What Is Full Spectrum Fluorescent Lighting

Indoor plants respond well to the full spectrum of these special bulbs.

What is full spectrum fluorescent lighting.

One of the claims often associated with full spectrum light sources is that they are most like natural daylight. Full spectrum is used to describe natural light like sunlight or artificial lights that produce a similar effect to sunlight. These bulbs can be useful for people sensitive to the colder colors of other fluorescent bulbs but they are used most often as grow lights. The lamps look white when unlit similar to typical fluorescent lamps.

Even lighting products that claim to contain full spectrum light particularly fluorescent lamps are lacking in certain colors especially deep red wavelengths. Full spectrum fluorescent lamps are also used by color scientists color matchers in paint stores and quilters and others working with fabrics or yarn when working under inadequate lighting conditions to assist in achieving the correct hues as they will later appear in daylight or under gallery lighting. Unlike full spectrum electric light sources however daylight does not have a fixed spectrum. Full spectrum light filters are a much more economical than daylight fluorescent bulbs and operate in the same way as full spectrum light bulbs.

It is only with this spectral similarity that a light source can effectively deliver the benefits of full spectrum lighting. Graphs of their outputs show spikes at various color temperatures while natural daylight shows more of a bell curve on a graph. They appear much whiter and closer to daylight than typical fluorescent lamps. Full spectrum light bulbs are available in several different forms including fluorescent.

Fluorescent full spectrum lamps the type originally developed don t present the different wavelengths of the spectrum evenly. Our fluorescent filters re purpose the light provided by your fluorescent bulbs providing the full spectrum of usable natural light. Some types of fluorescent bulbs produce full spectrum light which mimics the spectrum and color temperature of real daylight. Full spectrum fluorescent lighting uses a mix of phosphors in order to reach wider ranges of the kelvin color temperature scale.

To fully benefit from full spectrum lighting a light source s spectrum must be as close to natural daylight as possible. Origins of the term the term full spectrum was essentially made up by light bulb companies as a way to distinguish products that illuminate all colors from bulbs with a more limited range like soft white or cool white.