What is the Best Color for Cabinet Lighting?

Alright, so we've convinced you that LED is the way to go. But one of the advantages of LEDs - having more color options - might cause some confusion with all of the choices available. Below we break down your options.

What is Color Temperature?

Color temperature is a number that describes how "yellow" or "blue" a light's color is. Below we provide some guidelines, but keep in mind that there is no absolutely correct choice, and much of it can be based on your personal preference.

• 2700K is considered the same color as the classic incandescent light bulb
• 3000K is slightly bluer and is similar to halogen bulb light color, but still has a warm, inviting yellow color to it.
• 4000K is often called "neutral white" because it is neither blue nor yellow - and is the middle of the color temperature scale.
• 5000K is commonly used for determining color, such as for prints and textiles
• 6500K is considered natural daylight, and is a good way to approximate appearance in outdoor lighting conditions

For kitchen applications, we strongly recommend a color temperature between 3000K and 4000K.

Why? Well, lights below 3000K will cast a very yellowish-orange hue, which can make color perception a bit difficult if you are using the area for food prep, so we don't recommend any lighting below 3000K.

Higher color temperatures allow for better color acuity. 4000K provides a nice, balanced white that no longer has much of a yellow/orange bias, making it more easier to "see" colors properly.

Unless you're lighting an industrial area where "daylight" color is necessary, we strongly recommend staying below 4000K, especially for residential under cabinet lighting applications. This is simply because the rest of the kitchen and home likely has 2700K or 3000K lighting - if you suddenly install something too "cool" for the kitchen, you may end up with an unsightly color mismatch.

Below is an example of a kitchen whose under cabinet lighting color temperature is too high - it simply appears too blue and does not mesh well with the rest of the interior lighting.