How to Mix Cadmium Yellow in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix cadmium yellow (#F1C11C) in acrylic, use 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna. That falls short: Chromilla's model predicts an 84% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out. Try the mixer with your own tubes. 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 Yellow

#F1C11C

Predicted dry result

84% match when dry

Mix to #ECBD10 while wet. It dries to about #D7AA0C.

Cadmium Yellow in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentShare100 ml batch
Cadmium YellowPY3596%96 ml
Burnt SiennaPBr74%4 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 mid yellow. Bright, covering, warm-leaning. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #F1C11C 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. 1. Cadmium Yellow

    PY35

    96%
  2. 2. Burnt Sienna

    PBr7

    4%

What colors make Cadmium Yellow?

Cadmium Yellow and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 96:4 ratio.

How to make Cadmium Yellow in acrylic

Start with Cadmium Yellow at about 96% as your acrylic base, then work in Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #F1C11C.

Why mix Cadmium Yellow instead of buying it

Mixing Cadmium Yellow yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Cadmium Yellow 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 Yellow is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.

Variations on Cadmium Yellow

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 Yellow

#FDDF8B

Not a confident recipe: the closest mix is 60% Titanium White, 37% Yellow Ochre and 3% Burnt Sienna, and chromilla's model predicts an 81% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Cadmium Yellow

#D3A80B

3 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Cadmium Yellow

#FDBA41

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

Cooler Cadmium Yellow

#DDCA28

6 parts Cadmium Yellow, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Raw Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cadmium Yellow questions

What two colors make cadmium yellow?
In acrylic, Cadmium Yellow and Burnt Sienna: 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 84% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make cadmium yellow paint lighter without losing the hue?
Lighten in small steps and compare against the target each time. Chromilla's palette struggles with a lighter cadmium yellow (#FDDF8B) in acrylic: Chromilla's model predicts an 81% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does cadmium yellow 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 #ECBD10 is predicted to dry to about #D7AA0C. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for cadmium yellow?
Chromilla uses #F1C11C as the target for cadmium yellow. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #D7AA0C.
Can I mix cadmium yellow without black?
Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna.

Cadmium Yellow in other mediums

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Cadmium Yellow + 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.