Color temperature of LED lights
Correlated color temperature (or CCT for short) defines the color appearance of illumination and is measured in Kelvin (K). It tells you whether the light is “warm” (yellow/red) or “cold” (blue). A burning candle has a color temperature of about 1800K (very warm), while a clear blue sky can go above 10 000K (very cold). CCT is not a measurement of brightness or light intensity, however, CCT does impact how bright a light is perceived. The color temperature of a light also has an effect on the production of melatonin in the human body, with colder color temperatures surpressing melatonin creation. Thus, color temperature either has a tiring (warmer CCT) or energizing (cooler CCT) effect, depending on where on the color spectrum you look.
Cool for most applications
We make most of our lights with a cool color temperature, with a CCT between 5000 and 5700 Kelvin. Over 30 years of field tests with the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world has determined that this span of color is optimal for most applications, such as construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, and material handling.
The illumination is similar to daylight, increasing alertness and reducing eye strain. At the same time, the illuminated area is comfortable to look at for longer durations of time. Visual ergonomics improve when lighting is optimized for the task at hand.
Warm for the extreme
For extreme use cases, we recommend the Scorpius N4402 WARM. This light is calibrated at 2700 Kelvin (warm), and is excellent in reducing overly sharp contrasts, whiteouts (blown-out colors), and increasing overall visibility in the worst possible conditions like thick dust, snowstorms, and heavy rain.
Check out the color temperature at the technical specification of the light. Or, use the filtering system. We have ready-made solutions for the most common segments, and can make tailored solutions for your needs.
DO 
- use work lights in the 5000-5700 kelvin range to keep operators more alert and decrease reaction time.
- use cool color temperatures similar to daylight to boost the performance of the operators. Avoid overly cold color temperatures (above 6000 Kelvin).
- minimize the operators’ eye strain and general fatigue by choosing a color temperature similar to daylight.
DON’T 
- do not use work lights over 5700K in visually challenging environments such as in rain, dust, snow, or fog. Instead, opt for a warmer color temperature.
- avoid using lights with overly cold color temperatures. Such lights produce inaccurate colors and too much contrast between light and dark, which causes eye strain.
- do not assume that an overly cold color temperature light is better, simply because it is perceived as brighter. From an operator’s perspective, the illumination will not deliver optimal visibility.
Want to know more?
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- How the right color temperature can BOOST revenue
- How your business can BENEFIT from the best color temperature on your lights
- How our lights can UPGRADE the comfort for vehicle operators
- How the technology can be applied to your vehicles.
Untangle the world of work lights by also checking out our CRI guide.