How to Mix Cadmium Orange in Oil

Quick answer

To mix cadmium orange (#EB7B1C) in oil, use 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% 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

Cadmium Orange

#EB7B1C

Predicted dry result

95% match when dry

Mix to #E47610. It dries true to color.

Cadmium Orange in oil: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
PaintPigmentShare100 ml batch
Cadmium YellowPY3595%95 ml
Alizarin CrimsonPR835%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 bright, opaque, warm orange. Sits between cad yellow and cad red. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #EB7B1C in oil, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for oil. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

  1. 1. Cadmium Yellow

    PY35

    95%
  2. 2. Alizarin Crimson

    PR83

    5%

What colors make Cadmium Orange?

Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson, in roughly a 95:5 ratio.

How to make Cadmium Orange in oil

Start with Cadmium Yellow at about 95% as your oil base, then work in Alizarin Crimson in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #EB7B1C.

Why mix Cadmium Orange instead of buying it

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

Variations on Cadmium Orange

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 Cadmium Orange

#FC9B59

74% Titanium White, 15% Cadmium Red and 11% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Cadmium Orange

#CA6606

64% Cadmium Yellow, 32% Burnt Sienna and 4% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Cadmium Orange

#F17441

3 parts Titanium White, 2 parts Cadmium Red and 1 part Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Cadmium Orange

#F17441

3 parts Titanium White, 2 parts Cadmium Red and 1 part Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cadmium Orange questions

What two colors make cadmium orange?
In oil, Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson: 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make cadmium orange paint lighter without losing the hue?
Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter cadmium orange (#FC9B59) in oil, Chromilla mixes 74% Titanium White, 15% Cadmium Red and 11% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for cadmium orange?
Chromilla uses #EB7B1C as the target for cadmium orange. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #E47610.
Can I mix cadmium orange without black?
Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson.

Cadmium Orange in other mediums

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Cadmium Orange + oil 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.