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FOR THE LOVE OF COLOR

ULTRA HIGH CRI LED LIGHTING

High CRI brings out true colors

A red apple appears red because it reflects red wavelengths, but absorbs others.

But not all white light sources have the same amount of red wavelength light.

As a result, under different light sources, a red apple can reflect different amounts of red light, changing its appearance.

The Color Rendering Index (CRI) measures the ability of a light source to bring out the true colors of an object. Without a high CRI light source, objects can appear faded, dull or inaccurate.

More on CRI →

High CRI brings out true colors

A red apple appears red because it reflects red wavelengths, but absorbs others.

But not all white light sources have the same amount of red wavelength light.

As a result, under different light sources, a red apple can reflect different amounts of red light, changing its appearance.

The Color Rendering Index (CRI) measures the ability of a light source to bring out the true colors of an object.

Without a high CRI light source, objects can appear faded, dull or inaccurate.

More on CRI →
  • R1
  • R2
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  • R6
  • R7
  • R8
  • R9
  • R10
  • R11
  • R12
  • R13
  • R14
  • R15

What is considered high CRI?

CRI is calculated as a value with a maximum possible score of 100. A CRI score of 95 or above is considered very high, and indicates that a light source will make objects appear very similar to how they would look under natural lighting conditions.

CRI can be further broken down into sub-scores known as "R" values, which also have a maximum of 100. Each R value represents the light source's color rendering ability for a particular color or shade.

The most common definition of CRI Ra is simply an average of the first 8 R values (R1 through R8). Other R values such as R9 and R12 are critical color samples that represent deep red and saturated blue, but are unfortunately not included in the regular CRI Ra calculation.

More on CRI R9 →

Perfect Color Rendering - 99 CRI

Waveform Lighting's ABSOLUTE SERIES™ LED lamps have up to 99 CRI (Ra).

This means that our lights are virtually indistinguishable from daylight.

Compare our CRI R values to other light sources by clicking the corresponding buttons below.








  • Score:
  • 25
  • 50
  • 75
  • 100
  • R1
  • R2
  • R3
  • R4
  • R5
  • R6
  • R7
  • R8
  • R9
  • R10
  • R11
  • R12
  • R13
  • R14
  • R15


Individual R Values for Waveform Lighting 99 CRI

★★★★★

"The lights produce a color spectrum unmatched by any other LED I have tried. If you have a high end home, there is no better option on the market."

Our high CRI recipe

Some of the richest, most vivid colors we see require sufficient red wavelength energy to be revealed.

Red wavelength light is plentiful in natural light, but unfortunately not the most efficient for illumination - and as a result, most LED manufacturers will reduce the amount of red light in favor of green owing to its higher efficacy.

When it comes to color rendering, however, the over-representation of yellow, amber and green wavelengths causes a significant distortion in the way objects appear, and this is reflected in low CRI values for standard LED products.

By incorporating additional high-efficiency red phosphor in our LED manufacturing process, we are able to improve our spectral composition and create white light that more closely resembles natural light. As a result, our CRI numbers approach 100, indicating that it is almost indistinguishable from natural lighting.

How does high CRI relate to color temperature?

Color temperature, commonly abbreviated CCT, can make understanding the concept of high color rendering a bit confusing. After all, color temperature describes the color of white that is emitted from a light source, and has a direct and more immediate influence on the appearance of an object.

The critical difference is that CRI describes the similarity between a light source and a reference source (such as daylight) at the same color temperature. For example, a 5000K LED's color rendering performance would be compared to 5000K daylight, not a 3000K halogen lamp.

Adjust the sliders below for a visual demonstration of CRI vs CCT in action, or read more here.


Warmer ← CCT → Cooler


Lower ← CRI → Higher


Compare our spectral power distribution

Achieving high CRI is not as simple as pursuing incremental improvements in the R values that make up the index. The spectral power distribution (SPD) of a light source ultimately determines its color rendering ability, so no color quality analysis is complete without comparing the SPDs.








CCT:  | CRI (Ra):  | R9: 

Interested in a custom or multi-channel LED solution? Check out our online LED spectrum simulator.

Build your own SPD

Unparalleled color consistency

When we talk about light quality, color rendering is just half the story. Even high CRI lights are subject to color variability at the time of manufacture, and different manufacturers will maintain different tolerances on their color temperature claims, typically in some form of CCT range. Unfortunately, this is not a useful measure of color difference perceptibility.

We take it a step further and use standard deviation color matching (SDCM) to control our color variation. Most manufacturers and even ANSI/EnergyStar utilize quadrangle bins that correspond to 5-step and 7-step SDCM ellipses or larger, and this can create significant color variation between lamps.

At Waveform Lighting, we have developed and defined premium chromaticity bins that exactly correspond to 1-step and 3-step SDCM ellipses - a level where even the most perceptive among us cannot tell the difference in color.

★★★★★

"Great bulb...Looks fantastic and gives a light as good as incandescent. "


Ultra High CRI LED Product Types


A19 LED Bulbs

BR30 LED Bulbs

T5 & T8 LED Tubes

LED Strips


★★★★★

"The color rendering is crisp, sharp and as true to the same colors in natural light as any light source I've tried in 35 years. "

ABSOLUTE SERIES™ 99 CRI

Waveform Lighting's ABSOLUTE SERIES™ technology is the LED industry's first LED product to achieve 99 CRI at D50 5000K and D65 6500K. The 99 CRI rating indicates that the emitted light is quantitatively near-identical to natural daylight.

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ABSOLUTE SERIES™ 99 CRI

Waveform Lighting's ABSOLUTE SERIES™ technology is the LED industry's first LED product to achieve 99 CRI at D50 5000K and D65 6500K. The 99 CRI rating indicates that the emitted light is quantitatively near-identical to natural daylight.

Learn More

Ultra High CRI Products for Film & Photography Lighting

Quality photography begins with quality lighting. Skin tones will appear more lively and natural under high CRI LED lights. Without sufficient light quality, no amount of post production color correction can fix your image.

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Ultra High CRI Products for Home & Residential Lighting

You spend most of your evening hours at home - so why would you settle for mediocre lighting? Ultra high CRI LED lights for your home can bring out vibrant colors across your home - from your kitchen, work area and your living room.

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Ultra High CRI Products for Home & Residential Lighting

You spend most of your evening hours at home - so why would you settle for mediocre lighting? Ultra high CRI LED lights for your home can bring out vibrant colors across your home - from your kitchen, work area and your living room.

Learn More

Ultra High CRI Products for Horticulture and Plant Lighting

High CRI light sources are excellent for horticultural and plant grow lighting applications. Our 4000K and 6500K full-spectrum high CRI LED lights provide the optimal spectrum for healthy and vigorous growth.

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Want to learn more?

Visit our product support center to learn more about our products. Download spec sheets, test reports and reach out to us with any questions.


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