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Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology pp 817–820Cite as

Kruithof Curve

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Definition

“Kruithof’s graph,” as published in 1941 by Kruithof, that shows, for general lighting in interiors, what combinations of illuminance level and correlated color temperature result in a “pleasing” or “not pleasing” assessment by persons in that interior.

Preferred Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) for General Lighting in Interiors

Around the time of the introduction of tubular fluorescent lamps in the early 1940s, Kruithof was the first who carried out a study on preferred correlated color temperature (CCT) for interior lighting. He investigated the relationship between lighting level in an interior and the CCT of the light sources used, on the assessment of people in terms of pleasantness [1]. His study received much recognition, although many subsequent researchers got inconsistent results. It must be realized that not only the lighting level but aspects as climatic conditions and cultural background influence the preferred illuminance as well.

Lighting not only has a...

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References

  1. Kruithof, A.A.: Tubular luminescence lamps for general illumination. Philips Tech. Rev. 6, 65–96 (1941)

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  2. Van Bommel, W.J.M., van den Beld, G.J.: Lighting for work, a review of visual and biological effects. Light Res. Technol. 36, 255–269 (2004)

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  3. De Boer, J.B., Fischer, D.: Interior Lighting, 2nd edn. Kluwer Technische Boeken, Deventer (1981)

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  4. Mills, P.R., Tomkins, S.C., Schlangen, L.J.M.: The effect of high correlated colour temperature office lighting on employee wellbeing and work performance. J. Circadian. Rhythm. 5, 2 (2007)

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  5. Boyce, P.R., Cuttle, C.: Effect of correlated color temperature on the perception of interiors and color discrimination performance. Light Res. Technol. 22, 19–36 (1990)

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  6. Vienot, F., Durand, M., Mahler, E.: Kruithof’s rule revisited using LED illumination. J. Mod. Opt. 56, 1433–1446 (2009)

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  7. CIE Publication: Ocular Lighting Effects on Human Physiology and Behaviour, vol. 158. International Commission on Illumination, CIE, Vienna (2004)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andoornstraat 16, 5672, Nuenen, The Netherlands

    Wout van Bommel

Authors
  1. Wout van Bommel
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Correspondence to Wout van Bommel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Modern, Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Ming Ronnier Luo

  2. School of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Ming Ronnier Luo

  3. Graduate Institute of Colour and Illumination, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Ming Ronnier Luo

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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van Bommel, W. (2016). Kruithof Curve. In: Luo, M.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8071-7_135

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