Color rendering index (CRI) goes hand in hand with color temperature, when we’re going to pick the right led strip for your application. So, do you know what the actual difference is between 80 CRI, 90 CRI, 95 CRI or higher, and whether it matters?

Table of Contents

1. 80 CRI: Acceptable Color Quality
2. 90 CRI: Decent Color Quality
3. 95 CRI: Excellent/Professional Color Quality
4. Conclusion

80 CRI: Acceptable Color Quality

The first thing we consider is residential ambient lighting, 80 CRI is more suitable for installation in areas where people spend the least amount of time, we think 80 CRI is sufficient for hallways, storage rooms and garages. However, if it’s in a locker room or garage, you may want to use a higher CRI light source so you can distinguish the colors more clearly.

There is another point we should pay special attention to. We recommend not to use the light source of CRI80 in the kitchen area, including under-cabinet lighting and bathrooms. We recommend that the light source larger than CRI80 is better, because you need accurate color judgment to cook.

In general, you need to choose the right CRI based on your installation environment, and we think a color quality level of 80 CRI is sufficient.

Note that most 80 CRI light sources have R9 values around 0.

90 CRI: Decent Color Quality

We’ve found that many manufacturers offer 90 CRI products as their selling point, and indeed there is a noticeable difference between 80 and 90 CRI, which is a noticeable improvement in color clarity. We feel that for most residential facilities, 90 CRI is more suitable for your areas: bedroom, living room and dining table.

In fact, most items, including skin color, meat, fresh produce, and wooden furniture, would mostly look normal if the CRI were a little higher, and we wouldn’t find anything offensive or odd at all.

For current residential installations, most people will find that 90 CRI is sufficient for their needs.

Most 90 CRI light sources have R9 values around 50.

95 CRI: Excellent/Professional Color Quality

For residential applications, 95 CRI can provide added benefits to the overall aesthetic. While it may be difficult to tell the difference between a 90 CRI and a 95 CRI, subtle differences in color and appearance help to enhance the cohesion of the interior. For interior designers in particular, the 95 CRI is the key to ensuring that their carefully selected furniture and color schemes look perfect.

Once we get to 95 CRI, the color rendering reaches a high level of precision. For those whose careers or hobbies depend on accurate color perception, the difference between 90 and 95 CRI is often an important and overlooked benefit. In short, at the right color temperature, objects at 95 CRI will look almost the same as they would in natural light.

Most 95 CRI light sources have an R9 value of around 90.

Conclusion

Overall, the CRI80 is more than adequate for everyday lighting, if you don’t have special requirements. Of course, if it is used in high-end residential or high-end hotels, you can choose between CRI90 and CRI95. On the other hand, CRI 95 may be useful for those whose work requires highly accurate color perception, such as visual artists.