Lighter Olive Green
#738345
11 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Burnt Sienna and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Olive Green in Acrylic
Quick answer
To mix olive green (#5C6B2E) in acrylic, use 3 parts Viridian Green, 1 part Yellow Ochre and 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% 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.
Target
Olive Green
#5C6B2E
Predicted dry result
90% match when dryMix to #5C6B2C while wet. It dries to about #566026.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viridian Green | PG18 | 3 | 59% | 59 ml |
| Yellow Ochre | PY43 | 1 | 21% | 21 ml |
| Burnt Sienna | PBr7 | 1 | 20% | 20 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-green. The color of dry foliage and worn uniforms. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #5C6B2E 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. Viridian Green
PG18
59%2. Yellow Ochre
PY43
21%3. Burnt Sienna
PBr7
20%
What colors make Olive Green?
Viridian Green, Yellow Ochre, and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 59:21:20 ratio.
How to make Olive Green in acrylic
Start with Viridian Green at about 59% as your acrylic base, then work in Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #5C6B2E.
Why mix Olive Green instead of buying it
Mixing Olive Green yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Olive Green 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 Olive Green
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.
Darker Olive Green
#465415
55% Cadmium Yellow, 38% Ultramarine Blue and 7% Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Olive Green
#676725
7 parts Viridian Green, 5 parts Yellow Ochre and 4 parts Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Olive Green
#4F6E38
6 parts Viridian Green to 1 part Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Olive Green questions
- What two colors make olive green?
- Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 3 parts Viridian Green, 1 part Yellow Ochre and 1 part Burnt Sienna. Viridian Green leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make olive green paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter olive green (#738345) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 11 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Burnt Sienna and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- Why does olive green 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 #5C6B2C is predicted to dry to about #566026. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
- What is the hex code for olive green?
- Chromilla uses #5C6B2E as the target for olive green. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #566026.
- Can I mix olive green without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 3 parts Viridian Green, 1 part Yellow Ochre and 1 part Burnt Sienna.
Olive Green in other mediums
- Olive Green in Oil: 3 parts Viridian Green, 1 part Yellow Ochre and 1 part Burnt Sienna, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Olive Green in Watercolor: 3 parts Viridian Green, 1 part Yellow Ochre and 1 part Burnt Sienna, predicted 92% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for olive green
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Olive Green + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
Deep-dive guide
How to mix Olive Green, the long version
Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.
Read the guideTechnique 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.