Ask ten detailers what colour temperature their bay runs at and you will get four answers and two arguments. Here is what each option actually does, and why the right answer depends on which part of the job you care most about.
A quick refresher
Colour temperature is measured in Kelvin. Lower numbers are warmer and more orange. Higher numbers are cooler and more blue.
- 4000K is neutral white. Slightly warm, easy on the eye.
- 5000K is close to average midday daylight. Neutral and accurate.
- 6500K is cool daylight, similar to an overcast sky. Crisp and slightly blue.
Crucially, colour temperature is not the same as CRI. A 6500K light with poor colour rendering is still a bad light. Sort CRI first, then choose Kelvin.
4000K: the comfortable compromise
Good for: reception areas, offices, customer waiting spaces, and units where staff spend long days and complain about eye strain.
Not good for: correction work. At 4000K, subtle defects are harder to pick out and the bay reads as slightly yellow in photographs, which means every image needs white balance work.
Verdict: fine for the parts of your unit that are not bays. Wrong for the bay itself.
5000K: the accuracy choice
Good for: colour matching, paint work, wrapping and any job where you need to see the true colour of something.
5000K is the reference standard in industries that care about colour accuracy, which is why body shops and paint mixing rooms tend to sit here. If you are matching a wrap to a paint colour or assessing a blend, this is the most honest light in the building.
Not quite ideal for: maximum defect contrast, where slightly cooler light tends to pop marring a little more clearly.
Verdict: the best single choice if you do colour critical work alongside correction.
6500K: the detailing default
Good for: defect detection, gloss assessment, and that clean clinical studio look that dominates detailing content.
Most dedicated detailing units run at or near 6500K. Cooler light gives good contrast on fine marring, makes gloss read more clearly, and photographs as crisp white rather than cream. It also pairs well visually with grey flooring, black cabinets and a hexagon ceiling grid, which is why it is the look you keep seeing.
Not good for: long days if the light is poorly diffused, because harsh cool light with visible glare is genuinely tiring. Diffusion matters more at 6500K than anywhere else.
Verdict: the right default for a correction bay.
The practical recommendation
Zone it. Different parts of a unit want different light and there is no rule saying one building has one colour temperature.
- Correction and inspection bay: 5000K to 6500K, CRI 90 or above
- Wash bay: 5000K to 6500K, appropriately IP rated, CRI less critical
- Bench and workshop area: 5000K
- Customer and office areas: 4000K, or warmer if you want it to feel welcoming
The one thing to avoid is mixing colour temperatures within a single field of view. Two different whites in one photograph look like a mistake, and they make white balance correction a nuisance.
Why adjustable kits are worth it
A fitting with selectable colour temperature lets you run cool for work and warmer for customer facing moments or content where you want a different mood. Given the choice, take adjustable, because opinions on this change once you have lived with a bay for six months.
A note on RGB
Colour effects have their place. They look excellent behind the scenes, in reveal content, and in a customer facing area where the space is being shown off rather than worked in.
They have no place during correction or inspection. Coloured light destroys your ability to judge paint colour and gloss, and any photograph taken under it is unusable as a portfolio image. Keep the effects on a separate switch.
Frequently asked questions
What Kelvin is natural daylight?
It varies. Direct midday sun is around 5000K to 5500K, an overcast sky is around 6500K to 7500K, and late afternoon sun can drop below 3000K. This is why no single bay setting perfectly replicates daylight, and why the final check outdoors still matters.
Is 6500K bad for your eyes?
Not inherently. Discomfort usually comes from glare and poor diffusion rather than colour temperature. A well diffused 6500K panel is comfortable to work under all day.
Does colour temperature affect running cost?
No. Two panels of the same wattage cost the same to run regardless of Kelvin.
Browse hexagon lighting and tunnel lighting with full specifications listed, or ask us which option suits the work you do.