What two colors make chartreuse?

Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre. Cadmium Yellow leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Why does chartreuse look different when acrylic dries?

Acrylic binder looks milky while wet and clears as it dries, so the dried film reads darker. Chromilla's model applies a 10% value shift for acrylic, so the wet mix #8EB615 is predicted to dry to about #83A411. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for chartreuse?

Chromilla uses #8DB600 as the target for chartreuse. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #83A411.

Can I mix chartreuse without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre.

How to mix

Chartreuse paint in acrylic, oil and watercolor, compared

Real pigment ratios for chartreuse (#8DB600) in acrylic, oil and watercolor. The recipes below come straight from Chromilla’s mixer, calibrated to real manufacturer paint data.

Quick answer

To mix chartreuse (#8DB600) in acrylic (oil and watercolor are compared below), use 7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Chromilla is a web-based paint color mixer that turns any color, from a photo, the camera or a hex code, into exact paint-tube ratios for acrylic, oil and watercolor, using Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing and aiming at the color after it dries.

Chartreuse in acrylic, oil and watercolor, side by side (dry match by Chromilla's color model, not a measured paint-out)
Medium	Tubes and parts	Predicted dry match	Drying
Acrylic	7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre	87%	Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
Oil	7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre	98%	Dries true to color.
Watercolor	7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre	89%	Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

How we calculated this: Kubelka-Munk pigment mixing, then a per-medium dry shift, scored with CIEDE2000. Method and accuracy benchmark. Last checked August 2026.

Terms used here: Dry shift, Value, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Transparency, Pigment code, Tint.

Target color

Chartreuse

#8DB600

Live mixer

Open this color in the mixer

The Chromilla mixer is pre-loaded with #8DB600. Change your brand, medium or palette and the recipe updates instantly.

Open in mixer

Recipes by medium

Checked August 2026

Generic pigment ratios, the same ones the Chromilla mixer solves for. Open the mixer to swap in your own brand and tubes.

acrylic

Pigment recipe

87% when dry

Wet mix

#8EB615

1. Cadmium Yellow (PY35)53%
2. Viridian Green (PG18)25%
3. Yellow Ochre (PY43)22%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

oil

Pigment recipe

98% when dry

Wet mix

#8EB615

1. Cadmium Yellow (PY35)53%
2. Viridian Green (PG18)25%
3. Yellow Ochre (PY43)22%

Dry-down

Dries true to color.

watercolour

Pigment recipe

89% when dry

Wet mix

#8EB615

1. Cadmium Yellow (PY35)53%
2. Viridian Green (PG18)25%
3. Yellow Ochre (PY43)22%

Dry-down

Dries slightly darker and a touch cooler.

Common mistakes when mixing chartreuse

Chartreuse sits exactly between yellow and green, and the mistake is treating it as a green with more yellow in it, when it mixes better as a yellow with just enough green to pull it off pure. Start from your strongest yellow and add green in small amounts, watching closely, since chartreuse tips into plain yellow-green faster than most painters expect. Too much green and you lose the electric quality that makes chartreuse chartreuse.

Why the three mediums differ for chartreuse

acrylic carries a 10% value shift on drying in Chromilla's model (dries slightly darker and a touch warmer), so the acrylic mix is predicted to dry to #83A411.
oil dries true to color in Chromilla's model, so the oil mix is predicted to dry to #8EB615.
watercolor carries a 8% value shift on drying in Chromilla's model (dries slightly darker and a touch cooler), so the watercolor mix is predicted to dry to #82A715.
In watercolor the paper is the white, so lighter versions come from adding water rather than white paint.

Acrylic recipe in detail

Chartreuse in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Cadmium Yellow	PY35	7	53%	53 ml
Viridian Green	PG18	3	25%	25 ml
Yellow Ochre	PY43	3	22%	22 ml

Variations on Chartreuse (acrylic)

Each variation is its own target (lighter and darker move OKLCH lightness by 0.08; warmer and cooler turn the hue 12 degrees toward red or blue), solved fresh.

Lighter Chartreuse

#A5D037

4 parts Viridian Green, 3 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Chartreuse

#799B18

12 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Chartreuse

#A7AD1F

11 parts Yellow Ochre, 6 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Chartreuse

#6CBD3E

11 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 1 part Phthalo Blue and 1 part Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Chartreuse questions

What two colors make chartreuse?: Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre. Cadmium Yellow leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make chartreuse paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter chartreuse (#A5D037) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 4 parts Viridian Green, 3 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does chartreuse look different when acrylic dries?: Acrylic binder looks milky while wet and clears as it dries, so the dried film reads darker. Chromilla's model applies a 10% value shift for acrylic, so the wet mix #8EB615 is predicted to dry to about #83A411. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for chartreuse?: Chromilla uses #8DB600 as the target for chartreuse. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #83A411.
Can I mix chartreuse without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 7 parts Cadmium Yellow, 3 parts Viridian Green and 3 parts Yellow Ochre.

Related colors

More colours to try once you have chartreuse sorted.