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