Lighter Cadmium Yellow
#FDDF8B
60% Titanium White, 37% Yellow Ochre and 3% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Cadmium Yellow in Oil
Quick answer
To mix cadmium yellow (#F1C11C) in oil, use 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% 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
Cadmium Yellow
#F1C11C
Predicted dry result
97% match when dryMix to #ECBD10. It dries true to color.
| Paint | Pigment | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium Yellow | PY35 | 96% | 96 ml |
| Burnt Sienna | PBr7 | 4% | 4 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 dense, opaque mid yellow. Bright, covering, warm-leaning. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #F1C11C 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. Cadmium Yellow
PY35
96%2. Burnt Sienna
PBr7
4%
What colors make Cadmium Yellow?
Cadmium Yellow and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 96:4 ratio.
How to make Cadmium Yellow in oil
Start with Cadmium Yellow at about 96% as your oil base, then work in Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #F1C11C.
Why mix Cadmium Yellow instead of buying it
Mixing Cadmium Yellow yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Cadmium Yellow 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 Yellow
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 Cadmium Yellow
#D3A80B
3 parts Yellow Ochre to 1 part Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Cadmium Yellow
#FDBA41
12 parts Titanium White, 7 parts Cadmium Yellow and 1 part Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Cadmium Yellow
#DDCA28
6 parts Cadmium Yellow, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Raw Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cadmium Yellow questions
- What two colors make cadmium yellow?
- In oil, Cadmium Yellow and Burnt Sienna: 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make cadmium yellow paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter cadmium yellow (#FDDF8B) in oil, Chromilla mixes 60% Titanium White, 37% Yellow Ochre and 3% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- What is the hex code for cadmium yellow?
- Chromilla uses #F1C11C as the target for cadmium yellow. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #ECBD10.
- Can I mix cadmium yellow without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna.
Cadmium Yellow in other mediums
- Cadmium Yellow in Acrylic: 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna, predicted 84% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Cadmium Yellow in Watercolor: 96% Cadmium Yellow and 4% Burnt Sienna, predicted 87% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Cadmium Yellow + oil pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
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.