Light from
the metal itself.
Hot steel emits visible light. As temperature rises, its glow becomes brighter and shifts through red, orange and yellow.
The forge notebook
Steel heat colorsAn incandescent study
STEEL,
IN HEAT.
Before a number, there is a color. Explore the visible glow of steel as it moves from a faint red toward a brilliant yellow.
Illustrative glowBright orange
600°C800°C1000°C1200°C
Light from
The orange region
An orange glow is easier to see than a faint red one, but its appearance still depends strongly on the light around it. The rendered color is an interpretation, not a temperature measurement.