Lighter Coral
#FDA390
6 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red. 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 Coral in Watercolor
Quick answer
To mix coral (#F0806A) in watercolor, use 7 parts Titanium White to 3 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% 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
Coral
#F0806A
Predicted dry result
90% match when dryMix to #F67E66 while wet. It dries to about #E17460.
| Paint | Pigment | Parts | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium White | PW6 | 7 | 69% | 69 ml |
| Cadmium Red | PR108 | 3 | 31% | 31 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 warm pink-orange coral. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #F0806A 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
69%2. Cadmium Red
PR108
31%
What colors make Coral?
Titanium White and Cadmium Red, in roughly a 69:31 ratio.
How to make Coral in watercolor
Start with Titanium White at about 69% as your watercolor base, then work in Cadmium Red in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #F0806A.
Why mix Coral instead of buying it
Mixing Coral yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Coral 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 Coral
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 Coral
#D46752
5 parts Titanium White, 3 parts Burnt Sienna and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Coral
#F07F70
72% Titanium White, 23% Cadmium Red and 5% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 88% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Coral
#F07D7F
6 parts Titanium White, 1 part Cadmium Red and 1 part Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 87% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Coral questions
- What two colors make coral?
- In watercolor, Titanium White and Cadmium Red: 7 parts Titanium White to 3 parts Cadmium Red. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make coral paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter coral (#FDA390) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 6 parts Titanium White to 1 part Cadmium Red. 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 coral?
- Chromilla uses #F0806A as the target for coral. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #E17460.
- Can I mix coral without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 7 parts Titanium White to 3 parts Cadmium Red.
Coral in other mediums
- Coral in Acrylic: 7 parts Titanium White to 3 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 88% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Coral in Oil: 7 parts Titanium White to 3 parts Cadmium Red, predicted 97% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for coral
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Coral + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
Deep-dive guide
How to mix Coral, the long version
Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.
Read the guideTechnique 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.