What two colors make mustard?

Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow. Raw Umber 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 mustard 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 #BF9A2F is predicted to dry to about #AF8B28. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for mustard?

Chromilla uses #C29A2E as the target for mustard. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #AF8B28.

Can I mix mustard without black?

Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow.

How to Mix Mustard in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix mustard (#C29A2E) in acrylic, use 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow. 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.

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Target

Mustard

#C29A2E

Predicted dry result

87% match when dry

Mix to #BF9A2F while wet. It dries to about #AF8B28.

Mustard in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Raw Umber	PBr7	5	45%	45 ml
Titanium White	PW6	4	36%	36 ml
Cadmium Yellow	PY35	2	19%	19 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 muted yellow-gold mustard. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #C29A2E 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. Raw Umber
PBr7
45%
2. Titanium White
PW6
36%
3. Cadmium Yellow
PY35
19%

What colors make Mustard?

Raw Umber, Titanium White, and Cadmium Yellow, in roughly a 45:36:19 ratio.

How to make Mustard in acrylic

Start with Raw Umber at about 45% as your acrylic base, then work in Titanium White and Cadmium Yellow in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #C29A2E.

Why mix Mustard instead of buying it

Mixing Mustard yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Mustard 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

White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Mustard

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 Mustard

#DCB34C

10 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part 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 Mustard

#A6821E

2 parts Cadmium Yellow to 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.

Warmer Mustard

#CE9334

95% Yellow Ochre and 5% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Mustard

#B4A131

94% Yellow Ochre and 6% Viridian Green. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Mustard questions

What two colors make mustard?: Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow. Raw Umber 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 mustard paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter mustard (#DCB34C) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 10 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part 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 mustard 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 #BF9A2F is predicted to dry to about #AF8B28. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for mustard?: Chromilla uses #C29A2E as the target for mustard. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #AF8B28.
Can I mix mustard without black?: Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow.

Mustard in other mediums

Mustard in Oil: 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Mustard in Watercolor: 5 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow, predicted 88% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for mustard

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

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Deep-dive guide

How to mix Mustard Yellow, 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.