Warm White vs. Soft White: What is the Difference?

It is easy to get confused between soft white and warm white light bulbs, so what is the difference between soft white and warm white? They both may seem like they are the same, but there are some differences such as color temperature color temperature and if it will work in your home or not.

Warm White vs Soft White LED

LED Light bulbs offer a choice of types of white light, depending on what you are looking for. Each type is characterized by a tone of white which is quantified by a degree of kelvin which is the unit of measurement for the color temperature.

When comparing warm white vs soft whitle light bulbs, the terms soft white light and warm white light are very closely linked but certainly not classified by their description.

Manufacturer’s of lighting use a variety of descriptive names to describe tones of white lighting and in some cases the terms soft and warm can even be swapped around.

So to be perfectly clear the color temperature is always the more accurate description to choose by.

What is White Light?

White light is a combination of all colors in the visible spectrum. The color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). It refers to how warm or cool something appears when lit by that source, i.e., candles are around 1800-2000 K while sunlight on an overcast day might be as low as 4000 K and regular light bulbs around 2700 K.

Color Temperature

The color temperature is the measure of color that indicates how warm or cold a light source appears. The higher the number, the warmer it will appear; conversely, lower numbers indicate cooler lighting which might seem more blue in tone.

When choosing your bulb, manufacturers tend to match these descriptions of white light with temperature:

• Soft White (2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin) make people feel cozy and warm. It is best for living rooms and bedrooms.
• Warm White (3,000 to 4,000 Kelvin) is more yellowish-white. These bulbs are best for kitchens and bathrooms.
• Cool White (4000K to 5000K) is a cooler white that contains more blue light and gives a brighter feel best suited to bathrooms and offices.
• Daylight White (5000K to 6500K) is a very cool white containing a very blue tone. This is an unflattering light.

We created a test video to show you the difference between the light from a soft white 2700K downlight and a warm white 3000K downlight. You can really see the difference between the goldy tones of the soft white against the slightly cooler warm white.

Lumens

The brightness of all light can be measured by lumens. Be sure to check out the light output of your bulb choice to ensure it’s not too bright or indeed will create enough of the light you’ll need in your choice of lighting product.

Watts

Forget watts as a measurement of warm white light or soft white light output when using LED as your lighting source as it only shows how much energy you’ll be using, not how much light you will see as has been the assumption up until recent times.

GE Relax 100W Equiv. Dimmable Soft White LED Bulb

Soft white 2700K all frosted glass A21 shaped E26 base. 100 Watt replacement 13.5 Watts (1600 lumens). Branded quality for good dimming with most dimmer switches.

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GE Brand Quality Dimming

Now that you understand the difference between warm and soft, let’s review which one is best for your home. If you are a fan of traditional lighting in a room, then go with soft light bulbs because they offer a warmer glow than cool whites or daylight lights.

Soft White vs Warm White

Soft vs warm light is all about the feeling of these inviting light qualities.

Soft white light bulbs offer a warmer glow to the room, which is great for the areas to relax in, lounges and late night dining. Warm white lights have slightly less yellowish amber tint than soft whites in their color temperature.

If you are someone who loves modern spaces and bright open environments then cool white bulbs might be for you. They provide a brighter lamp which helps with tasks like reading or typing on screens, whereas softer lights make it difficult to see these things as well as they should be.

If your home or office has been using soft white, then warm whites would be a great way to give it a new look and feel. It is the opposite if you have been using warm white light bulbs in your home or office, but now want something with a more traditional design.

Philips LED Dimmable Warm Glow Effect A19 Bulb

Warm Glow Effect provide 800 lumens of soft white light. Warm Glow dimming offers flicker free, silent dimming that works with more dimmer switches than any other LED on the market; The more you dim, the warmer the light from 2200 to 2700 kelvin just like traditional incandescent light bulbs.

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Warms Color as Dimmed

LED Soft White vs Warm White

LED as a source of light can produce a different type of warm white and soft white than maybe you were once used to, as LED is also dependent on CRI. The Color Rendering Index plays a part in how well light re-creates the color of what it is illuminating, so the higher the CRI rating on the better the color you see.

LED soft white and LED Warm White need to have over 80Ra to be acceptable as a good white light.

Take a look at soft white vs daylight for another comparison.

To conclude, there is no such thing as an exact definition of soft white or warm white. Ultimately, it is what you prefer and feel comfortable with that will determine which one to go for.

Andrew Orange, the owner of Orange Lighting qualified and worked as an interior designer in 1993 before specialising in lighting working on high profile projects based in London. Since starting Orange Lighting Ltd in 2003 he has been sharing his knowledge and unique teaching style mostly to his designer clients, offering practical real life advice born from running a busy consultancy and lighting supply business. Launching in 2020, his blog has evolved into Quick & Easy Lighting, curating some 25 years design experience into making the lighting choice and design process achievable and easy to understand for all.