What CRI Means For Retail And Hospitality Lighting
CRI is the number that decides whether merchandise looks like the catalogue. Here is what to specify and why the difference between 80 and 90 is visible.
CRI In One Paragraph
Colour Rendering Index scores how faithfully a light source shows colour against a reference. It runs to 100. Above 80 is acceptable for circulation and back of house. Above 90 is what colour-critical retail, hospitality and gallery work needs, and it is where reds and skin tones stop looking washed out.
Where The Difference Shows Up
Deep reds, browns and skin tones are the first casualties of a low CRI source. A burgundy coat under CRI 80 lighting reads as a muddy brown; the customer notices the mismatch when they get outside. Fresh meat, bakery and produce show the same problem, which is why supermarket display lighting is worth specifying separately from aisle lighting.
What We Supply
Our CREE-based track heads run CRI above 90. The COB and SMD downlight ranges run above 80, which is the right level for corridors, circulation and back of house. Mixing the two deliberately by area is usually cheaper than putting CRI 90 everywhere.
CRI Is Not The Same As Colour Temperature
Colour temperature says whether the light is warm or cool: 2700K is warm, 4000K is neutral, 6000K is cold. CRI says how accurately colour is rendered at whatever temperature you chose. A 3000K source can have poor CRI and a 6000K source can have excellent CRI. Specify both.
Ask For The Chip, Not Just The Number
CRI figures are only as good as the testing behind them. Ask which LED chip is used and which driver. We build with CREE, Osram and Epistar chips and Lifud drivers, and the chip is stated on every product page specification table.
Fixtures Mentioned In This Guide
Industries And Solutions
Retail Store Lighting
Track and downlight packages for fashion, jewellery and speciality retail where merchandise colour has to survive the lighting.
Supermarket Lighting
High-output track heads and recessed downlights for fresh food, aisles and back of house on separate switched circuits.
Hotel And Hospitality Lighting
Low-glare recessed downlights and aimable track heads for lobbies, corridors, guestrooms and restaurants.
Lighting Design And Photometric Support
IES files and Dialux calculations before you commit to a head count, so the layout is proved on paper first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CRI should I specify for a clothing store?
Above 90. Below that, deep reds and skin tones shift noticeably between the shop floor and daylight.
Is CRI above 80 ever enough?
Yes, for circulation, back of house, car parks and storage. Spending on CRI 90 there rarely pays back.
Which of your fixtures reach CRI above 90?
The CREE-based track heads. Each product page states the CRI and the chip in the specification table.
Does high CRI reduce light output?
For the same chip family, higher CRI usually comes with slightly lower efficacy. Our CRI 90 track heads are rated at 80 to 90 lumens per watt at fixture level.
Send Us The Project And We Will Check The Specification
Ceiling plan, ceiling height, target lux level and what is on display. We will return a fixture schedule with beam angles.