What two colors make sage green?

Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber. Viridian Green 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 sage green?

Chromilla uses #9CA783 as the target for sage green. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #8F9A7B.

Can I mix sage green without black?

Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber.

How to Mix Sage Green in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix sage green (#9CA783) in watercolor, use 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White 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. 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

Sage Green

#9CA783

Predicted dry result

89% match when dry

Mix to #9CA784 while wet. It dries to about #8F9A7B.

Sage Green in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Viridian Green	PG18	5	48%	48 ml
Titanium White	PW6	4	42%	42 ml
Burnt Umber	PBr7	1	10%	10 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, muted gray-green. Popular decorator color. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #9CA783 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. Viridian Green
PG18
48%
2. Titanium White
PW6
42%
3. Burnt Umber
PBr7
10%

What colors make Sage Green?

Viridian Green, Titanium White, and Burnt Umber, in roughly a 48:42:10 ratio.

How to make Sage Green in watercolor

Start with Viridian Green at about 48% as your watercolor base, then work in Titanium White and Burnt Umber in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #9CA783.

Why mix Sage Green instead of buying it

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

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 Sage Green

#B5C09B

64% Titanium White, 28% Yellow Ochre and 8% Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Sage Green

#848E6B

9 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 2 parts Burnt Umber. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Warmer Sage Green

#A3A57F

4 parts Titanium White, 1 part Burnt Sienna and 1 part Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Sage Green

#95A988

70% Titanium White, 25% Ultramarine Blue and 5% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 89% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Sage Green questions

What two colors make sage green?: Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber. Viridian Green 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 sage green paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter sage green (#B5C09B) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 64% Titanium White, 28% Yellow Ochre and 8% Ultramarine Blue. Chromilla's model predicts a 90% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for sage green?: Chromilla uses #9CA783 as the target for sage green. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #8F9A7B.
Can I mix sage green without black?: Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber.

Sage Green in other mediums

Sage Green in Acrylic: 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber, predicted 87% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Sage Green in Oil: 5 parts Viridian Green, 4 parts Titanium White and 1 part Burnt Umber, predicted 99% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Compare acrylic, oil and watercolor for sage green

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

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Deep-dive guide

How to mix Sage Green, 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.