Why does cadmium red 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 #D52C1C is predicted to dry to about #C32817. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for cadmium red?

Chromilla uses #D5301A as the target for cadmium red. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #C32817.

Can I mix cadmium red without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 6 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Burnt Sienna.

How to Mix Cadmium Red in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix cadmium red (#D5301A) in acrylic, use 6 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% 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.

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Target

Cadmium Red

#D5301A

Predicted dry result

89% match when dry

Mix to #D52C1C while wet. It dries to about #C32817.

Cadmium Red in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Cadmium Red	PR108	6	86%	86 ml
Burnt Sienna	PBr7	1	14%	14 ml

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: Tinting strength, Dry shift, Kubelka-Munk, Delta E (dE2000), Pigment code, Gamut.

A dense, opaque, slightly warm red, bright and covering. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #D5301A in acrylic, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for acrylic. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

1. Cadmium Red
PR108
86%
2. Burnt Sienna
PBr7
14%

What colors make Cadmium Red?

Cadmium Red and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 86:14 ratio.

How to make Cadmium Red in acrylic

Start with Cadmium Red at about 86% as your acrylic base, then work in Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #D5301A.

Why mix Cadmium Red instead of buying it

Mixing Cadmium Red yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Cadmium Red across paint brands whose factory tubes differ, and rebuild the exact color when you run out mid painting. The recipe above is the working starting point.

Common mistakes

Overshooting on Cadmium Red is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.

Variations on Cadmium Red

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 Cadmium Red

#F24E37

7 parts Cadmium Red to 3 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Cadmium Red

#B21A04

5 parts Cadmium Yellow to 4 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Cadmium Red

#D52F24

93% Cadmium Red and 7% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Cadmium Red

#D52A44

5 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cadmium Red questions

What two colors make cadmium red?: In acrylic, Cadmium Red and Burnt Sienna: 6 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make cadmium red paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter cadmium red (#F24E37) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 7 parts Cadmium Red to 3 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does cadmium red 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 #D52C1C is predicted to dry to about #C32817. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for cadmium red?: Chromilla uses #D5301A as the target for cadmium red. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #C32817.
Can I mix cadmium red without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 6 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Burnt Sienna.

Cadmium Red in other mediums

Cadmium Red in Oil: 6 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Burnt Sienna, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Cadmium Red in Watercolor: 6 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Burnt Sienna, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Cadmium Red + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

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Technique guides for this color

Related mixing guides

Pigment mixing is subtractive, so small ratio changes matter. The mixer refines this recipe to your brand and updates on the fly.