What two colors make neutral gray?

Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Why does neutral gray 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 #8A8B8B is predicted to dry to about #7F7D7B. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.

What is the hex code for neutral gray?

Chromilla uses #8A8A8A as the target for neutral gray. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #7F7D7B.

How to Mix Neutral Gray in Acrylic

Quick answer

To mix neutral gray (#8A8A8A) in acrylic, use 9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black 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. 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.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Neutral Grey

#8A8A8A

Predicted dry result

88% match when dry

Mix to #8A8B8B while wet. It dries to about #7F7D7B.

Neutral Gray in acrylic: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Titanium White	PW6	9	82%	82 ml
Ivory Black	PBk9	1	9%	9 ml
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	1	9%	9 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 true mid gray (no bias to warm or cool). The reference value 5. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #8A8A8A 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. Titanium White
PW6
82%
2. Ivory Black
PBk9
9%
3. Ultramarine Blue
PB29
9%

What colors make Neutral Gray?

Titanium White, Ivory Black, and Ultramarine Blue, in roughly a 82:9:9 ratio.

How to make Neutral Gray in acrylic

Start with Titanium White at about 82% as your acrylic base, then work in Ivory Black and Ultramarine Blue in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #8A8A8A.

Why mix Neutral Gray instead of buying it

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

Reaching for more black to deepen it kills the chroma, add the dark modifier already in the recipe instead. White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Neutral Gray

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 Neutral Gray

#A2A2A2

90% Titanium White, 5% Ivory Black and 5% Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Neutral Gray

#727272

5 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black 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 Neutral Gray

#8A8A8A

9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black 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.

Cooler Neutral Gray

#8A8A8A

9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black 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.

Neutral Gray questions

What two colors make neutral gray?: Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make neutral gray paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter neutral gray (#A2A2A2) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 90% Titanium White, 5% Ivory Black and 5% Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Why does neutral gray 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 #8A8B8B is predicted to dry to about #7F7D7B. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
What is the hex code for neutral gray?: Chromilla uses #8A8A8A as the target for neutral gray. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #7F7D7B.

Neutral Gray in other mediums

Neutral Gray in Oil: 9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black and 1 part Ultramarine Blue, predicted 98% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Neutral Gray in Watercolor: 9 parts Titanium White, 1 part Ivory Black and 1 part Ultramarine Blue, predicted 90% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

Open in mixer

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.