Lighter Cadmium Orange
#FC9B59
74% Titanium White, 15% Cadmium Red and 11% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Cadmium Orange in Watercolor
Quick answer
To mix cadmium orange (#EB7B1C) in watercolor, use 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 85% 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
Cadmium Orange
#EB7B1C
Predicted dry result
85% match when dryMix to #E47610 while wet. It dries to about #D16D11.
| Paint | Pigment | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium Yellow | PY35 | 95% | 95 ml |
| Alizarin Crimson | PR83 | 5% | 5 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 bright, opaque, warm orange. Sits between cad yellow and cad red. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #EB7B1C 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. Cadmium Yellow
PY35
95%2. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
5%
What colors make Cadmium Orange?
Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson, in roughly a 95:5 ratio.
How to make Cadmium Orange in watercolor
Start with Cadmium Yellow at about 95% as your watercolor base, then work in Alizarin Crimson in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #EB7B1C.
Why mix Cadmium Orange instead of buying it
Mixing Cadmium Orange yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Cadmium Orange 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 Cadmium Yellow is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.
Variations on Cadmium Orange
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 Cadmium Orange
#CA6606
64% Cadmium Yellow, 32% Burnt Sienna and 4% Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Cadmium Orange
#F17441
3 parts Titanium White, 2 parts Cadmium Red and 1 part Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Cadmium Orange
#F17441
3 parts Titanium White, 2 parts Cadmium Red and 1 part Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cadmium Orange questions
- What two colors make cadmium orange?
- In watercolor, Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson: 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 85% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make cadmium orange paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter cadmium orange (#FC9B59) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 74% Titanium White, 15% Cadmium Red and 11% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- What is the hex code for cadmium orange?
- Chromilla uses #EB7B1C as the target for cadmium orange. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #D16D11.
- Can I mix cadmium orange without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson.
Cadmium Orange in other mediums
- Cadmium Orange in Acrylic: 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson, predicted 83% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Cadmium Orange in Oil: 95% Cadmium Yellow and 5% Alizarin Crimson, predicted 95% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Cadmium Orange + watercolor 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.