You are here: Information & Resources » Fluorescent Tubes » Compact Fluorescent Lamps » Colors
Colors
Related shop links »
Shaped Fluorescent Tubes :: Fluorescent Tube Recycling :: Fly Killers :: Low Energy Bulbs
Color temperature can be indicated in kelvin or mired (1 million divided by the color temperature in kelvin).
|
Color temperature |
kelvin |
mired |
|---|---|---|
| “Warm white” or “Soft white” | < 2700 K | > 370 M |
| “White”, “Bright White”, or “Medium White” | 2900 - 3000 K | 333- 345 M |
| “Cool white” | 4000 K | 250 M |
| “Daylight” | > 5000 K | < 200 M |
Color temperature is a quantitative measure. The higher the number in kelvin, the “cooler”, i.e., bluer, the shade. Color names associated with a particular color temperature are not standardized for modern CFLs and other triphosphor lamps like they were for the older-style halophosphate fluorescent lamps. Variations and inconsistencies exist among manufacturers. For example, Sylvania’s Daylight CFLs have a color temperature of 3500 K, while most other lamps with a “daylight” label have color temperatures of at least 5000 K. Some vendors do not include the kelvin value on the package, but this is beginning to change now that the Energy Star Criteria for CFLs is expected to require such labeling in its 4.0 revision.
CFLs are also produced, less commonly, in other colors:
- Red, green, orange, blue, and pink, primarily for novelty purposes
- Blue for phototherapy
- Yellow, for outdoor lighting, because it does not attract insects
- Black light (UV light) for special effects
Black light CFLs, those with UVA generating phosphor, are much more efficient than incandescent black light lamps, since the amount of UV light that the filament of the incandescent lamp produces is only a fraction of the generated spectrum.
Being a gas discharge lamp, a CFL will not generate all frequencies of visible light; the actual color rendering index is a design compromise (see below). With less than perfect color rendering, CFLs can be unsatisfactory for inside lighting, but modern, high quality designs are proving acceptable for home use.