Lighter Vermilion
#F6573C
3 parts Cadmium Red to 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 96% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Vermilion in Oil
Quick answer
To mix vermilion (#D93A20) in oil, use 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red. 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
Vermilion
#D93A20
Predicted dry result
97% match when dryMix to #D93C26. It dries true to color.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Ochre | PY43 | 4 | 57% | 57 ml |
| Cadmium Red | PR108 | 3 | 43% | 43 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, warm orange-red. Iconic in classical oil painting. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #D93A20 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. Yellow Ochre
PY43
57%2. Cadmium Red
PR108
43%
What colors make Vermilion?
Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 57:43 ratio.
How to make Vermilion in oil
Start with Yellow Ochre at about 57% as your oil base, then work in Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #D93A20.
Why mix Vermilion instead of buying it
Mixing Vermilion yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Vermilion 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 Yellow Ochre is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.
Variations on Vermilion
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 Vermilion
#B7260D
3 parts Cadmium Yellow to 2 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 97% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Vermilion
#D9382C
6 parts Cadmium Red, 1 part Titanium White and 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 100% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Vermilion
#D93448
6 parts Alizarin Crimson, 5 parts Titanium White and 3 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Vermilion questions
- What two colors make vermilion?
- In oil, Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Red: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red. 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 vermilion paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter vermilion (#F6573C) in oil, Chromilla mixes 3 parts Cadmium Red to 2 parts Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 96% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- What is the hex code for vermilion?
- Chromilla uses #D93A20 as the target for vermilion. The oil recipe is predicted to dry to about #D93C26.
- Can I mix vermilion without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's oil recipe uses no black: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red.
Vermilion in other mediums
- Vermilion in Acrylic: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Vermilion in Watercolor: 4 parts Yellow Ochre to 3 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 89% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Vermilion + 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.