HID XENON LIGHTS & Color Temperature - What Do 5000K, 6000K, 8000K, 10000K, 12000K Mean?

This article explains the basics of color temperature and its relation to HID Xenon Lights. HID Xenon and Bi Xenon 3000K, 5000K, 6000K, 8000K, 10000K, 12000K, 15000K Lights chart and color codes are included. Below is a list of bullets of the topics discussed.

• Color Temperature
• The Color Temperature Chart (Kelvin Scale)
• HID Xenon Light Bulbs

Color Temperature

Color temperature is a characteristic of light that is sometimes misunderstood as brightness, when it's more closely related to cool and warm color tones of light. While cool and warm are words used to describe a light's temperature, it is not how it gets its name. The term temperature when referring to light comes from the idea that there is a black body object that absorbs all wavelengths of light. This theoretical object that you can't physically see is what generates light when it is heated. The black body becomes exited and begins to essentially expel light radially. As the temperature reaches around 1000 degrees Kelvin (a measurement scale invented by Lord Kelvin) the black body becomes visible in the red end of the light spectrum. As it's heated the light color changes towards the cooler tones. So the term color temperature refers to the color that is associated with the amount of heat needed to produce a color.

These cooler tones emit a brighter light that is very useful when making automotive headlights because it increases visibility and thus safety.

Color Temperature Chart

The color temperature chart in this article (you may need to click the image to enlarge it) indicates which color corresponds to the degree in Kelvins of color temperature. Most HID Xenon Lights are either 5000K or 6000K for standard running and hi beam lights. 3000K HID lights are for fog lights and 15000K hid lights and higher can be used for ground kits, accent lighting and more. Below is a text color temperature chart indicating roughly which color will be produced. However, aftermarket HID xenon light kits vary in production quality so results will most definitely vary, meaning if you get the knock off versions you might not get the color you are expecting.

• 5000K HID - White
• 6000K HID - Blue/White
• 8000K HID - Blue
• 10,000K HID - Blue/Purple
• 12,000K HID - Purple
• 15,000K HID - More Purple

HID Light Bulbs

HID light bulbs are not your typical light bulbs. HID stands for high intensity discharge. HID bulbs are built differently than normal light bulb in that there is no filament that heats up when the light is turned on. Rather there is an arc tube which has two electrodes inside with a small gap between them. When a high voltage is applied to the current it causes it to jump, or arc, across the gap. The electricity that is shooting across the gap is contained in a vacuum tube filled with xenon gas. Like the black bodies mentioned above the xenon becomes excited when heat, in this case electricity, is applied. Depending on how high the gas is being heated will the color be determined.

Information in this article was sourced from the HID Lighthouse (http://hidlighthouse.com)