Colour temperature describes the warm, neutral or cool appearance of white light.
Colour temperature is a kelvin value for the appearance of white light. It does not describe brightness, colour rendering quality or glare.
Technical meaning
Colour temperature, often written as CCT, describes whether white light appears warm, neutral or cool on a kelvin scale.
Lower kelvin values usually look warmer and more amber, while higher values usually look cooler and bluer.
Calculation use
Colour temperature helps a lighting estimate record the intended visual appearance beside the lumen, lux and beam assumptions.
CCT can guide room-by-room selection notes, but it does not increase the calculated light output or replace a lux target.
Not the same as
Colour temperature is not brightness. A 3000 K and 4000 K lamp can have the same lumen output.
Colour temperature is not colour rendering quality. CRI or other rendering measures must be read separately.
Australian context
Australian lighting notes commonly separate warm residential ambience, neutral work areas and cooler utility tasks while still checking glare, output and rendering separately.
Examples
Example
Value
Planning note
Warm white
2700-3000 K
Often used for relaxed residential ambience when the required output is checked separately.
Neutral white
3500-4000 K
Common for kitchens, offices and general task areas where appearance should feel clean without relying on CCT for brightness.
Cool white
5000 K+
Can suit utility or inspection tasks, but glare control and colour rendering still need separate attention.