What is CCT in LED Lights?

If you are scouting for LED lights, or have been working on a LED lighting project, you may have stumbled upon some terms and abbreviations that may not make sense to you. Take CCT for example, what is it?

CCT stands for Colour Correlated Temperature, which is a standard term used for lighting temperature. This is sometimes shortened to colour temperature or colour temp, which means the same thing.  

ADM has available LBY LED modules, LED strips and Neon Flex that come with a range of categories that describe the corresponding CCTs, to simplify selection of your lighting options.  

• 2700K to 3000K CCT – Warm White 
• 4000K CCT – Natural White 
• 6500K CCT – Pure White 
• 2700K to 6500K CCT – CCT Tunable (Tunable LED light) 

What is CCT used for? 

CCT indicates the hue or tone of your LED light, and is useful for when you are choosing a LED light that is suitable for your application.  

CCT is typically followed by four-digit numbers and the unit “K,” which denotes the range of temperature. The most common LED lights in the market ranges from 2700K to 6500K.  

K is shortcut for Kelvins, or the unit of measurement used to gauge light temperature. Lower Kelvins – such as 2700K to 3000K – are warmer lights commonly used for bedrooms, displays, shelf lighting, ceiling lighting, dining rooms and lounges.  

LED lights that typically fall within the middle range of 3500K to 4500K are more neutral lighting best used for kitchens, bathrooms, channel letters, light boxes, and task areas.  

And finally, those with higher Ks – 5000K to 6500K – are the cool/vibrant lights popular for outdoor use, such as store signs, signboards, billboards, and lighting for safety and security purposes. 

If you are unsure of the CCT or K units of an existing lighting fixture you need to replace, you can assess it by the colour it emits. Lower CCT/K tends to be yellowish, whereas those with higher CCT/K appear bluish. 

What is CCT Tunable LED Light? 

Some LED lights like the LBY LS-120-12V-5M-8MM-TW CCT LED Strip and LS-120-24V-5M-10MM-TW CCT LED Strip – when installed with the right dimming LED driver – can be adjusted not only according to colour temperature, but also to various brightness levels. These are what we call the CCT Tunable LED lights. You can refer to our previous blog here if you would like to know how to do this.  

Alternatively, contact our team at 1800 632 693 if you need more information or require assistance.