What two colors make dark brown?

Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 4 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ivory Black. Raw Umber leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for dark brown?

Chromilla uses #3B2417 as the target for dark brown. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #3A2316.

How to Mix Dark Brown in Oil

Quick answer

To mix dark brown (#3B2417) in oil, use 4 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% 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

Dark Brown

#3B2417

Predicted dry result

99% match when dry

Mix to #3A2316. It dries true to color.

Dark Brown in oil: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Raw Umber	PBr7	4	56%	56 ml
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	2	29%	29 ml
Ivory Black	PBk9	1	15%	15 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 deep, warm dark brown without going muddy. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #3B2417 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. Raw Umber
PBr7
56%
2. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
29%
3. Ivory Black
PBk9
15%

What colors make Dark Brown?

Raw Umber, Alizarin Crimson, and Ivory Black, in roughly a 56:29:15 ratio.

How to make Dark Brown in oil

Start with Raw Umber at about 56% as your oil base, then work in Alizarin Crimson and Ivory Black in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #3B2417.

Why mix Dark Brown instead of buying it

Mixing Dark Brown yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Dark Brown 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.

Variations on Dark Brown

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 Dark Brown

#51382B

38% Yellow Ochre, 34% Cadmium Red and 28% Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Dark Brown

#261105

7 parts Burnt Sienna, 5 parts Alizarin Crimson and 3 parts Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Dark Brown

#3C231B

4 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Dark Brown

#3C231B

4 parts Cadmium Red to 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Dark Brown questions

What two colors make dark brown?: Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 4 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ivory Black. Raw Umber leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make dark brown paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter dark brown (#51382B) in oil, Chromilla mixes 38% Yellow Ochre, 34% Cadmium Red and 28% Ultramarine Blue. 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 dark brown?: Chromilla uses #3B2417 as the target for dark brown. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #3A2316.

Dark Brown in other mediums

Dark Brown in Acrylic: 4 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ivory Black, predicted 97% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Dark Brown in Watercolor: 4 parts Raw Umber, 2 parts Alizarin Crimson and 1 part Ivory Black, predicted 94% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Dark Brown + oil pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

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New 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.