What two colors make apricot?

Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for apricot?

Chromilla uses #F0B080 as the target for apricot. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #DBA37A.

Can I mix apricot without black?

Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red.

How to Mix Apricot in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix apricot (#F0B080) in watercolor, use 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% 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

Apricot

#F0B080

Predicted dry result

89% match when dry

Mix to #EFB182 while wet. It dries to about #DBA37A.

Apricot in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Share	100 ml batch
Titanium White	PW6	83%	83 ml
Burnt Sienna	PBr7	11%	11 ml
Cadmium Red	PR108	6%	6 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 soft orange apricot. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #F0B080 in watercolor, using the same solver that powers the Chromilla mixer.

Pigment recipe

Checked August 2026

Ratios calibrated for watercolor. Start with the dominant pigment, add the modifiers in the order below, and adjust in 5% steps to your target swatch.

1. Titanium White
PW6
83%
2. Burnt Sienna
PBr7
11%
3. Cadmium Red
PR108
6%

What colors make Apricot?

Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 83:11:6 ratio.

How to make Apricot in watercolor

Start with Titanium White at about 83% as your watercolor base, then work in Burnt Sienna and Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #F0B080.

Why mix Apricot instead of buying it

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

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 Apricot

#FECFAC

86% Titanium White, 11% Yellow Ochre and 3% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 85% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Apricot

#D59768

8 parts Titanium White, 1 part Cadmium Red, 1 part Raw Umber and 1 part Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Apricot

#F5AC8A

86% Titanium White, 9% Cadmium Red and 5% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Apricot

#F5AC8A

86% Titanium White, 9% Cadmium Red and 5% Burnt Sienna. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Apricot questions

What two colors make apricot?: Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make apricot paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter apricot (#FECFAC) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 86% Titanium White, 11% Yellow Ochre and 3% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 85% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for apricot?: Chromilla uses #F0B080 as the target for apricot. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #DBA37A.
Can I mix apricot without black?: Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red.

Apricot in other mediums

Apricot in Acrylic: 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red, predicted 87% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Apricot in Oil: 83% Titanium White, 11% Burnt Sienna and 6% Cadmium Red, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Apricot + watercolor 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.