Lighter Terracotta
#CD6D50
9 parts Titanium White, 5 parts Cadmium Red and 3 parts Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Terracotta in Acrylic
Quick answer
To mix terracotta (#B25538) in acrylic, use 6 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Alizarin Crimson. 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
Terracotta
#B25538
Predicted dry result
90% match when dryMix to #B35437 while wet. It dries to about #A44C30.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Umber | PBr7 | 6 | 45% | 45 ml |
| Titanium White | PW6 | 4 | 31% | 31 ml |
| Alizarin Crimson | PR83 | 3 | 24% | 24 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, earthy red-orange. Fired clay, weathered brick. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #B25538 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
31%3. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
24%
What colors make Terracotta?
Raw Umber, Titanium White, and Alizarin Crimson, in roughly a 45:31:24 ratio.
How to make Terracotta in acrylic
Start with Raw Umber at about 45% as your acrylic base, then work in Titanium White and Alizarin Crimson in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #B25538.
Why mix Terracotta instead of buying it
Mixing Terracotta yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Terracotta 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 Terracotta
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 Terracotta
#983D20
3 parts Yellow Ochre, 2 parts Raw Umber and 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Terracotta
#B35246
35% Titanium White, 34% Alizarin Crimson and 31% Raw Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Terracotta
#B3524B
7 parts Titanium White, 6 parts Burnt Umber and 4 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Terracotta questions
- What two colors make terracotta?
- Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 6 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Alizarin Crimson. Raw Umber 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 terracotta paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter terracotta (#CD6D50) in acrylic, Chromilla mixes 9 parts Titanium White, 5 parts Cadmium Red and 3 parts Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- Why does terracotta 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 #B35437 is predicted to dry to about #A44C30. Dries slightly darker and a touch warmer.
- What is the hex code for terracotta?
- Chromilla uses #B25538 as the target for terracotta. The acrylic recipe is predicted to dry to about #A44C30.
- Can I mix terracotta without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's acrylic recipe uses no black: 6 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Alizarin Crimson.
Terracotta in other mediums
- Terracotta in Oil: 6 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Alizarin Crimson, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Terracotta in Watercolor: 6 parts Raw Umber, 4 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Alizarin Crimson, predicted 90% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for terracotta
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Terracotta + acrylic pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
Deep-dive guide
How to mix Terracotta, the long version
Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.
Read the guideNew to browns? See what colors make brown, in plain terms.
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.