Q: What Temperature Do My Headlights and Taillights Reach When On?

asked by on November 18, 2015

What temperature do my headlights and taillights reach when on?

If you mean the actual temperature of a halogen headlight bulb, it’s approximately 300C (572F) according to lighting experts at HELLA Automotive.

However, you may be referring to the more commonly used color temperature ratings used to express the color of light emitted by headlights. The Kelvin scale is used to rate the color of light emitted by a source such as automotive headlight bulbs. On the Kelvin (K) scale lower numbers are a warmer colored light and higher numbers have a more blue look, like some xenon lights. The color temperature of conventional halogen headlight bulbs are about 3000K; direct sunlight is 4500-5500K; while lights 6000K and above have a distinctive blue hue.

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