What two colors make royal blue?

Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White. Ultramarine Blue leads the mix. 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 royal blue?

Chromilla uses #2B4CA0 as the target for royal blue. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #254CA4.

Can I mix royal blue without black?

Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White.

How to Mix Royal Blue in Oil

Quick answer

To mix royal blue (#2B4CA0) in oil, use 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% 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

Royal Blue

#2B4CA0

Predicted dry result

98% match when dry

Mix to #254CA4. It dries true to color.

Royal Blue in oil: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	9	65%	65 ml
Phthalo Blue	PB15	3	20%	20 ml
Titanium White	PW6	2	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 vivid, deep royal blue. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #2B4CA0 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
65%
2. Phthalo Blue
PB15
20%
3. Titanium White
PW6
15%

What colors make Royal Blue?

Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, and Titanium White, in roughly a 65:20:15 ratio.

How to make Royal Blue in oil

Start with Ultramarine Blue at about 65% as your oil base, then work in Phthalo Blue and Titanium White in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #2B4CA0.

Why mix Royal Blue instead of buying it

Mixing Royal Blue yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Royal Blue 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

That pigment is a very strong tinter, add it a touch at a time or it will swallow the mix. White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Royal Blue

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 Royal Blue

#4064BA

7 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Titanium White and 1 part Phthalo Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 99% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Royal Blue

#173486

76% Ultramarine Blue, 21% Phthalo Blue and 3% Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 100% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Royal Blue

#42469F

9 parts Ultramarine Blue to 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Royal Blue

#294CA0

9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Royal Blue questions

What two colors make royal blue?: Chromilla's oil recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White. Ultramarine Blue leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 98% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make royal blue paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter royal blue (#4064BA) in oil, Chromilla mixes 7 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Titanium White and 1 part Phthalo Blue. 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 royal blue?: Chromilla uses #2B4CA0 as the target for royal blue. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #254CA4.
Can I mix royal blue without black?: Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White.

Royal Blue in other mediums

Royal Blue in Acrylic: 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White, predicted 93% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Royal Blue in Watercolor: 9 parts Ultramarine Blue, 3 parts Phthalo Blue and 2 parts Titanium White, predicted 95% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Royal Blue + 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.