What two colors make maroon?

Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Alizarin Crimson leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for maroon?

Chromilla uses #6E1F2A as the target for maroon. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #651C29.

Can I mix maroon without black?

Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue.

How to Mix Maroon in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix maroon (#6E1F2A) in watercolor, use 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% 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.

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Target

Maroon

#6E1F2A

Predicted dry result

94% match when dry

Mix to #6F1E2A while wet. It dries to about #651C29.

Maroon in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	10	57%	57 ml
Yellow Ochre	PY43	6	37%	37 ml
Ultramarine Blue	PB29	1	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 dark brownish-red maroon. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #6E1F2A 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. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
57%
2. Yellow Ochre
PY43
37%
3. Ultramarine Blue
PB29
6%

What colors make Maroon?

Alizarin Crimson, Yellow Ochre, and Ultramarine Blue, in roughly a 57:37:6 ratio.

How to make Maroon in watercolor

Start with Alizarin Crimson at about 57% as your watercolor base, then work in Yellow Ochre and Ultramarine Blue in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #6E1F2A.

Why mix Maroon instead of buying it

Mixing Maroon yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Maroon 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 Alizarin Crimson is the usual failure, add it in 5% steps and compare against the target between each pass.

Variations on Maroon

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 Maroon

#87363F

6 parts Yellow Ochre, 5 parts Alizarin Crimson, 4 parts Viridian Green and 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Maroon

#550316

93% Alizarin Crimson and 7% Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Maroon

#6E211A

5 parts Alizarin Crimson, 3 parts Viridian Green and 2 parts Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Maroon

#6C1F38

53% Alizarin Crimson, 42% Viridian Green and 5% Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 95% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Maroon questions

What two colors make maroon?: Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Alizarin Crimson leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 94% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make maroon paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter maroon (#87363F) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 6 parts Yellow Ochre, 5 parts Alizarin Crimson, 4 parts Viridian Green and 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for maroon?: Chromilla uses #6E1F2A as the target for maroon. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #651C29.
Can I mix maroon without black?: Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue.

Maroon in other mediums

Maroon in Acrylic: 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue, predicted 95% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Maroon in Oil: 10 parts Alizarin Crimson, 6 parts Yellow Ochre and 1 part Ultramarine Blue, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for maroon

Get this recipe for your paint brand

Open the live mixer with Maroon + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.

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Deep-dive guide

How to mix Maroon, the long version

Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.

Read the guide

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.