What two colors make sunset orange?

Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

What is the hex code for sunset orange?

Chromilla uses #E86A2E as the target for sunset orange. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #CD6432.

Can I mix sunset orange without black?

Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson.

How to Mix Sunset Orange in Watercolor

Quick answer

To mix sunset orange (#E86A2E) in watercolor, use 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% 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.

Adjust for my paints

Target

Sunset Orange

#E86A2E

Predicted dry result

86% match when dry

Mix to #E06D34 while wet. It dries to about #CD6432.

Sunset Orange in watercolor: tube ratios, and ml for a 100 ml batch
Paint	Pigment	Parts	Share	100 ml batch
Titanium White	PW6	5	44%	44 ml
Cadmium Yellow	PY35	4	37%	37 ml
Alizarin Crimson	PR83	2	19%	19 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 rich, warm orange with a hint of red. The last hour of daylight. This guide gives you the pigment ratios that land on #E86A2E 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
44%
2. Cadmium Yellow
PY35
37%
3. Alizarin Crimson
PR83
19%

What colors make Sunset Orange?

Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, and Alizarin Crimson, in roughly a 44:37:19 ratio.

How to make Sunset Orange in watercolor

Start with Titanium White at about 44% as your watercolor base, then work in Cadmium Yellow and Alizarin Crimson in the order above. Adjust in 5% steps until the swatch reads #E86A2E.

Why mix Sunset Orange instead of buying it

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

White cools and chalks a mix as you add it, so tint in small steps and stop before it goes pastel.

Variations on Sunset 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.

Lighter Sunset Orange

#FE8855

67% Titanium White, 24% Cadmium Red and 9% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Darker Sunset Orange

#CC5004

76% Cadmium Yellow, 14% Burnt Sienna and 10% 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 Sunset Orange

#EB644E

1 part Cadmium Red to 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Cooler Sunset Orange

#EB644E

1 part Cadmium Red to 1 part Titanium White. Chromilla's model predicts a 91% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.

Sunset Orange questions

What two colors make sunset orange?: Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses 3 tubes rather than two: 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson. Titanium White leads the mix. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
How do you make sunset orange paint lighter without losing the hue?: Re-balance the mix instead of only adding white. For a lighter sunset orange (#FE8855) in watercolor, Chromilla mixes 67% Titanium White, 24% Cadmium Red and 9% Cadmium Yellow. Chromilla's model predicts an 86% dry match against the target, scored against its own color model, not a measured paint-out.
What is the hex code for sunset orange?: Chromilla uses #E86A2E as the target for sunset orange. The watercolor recipe is predicted to dry to about #CD6432.
Can I mix sunset orange without black?: Yes. Chromilla's watercolor recipe uses no black: 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson.

Sunset Orange in other mediums

Sunset Orange in Acrylic: 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson, predicted 86% dry match by Chromilla's color model.
Sunset Orange in Oil: 5 parts Titanium White, 4 parts Cadmium Yellow and 2 parts Alizarin Crimson, predicted 96% dry match by Chromilla's color model.

Get this recipe for your paint brand

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

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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.