CRI is a term you come across a lot when choosing the right lighting. CRI stands for Color Rendering Index. This is an index that states how “real” the color looks, or in other words, to what extent do the colors differ under lamp illumination compared to daylight? The higher the value (displayed between 0 and 100), the better the color reproduction.
Color rendering index
The higher the color value is, the better the color reproduction. In other words, a color value of 100 gives the same expression of color as daylight and is therefore equivalent to this. The lower you go the worse the color reproduction becomes. Below, this is shown in an index.
| Value | Color rendering |
| 0-60 | Insufficient, only suitable for outdoor applications |
| 60-80 | Moderate |
| 80-90 | Good |
| 90-100 | Strong, looks like daylight |
CRI in LED lighting
In this day and age, the most common lighting is LED lighting: it is energy efficient and cost effective. But what about the CRI, or color rendering, in LED lighting?
Good news! LED lighting usually has a CRI value between 80 and 100. This has advanced tremendously in recent years: when the first LED lamps came on the market, they had a CRI value of around 65. So now it sits considerably higher and the color rendering is almost identical to daylight.
Standards
There are different standards attached to a number of locations, such as places where work is mostly done. These are defined in the NEN standard for workplace lighting. For example, the standard for offices is a CRI value of >80. For clothing stores, this is usually slightly higher, namely CRI >90. For outdoor use, think of a CRI >70.