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Color rendering is a difficult aspect of lighting, because itFinal Thoughts
We've shared our thoughts from our experience and lighting expertise, and do hope that we were able to shed some light on the challenging topic of color rendering. At the end of the day, however, whether a certain level of color rendering is appropriate for a particular location depends on whether it ultimately has an effect on the people using the light or occupying the space. High CRI LED lighting does come at a higher purchase cost and lower efficiency, so these are also things to consider as downsides to improving the color rendering of a space.
Our A19 and A21 lamps fit in standard lamp fixtures and are perfect for floor and desk lamp fixtures.
Our candelabra LED bulbs offer soft and warm light output in a decorative bulb style that fits E12 lamp fixtures.
BR30 lamps are ceiling lamps that fit in residential and commercial fixtures with 4-inch or wider openings.
Directly replace 4-ft fluorescent lamps with our T8 LED tube lights, compatible both with and without ballasts.
LED tube light fixtures pre-wired and compatible with our T8 LED lamps.
Linear lamp fixtures in 2-ft and 4-ft lengths. Plugs into standard wall outlets nd mounts using screws or magnets.
Overhead light fixtures with hanging chains. Plugs into standard wall outlets.
We offer 365 nm and 395 nm LED lights for fluorescence and curing applications.
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LED PCBs, panels and other form factors for a variety of industrial and scientific applications.
Bright LED emitters mounted on a flexible circuitboard. Can be cut-to-length and installed in a variety of locations.
Dimmers and controllers to adjust LED strip lighting system brightness and color.
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Power supply units to convert line voltage to low voltage DC needed for LED strip light systems.
Extruded aluminum channel profiles for mounting LED strip lights.
Solderless connectors, wires and adapters to join and connect LED strip light system components together.
Color rendering is a difficult aspect of lighting, because it is not immediately visible the way color temperature is . So how do you know what the actual difference is between 80 CRI, 90 CRI, 95 CRI or higher , and whether it matters?The ultimate answer is that it depends on your application, and how sensitive you or the occupants of the space are to light quality. Below, we'll go over some general criteria and applications for when it makes sense to use a certain level of CRI, and what differences you can expect between 80, 90 and 95 CRI.Since you've found this article, we'll assume that you have a basic understanding of what color rendering is , and how it is measured . If not, we would recommend first reading several of our articles that explain what color rendering is 80 CRI is commonly seen as the baseline CRI level for LED and fluorescent lamps. It is definitely an acceptable level of color quality, where most obvious colors stand out and appear good enough for daily tasks. Most manufacturers have settled on 80 CRI as the standard or basic light quality offering, and you are likely to find that most lights sold at your local hardware store have a CRI value of 80.With light sources that have an 80 CRI rating, you will likely find that nuanced colors, especially those that have a deep red component will appear unnatural. You may be surprised to learn that a lot of colors that don't appear immediately "red" will be affected due to their red component. Some examples include skin tones and wood furniture or flooring. If you like to host dinner parties, for example, your guests may leave with a slightly lowered impression of the visual and aesthetic aspects of the food or decor, even if at a subconscious level.For a residential setting, 80 CRI is most appropriate for areas where you and your family spend the least amount of time in. Hallways, storage closets and garages are several examples of areas where 80 CRI may be sufficient. That being said, if you have a walk-in closet or a garage where you spend lots of time on your projects, you will likely want to use a higher CRI light source as color differentiation can be somewhat difficult.On the other hand, we would recommend against 80 CRI light sources in kitchen areas, including under-cabinet lighting, as well as bathrooms. Food prep relies a lot on accurate color judgement (is the meat fully cooked?) and accurate lighting in bathrooms can be important when applying makeup.Because higher CRI is almost always associated with lower efficiency , we certainly believe that 80 CRI is an appropriate color rendering level for certain applications where efficiency and cost are the primary objectives, but in general, we believe that 80 CRI is at best, an adequate level of color quality for the least demanding of circumstances.Most 80 CRI light sources have an R9 value around 0 (more on R9 values below).Many manufacturers will offer 90 CRI products as their "premium" product offering. The difference between 80 and 90 CRI is very noticeable, and will immediately provide a nice boost in color clarity. For most residential installations, 90 CRI is a good fit for areas where you plan to spend the most time in: bedrooms, living rooms and the dining table.Most objects, including fresh produce, meats, wood furniture and skin tones, for example, will for the most part appear normal, and you will not find anything to be off-putting or strange.For residential installations, most will find that 90 CRI is sufficient for their needs, and those who are not as sensitive or picky about appearances will likely not see a noticeable improvement past 90 CRI.Most 90 CRI light sources have an R9 value around 50.Once we reach 95 CRI, color rendering reaches a new level of accuracy. For those whose profession or hobby relies on accurate color perception, the difference between 90 and 95 CRI is often an important and overlooked benefit. Visual artists , for example, will often find that the 95 CRI color accuracy is crucial for distinguishing subtle differences in hue or color tone in their work. In short, with the appropriate color temperature, objects under 95 CRI appear nearly identical to their appearance under natural light.For residential applications , 95 CRI can bring additional benefits to the overall aesthetic. While the average person may be hard-pressed to identify between a 90 CRI and 95 CRI, subtle differences in color and appearances can help contribute to the cohesion of an interior space. For the average person, they may not even be aware that the lighting is what makes a space, but for interior designers, the 95 CRI is critical to ensure that their carefully chosen furniture and color schemes appear perfect.Most 95 CRI light sources have an R9 value around 90.We have alluded to the R9 values for each of the 80, 90 and 95 CRI color quality levels. There is no set formula, but a very strong correlation between the CRI value and the R9 value, and they roughly correspond to 25, 50 and 90 for 80, 90 and 95 CRI, respectively.While CRI is a general score that describes the accuracy of a light source, R9 is a specific score that looks at its ability to render red colors in particular. As we've mentioned above, red colors are some of the most prevalent in various objects and materials, and therefore using R9 as a supplement to CRI is a great way to evaluate a light source.Perhaps some of the most noticeable differences between 50 and 90 R9 values are in skin tones. If you're at all involved in photography, for example, you will likely notice the difference immediately.CRI is the most commonly used metric for measuring color rendering, and is a score whose maximum value is 100. While it can be tempting to ascribe a percentage or letter grade to the CRI values, the numbers themselves are somewhat arbitrarily based on color difference values. So, we recommend that you resist any temptation to say "80 CRI means the light source is 80% accurate" as that is not the way CRI is calculated.CRI is calculated by measuring the reflected color from a swatch of eight standardized colors, called test color samples (TCS) , and comparing them to the colors that would be reflected from a reference light source, such as natural daylight. In other words, it asks the question: on average, how different do these eight color swatches appear compared to a natural light source?(Pictured below are the actual TCS swatches rendered on a computer screen. There are a total of 15 TCS color samples. Only the first eight are used for the CRI calculation; the remainder are used in calculating extended CRI.)The color differences are then quantified as a number, and the average difference is then subtracted from 100 to determine the final CRI value. Therefore, you can think of the difference between the CRI value and 100 as its "difference score." For example, 95 CRI has an average color difference of 5, while 80 CRI has an average color difference of 20.Why is this significant? For starters, it can give us a new way of looking at CRI scores and their relative levels of color accuracy by looking at its difference from 100. A 95 CRI light source has a difference of 5.0, while a 90 CRI light source has a difference that is equivalent to 2x its magnitude and 80 CRI would correspond to 4x.
What is Color Rendering Index (CRI) and Why Is It Important to LED Lighting?
Can’t tell the difference between the black and navy-colored socks in your walk-in closet under your old fluorescent lights? Could be that the current lighting source has a very low CRI level. Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a measurement of how natural colors render under an artificial white light source when compared with sunlight. The index is measured from 0-100, with a perfect 100 indicating that colors of objects under the light source appear the same as they would under natural sunlight. CRIs under 80 are generally considered ‘poor’ while ranges over 90 are considered ‘great’.
High CRI LED lighting renders beautiful, vibrant tones across the full-color spectrum. However, CRI is only one measurement for light quality. To truly understand a light source’s capability to render the colors you want, there are deeper tests that we do and our lighting scientists recommend. We will detail that further on here.
Which CRI Ranges to Use
When purchasing and installing white LED lights, we recommend a CRI of over 90 but also say in some projects, a minimum of 85 can be acceptable. Below is a brief explanation of the CRI ranges:
CRI 95 - 100 → Phenomenal color rendering. Colors appear as they should, subtle tones pop out and are accented, skin tones look beautiful, art comes alive, backsplashes and paint show their true colors.
Used widely in Hollywood production sets, high-end retail stores, printing and paint shops, design hotels, art galleries, and in residential applications where natural colors need to shine brightly.
CRI 90 - 95 → Great color rendering! Almost all colors 'pop' and are easily distinguishable. Noticeably great lighting starts at a CRI of 90. Your newly installed teal-colored backsplash in your kitchen will look beautiful, vibrant, and fully saturated. Visitors begin to compliment the counters, paint, and details of your kitchen, but little do they the lighting is mostly responsible for it looking so amazing.
CRI 80 - 90 → Good color rendering, where most colors are rendered well. Acceptable for most commercial uses. You may not see items as fully saturated as you would like.
CRI Below 80 → Lighting with a CRI below 80 would be considered to have poor color rendering. Under this light, items and colors may look desaturated, drab, and at times unidentifiable (like being unable to see the difference between black and navy-colored socks). It would be difficult to distinguish between similar colors.
Good color rendering is key for photography, retail store displays, grocery store lighting, art shows, and galleries just to name a few. Here, a source of light with a CRI above 90 will ensure that colors look exactly how they should, accurately rendered and appear crisper and brighter. High CRI lighting is equally valuable in residential applications, as it can transform a room by highlighting design details and creating a comfortable, natural overall feel. Finishes will have more depth and luster.
Testing for CRI
Testing for CRI requires special machinery designed specifically for this purpose. During this test, the light spectrum of a lamp is analyzed into eight different colors (or “R values”), termed R1 through R8.
There are 15 measurements which can be seen below, but the CRI measurement only uses the first 8. The lamp receives a score from 0-100 for each color, based on how natural the color is rendered in comparison with how the color looks under a “perfect” or “reference” light source such as sunlight at the same color temperature. You can see from the examples below, even though the second picture has a CRI of 81, it is terrible at rendering the color red (R9).
Lighting manufacturers now list CRI ratings on their products, and government initiatives such as California’s Title 24 ensure the installation of efficient, high CRI lighting.
Though keep in mind that CRI is not the stand-alone method for measuring lighting quality; the Lighting Research Institute report also recommends the combined use of TM-30-20 Gamut Area Index.
CRI has been used as a measurement since 1937. Some believe that the CRI measurement is flawed and outdated, as there are better ways to now measure the quality of rendering from a light source. These additional measurements are Color Quality Scale (CQS), IES TM-30-20 including Gamut Index, Fidelity Index, Color Vector.
CRI - Color Rendering Index – How closely the observed light can render colors like the sun, using 8 color samples.
Fidelity Index (TM-30) – How closely the observed light can render colors like the sun, using 99 color samples.
Gamut Index (TM-30) – How saturated or desaturated colors are (aka how intense the colors are).
Color vector Graphic (TM-30) – Which colors are saturated/desaturated and whether there is a hue shift in any of the 16 color bins.
CQS - Color Quality Scale – An alternative to the unsaturated CRI measurement colors. There are 15 highly saturated colors that are used to compare chromatic discrimination, human preference, and color rendering.
Read - What's the difference between CRI, CQS, & IES TM-30 and why is it important?
Which LED Strip Light is Best for Your Project?
We have designed all of our white LED strips to have a high CRI above 90 with only one exception (for industrial use), which means that they do an excellent job rendering the colors of the items and spaces you’re illuminating.
On the top end of things, we have created one of the highest CRI LED strip lights for those who have very specific standards or for photography, television, textile work. The UltraBright™ Render Series has near-perfect R values, including a high R9 score. You can find here all of our photometric reports where you can see the CRI values for all of our strips.
Our LED strip lights and light bars come in many varieties of brightnesses, color temperatures, and lengths. What they have in common is the extremely high CRI (and CQS, TLCI, TM-30-20). In each product page, you will find photometric reports that show all these readings.
Comparison of High CRI LED Strip Lights
Below you will see a comparison between the brightnesses (lumens per foot) of each product. We are always available to assist you in selecting the right product as well.
UltraBright™ High CRI LED Strip Lights:
Further Questions?
Any more questions how CRI applies in your particular lighting project? Contact one of our LED design specialists and we'd love to help out any way we can!
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