Lighter Rust
#B6623C
91% Yellow Ochre, 5% Alizarin Crimson and 4% Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How to Mix Rust in Watercolor
Quick answer
To mix rust (#9C4A24) in watercolor, use 60% Yellow Ochre, 31% Raw Umber and 9% Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% 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
Rust
#9C4A24
Predicted dry result
92% match when dryMix to #9D4A22 while wet. It dries to about #8F4421.
| Paint | Pigment | Share | 100 ml batch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Ochre | PY43 | 60% | 60 ml |
| Raw Umber | PBr7 | 31% | 31 ml |
| Alizarin Crimson | PR83 | 9% | 9 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 burnt orange-brown rust. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #9C4A24 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. Yellow Ochre
PY43
60%2. Raw Umber
PBr7
31%3. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
9%
What colors make Rust?
Yellow Ochre, Raw Umber, and Alizarin Crimson, in roughly a 60:31:9 ratio.
How to make Rust in watercolor
Start with Yellow Ochre at about 60% as your watercolor base, then work in Raw Umber and Alizarin Crimson in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #9C4A24.
Why mix Rust instead of buying it
Mixing Rust yourself lets you approximate an expensive or hard to find tube from pigments you already own, match Rust 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 Rust
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 Rust
#823306
7 parts Burnt Sienna to 1 part Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 93% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Warmer Rust
#9E4637
8 parts Cadmium Red, 3 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Cooler Rust
#9E4637
8 parts Cadmium Red, 3 parts Titanium White and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
Rust questions
- What two colors make rust?
- Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 60% Yellow Ochre, 31% Raw Umber and 9% Alizarin Crimson. Yellow Ochre leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts a 92% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
- How do you make rust paint lighter without losing the hue?
- Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter rust (#B6623C) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 91% Yellow Ochre, 5% Alizarin Crimson and 4% Burnt Umber. 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 rust?
- Chromilla uses #9C4A24 as the target for rust. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #8F4421.
- Can I mix rust without black?
- Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 60% Yellow Ochre, 31% Raw Umber and 9% Alizarin Crimson.
Rust in other mediums
- Rust in Acrylic: 60% Yellow Ochre, 31% Raw Umber and 9% Alizarin Crimson, predicted 92% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
- Rust in Oil: 60% Yellow Ochre, 31% Raw Umber and 9% Alizarin Crimson, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for rust
Get this recipe for your paint brand
Open the live mixer with Rust + watercolor pre-loaded and calibrate to your tubes.
Deep-dive guide
How to mix Rust, the long version
Common mistakes, per-brand recipes, and the honest limits when the target sits outside what real paint can reach.
Read the guideNew to browns? See what colors make brown, in plain terms.
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.