230 V-Halogen Halogen Low-Voltage

Excellent

/927, /930, /940, /950, /965

90 Good Moderate

CDM/942 /827, /830, /840, /850, /865,

80 70

CDM /830, SDW-T, MHN HPI Plus, /54 SON Comfort

60 Insufficient

/33 /35

50 Poor

< 40

SON Plus

to compare crI values of lamps with similar colour temperature.

Based on Philips Lighting Catalogue 2008 - 2009

Page 1 of 34

12478

Technical information Lamps

Lamp positioning on Tc and CRI

Proper use of fluorescent lamps

Indoor general lighting

CRI

"functional" yellowish Tc