How do I choose the right CRI LED strip — blue-excited or violet-excited?
Ask what the light is being judged by. If a camera, a pigment, a fabric or a patient's skin is the reference, choose violet excitation: smoother 420-500 nm output, TM-30 Rf near 93, at 80-110 lm/W. If the reference is a watts-per-metre budget, an ErP label or a long architectural run, choose blue excitation: the same Ra 95 and R9 above 90 at 120-140 lm/W. Both are built on identical FPCB stack-ups, so mixing the two families inside one scheme is normal practice.
A decision table you can put in a spec
Both families sit inside one series now, so the choice is a die-and-phosphor line item rather than a different product. Write it into the schedule as an excitation type alongside CCT, CRI and density.
- Colour-critical task (pigments, fabric, skin, food styling) → violet excitation
- Whole-floor architectural lighting with an energy budget → blue excitation
- Conservation or archive spaces with UV limits → violet excitation
- ErP-labelled luminaire or long connected runs → blue excitation
- Mixed brief → violet in the vitrine or task zone, blue in the surrounding cove
What does not change between the two
Widths from 8 mm to 20 mm, densities from 60 to 700 LEDs per metre, 2 oz and 3 oz copper, IP20 through IP68, constant-voltage and constant-current architectures, and 24V or 48V input are all available on either excitation type. Cut units, connectors and profile compatibility are identical, so a late change of excitation does not disturb the rest of the schedule.
Both ship with measured SPD data at 5 nm resolution and a TM-30 report per production lot, so a specifier can verify the curve before installation rather than after.
Industry references and standards
- Metrology & laboratories — ANSI/IES TM-30 Colour Rendition Method — Rf / Rg fidelity and gamut metrics quoted throughout our spectral data.
- Museums & conservation — CIE 157: Control of Damage to Museum Objects by Optical Radiation — Exposure limits and damage factors used by museum lighting schedules.
- Metrology & laboratories — NIST Optical Radiation Measurement — Traceable photometric and spectroradiometric measurement references.
More full spectrum answers
- What is the difference between a high CRI LED strip and a full spectrum LED strip?
- Is violet-excited high CRI LED lighting better than a normal blue-chip white LED?
- Is 90 CRI enough, or do you need a 95 or 98 CRI LED strip?
- Which high density LED strip stops you seeing dots in a shallow cove?
- Are high CRI LED strips available in 24V, and do they dim without changing colour?
- Can you use a full spectrum LED strip to grow plants?