What two colors make payne's gray?

Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber. Ultramarine Blue 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 payne's gray?

Chromilla uses #3F4C5B as the target for payne's gray. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #404D5C.

Can I mix payne's gray without black?

Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber.

How to Mix Payne's Gray in Oil

Quick answer

To mix payne's gray (#3F4C5B) in oil, use 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber. 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.

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Target

Payne's Grey

#3F4C5B

Predicted dry result

99% match when dry

Mix to #404D5C. It dries true to color.

Payne's Gray in oil: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	5	72%	72 ml
Titanium White	PW6	1	14%	14 ml
Burnt Umber	PBr7	1	14%	14 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, atmospheric blue-gray. 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.

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
72%
2. Titanium White
PW6
14%
3. Burnt Umber
PBr7
14%

What colors make Payne's Gray?

Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, and Burnt Umber, in roughly a 72:14:14 ratio.

How to make Payne's Gray in oil

Start with Ultramarine Blue at about 72% as your oil base, then work in Titanium White and Burnt Umber in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #3F4C5B.

Why mix Payne's Gray 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.

Variations on Payne's Gray

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 Payne's Gray

#556272

6 parts Ultramarine Blue, 5 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Payne's Gray

#2A3745

6 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Viridian Green and 1 part Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Payne's Gray

#424B5C

94% Viridian Green and 6% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Payne's Gray

#424B5C

94% Viridian Green and 6% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Payne's Gray questions

What two colors make payne's gray?: Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber. Ultramarine Blue 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 payne's gray paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter payne's gray (#556272) in oil, Chromilla mixes 6 parts Ultramarine Blue, 5 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ivory Black. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for payne's gray?: Chromilla uses #3F4C5B as the target for payne's gray. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #404D5C.
Can I mix payne's gray without black?: Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber.

Payne's Gray in other mediums

Payne's Gray in Acrylic: 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber, predicted 93% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Payne's Gray in Watercolor: 5 parts Ultramarine Blue, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber, predicted 96% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

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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.