The Light Colours: Warm White, Neutral White and Daylight White

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Learn more about white light colours and how they are divided into three ranges: warm white light, neutral white light and daylight white light.

The Light Colours: Warm White, Neutral White and Daylight White

Dimmable LED lamps: Adjusting Colour Temperature as Desired

The different colour gradations of white light can be used in a very targeted way and are an important tool for lighting designers. This is because every situation has its lighting requirements: light for the office should be bright and promote concentration, light for make-up should be daylight white, and at home in the living room, people like cosy light with a warm white tendency. The colour rendering of lamps determines the lighting mood the light creates in a room. To make the lighting as flexible as possible, the colour temperature of more and more modern LED lamps can even be specifically changed. Dimmable LED lamps and Smart Home lamps enable adjustable light colour.

Warm White Light © Marko Poplasen/Shutterstock.com

Warm White Light

A warm white light tube has a yellowish to reddish appearance and is reminiscent of the lighting mood during a progressing sunset. Warm white lighting is therefore recommended wherever it needs to be cosy and comfortable, e.g. in the living room or bedroom. In general, the light colour range from 2,700 to 3,300 Kelvin is referred to as warm white. The lower the Kelvin value, the reddish the light because the proportion of blue frequencies decreases. Warm white light is often used for home lighting because the light colour has a cosy and inviting effect.

Neutral White Light © Marko Poplasen/Shutterstock.com

Neutral White Light

The effect of the neutral white light colour can be well described as 'factual'. Details can be distinguished better than with warm white light because even inconspicuous contrasts stand out clearly. Neutral white lighting is mainly used in bathrooms, kitchens and hobby rooms - in other words, wherever lighting is needed to support activities while at the same time creating a homely atmosphere. The limit to the daylight white range is 5,300 Kelvin.

Daylight White Light

Daylight white lights have a similar effect to a brightly lit midday sky; the proportion of blue frequencies is high. Daylight white lighting is recommended above all for workrooms and workshop lighting because it boosts concentration and performance. Cold white light ensures that colours are reproduced as realistically as possible. This light should have the same colour effect as daylight.

White light colours at a glance

Warm white light: 2,700 to 3,300 Kelvin
Neutral white light: 3,300 to 5,300 Kelvin
Daylight white light: > 5,300 Kelvin

What does light colour have to do with temperature?

The term colour temperature comes from basic physics research. The higher the temperature of a light source, the cooler the illumination appears. The hottest stars in the universe shine blue-white. The reddish-yellow light of our sun, which is 'only' 5,000 degrees warm on the surface, appears much warmer.