Chromilla paint mixing tool

How to Mix Charcoal in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix charcoal (#36454F) in acrylic, use 67% Viridian Green, 28% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% 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

Charcoal

#36454F

Predicted dry result

93% match when dry

Mix to #36454F while wet. It dries to about #343E45.

Charcoal in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentShare100 ml batch
Viridian GreenPG1867%67 ml
Ultramarine BluePB2928%28 ml
Cadmium RedPR1085%5 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 near-black charcoal gray with depth. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #36454F 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. Viridian Green

    PG18

    67%

  2. 2. Ultramarine Blue

    PB29

    28%

  3. 3. Cadmium Red

    PR108

    5%

What colors make Charcoal?

Viridian Green, Ultramarine Blue, and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 67:28:5 ratio.

How to make Charcoal in acrylic

Start with Viridian Green at about 67% as your acrylic base, then work in Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #36454F.

Why mix Charcoal instead of buying it

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

Variations on Charcoal

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 Charcoal

#4B5B65

96% Viridian Green and 4% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Charcoal

#22303A

95% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Charcoal

#384450

75% Ultramarine Blue, 16% Burnt Umber and 9% Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Charcoal

#384450

75% Ultramarine Blue, 16% Burnt Umber and 9% Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Charcoal questions

What two colors make charcoal?
Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 67% Viridian Green, 28% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Red. Viridian Green leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make charcoal paint lighter without losing the hue?
Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter charcoal (#4B5B65) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 96% Viridian Green and 4% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does charcoal 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 #36454F is predicted to dry to about #343E45. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for charcoal?
Chromilla uses #36454F as the target for charcoal. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #343E45.
Can I mix charcoal without black?
Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 67% Viridian Green, 28% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Red.

Charcoal in other mediums

  • Charcoal in Oil: 67% Viridian Green, 28% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Red, predicted 100% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
  • Charcoal in Watercolor: 67% Viridian Green, 28% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Red, predicted 94% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for charcoal

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

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Deep-dive guide

How to mix Charcoal, the long version

Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.

Read the guide

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.