Colour Temperature Of Metal Halide Lamps

Initially Metal Halide Lamps were preferred to as mercury vapour lamps because of the natural light (Light from the mercury lamps was much bluer).

Now this distinction is not that clear.

Some metal halide lamps can deliver very clean light which has a colour-rendering index in the 80's.

With the introduction of specialised metal halide mixtures, metal halide are now available that can have a correlated colour temperature that may vary from very yellow up to very blue.

Some lamps have been created specifically for the special absorption needs of plants or animals.

If a metal halide bulb is underpowered it will have a lower physical temperature and its colour output will be "cooler".

This is because the lower arc temperature will not completely vaporise and ionise the halide salts which are responsible for the warmer colours.