Cool White from Warm White - What’s the Difference?

When you first hear that color is a measurement in lighting, it’s quite difficult to wrap your head around the idea. Hmmm...

“How does that work?”, you might ask. What do color mean in lighting? And it’s even more confusing with LED lighting than any other previous technology we’ve been using.

There’s a lot of good information available all over the internet. However, some of them seem contradicting at times. And confusing! Especially when you try to compare or search for more information in buying the type of light you need for your space.

For all kinds of use and space, these important points are what we need to understand when choosing LEDs:

1. The difference of Cool White vs. Warm White

2. The uniformity across different light fittings
3. The climate in your area

A difference of Cool White vs. Warm White

Warm White and Cool White are measured on the Kelvin scale, represented by the letter ‘K’. Warm White is around 4000K and Cool White can range from 6000K and beyond.

Similar to the traditional incandescent light bulbs, Warm White LEDs give off a glowy, yellowy light. Cool White, on the other hand, is high color temperature and is a very bright, clean, white light. It closely resembles natural daylight.

When recommending color temperature to our customers we generally recommend Warm White for residential and Cool White for commercial spaces.

Why? It is because Warm White is a much more relaxing, calm light, whereas Cool White is a very bright light that can improve concentration. Lighting with high illumination is required in certain rooms in homes or spaces that require tasks to be performed, such as the kitchen, laundry, and study which could benefit from having Cool White light.

Also, if your space is modern and has a minimalistic style, then Cool White would look great as it can help better accomplish a specific activity.