How to Mix Payne's Grey in Oil

A deep, atmospheric blue-grey. The go-to non-black shadow. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #3F4C5B in oil, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Target

Payne's Grey

#3F4C5B

Mixed result

97% match

From these pigments

#3D4D5D

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. Ultramarine Blue
PB29
77%
2. Titanium White
PW6
13%
3. Burnt Sienna
PBr7
10%

What colors make Payne's Grey?

Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, and Burnt Sienna, in roughly a 77:13:10 ratio.

How to make Payne's Grey in oil

Start with Ultramarine Blue at about 77% as your oil base, then work in Titanium White and Burnt Sienna in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #3F4C5B.

Why mix Payne's Grey instead of buying it

Mixing Payne's Grey yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Payne's Grey 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.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Payne's Grey + oil pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

Open in mixer

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.