What is CRI and why is it important in LED lighting?

August 31, 2020 jake ovenden 0 Comment

CRI or Color Rendering Index has become a bit of a buzzword surrounding LED bulbs but it is actually an important measurement to look for and understand. CRI is one of the most important measurements for LED lights as it can highlight the quality of a light source. The higher the CRI is of light the clearer and better you will see the color of everything. This is especially important in photography or film making, however, it also plays its part in day-to-day life. High CRI of your LED bulbs can make the interior of your home look much better.

What is CRI?

The color rendering index now referred to as CRI for the duration of this blog, is a scale that shows how well a light source illuminates colors. CRI is scaled from 1-100, the lower the number the worse the colors the light source is illuminating will appear. The light source with the highest CRI would be midday sunlight being almost rated at 100. Traditional tungsten bulbs have been known to render color at a CRI of around 90, however, LEDs have been catching them up.

How Does CRI Affect Us?

If you’re using a light with low CRI everything indoors will not reflect their true color. If you use a bulb with a high CRI rating your home or office is going to look better and more naturally lit. LED bulbs with a CRI rating of 80 or over should be enough to make a home appear naturally lit.

How to avoid low CRI

There are two main ways to avoid low CRI in your home or commercial building. The first suggestion would be to avoid cheap LEDs. Since cheaper lower quality LEDs may not render all of the colors within the color spectrum properly it may produce odd color casts and hues. The second suggestion would be to let in natural sunlight. Sunlight has the highest CRI so let it in. Let it light up your home and bring out the natural colors in your home!