What color do orange and black make?
Orange and black make dark brown. Black shades orange into brown. A little black gives a warm mid brown; more gives a dark, earthy brown.
Orange + black = dark brown
Why orange and black make dark brown
Adding black makes a shade: the same hue, darker. Black is very strong, so a little goes a long way, and with some colors (yellow especially) it shifts the hue as well as darkening it.
Paint mixes subtractively: each pigment absorbs part of the light, and the mix reflects only what both let through. That is why paint mixes get darker and duller as you add colors, while light mixes get brighter.
Change the ratio
Equal parts are only the middle of a range. More orange pulls the result toward orange, more black toward black. Mix a small test batch, note the parts you used, and scale up once you like it.
All three are mixed with the same spectral paint model. Dark paints are strong, so a little of them changes a mix a lot; light paints such as white and yellow need more parts to show.
Orange and black on a screen
Tips for mixing orange and black
- Start with equal amounts on the palette, mix one small test patch, then adjust with the color you want more of.
- Mix thoroughly with a palette knife; streaks of unmixed orange or black change how the color reads from a distance.
- Let a test swatch dry before judging it. Acrylics usually dry a little darker, while watercolors dry lighter.
- Write down the ratio that works (for example 2 parts to 1) so you can mix the same color again.
- To match a color on screen, compare the paint swatch against the hex code here on a calibrated display, and remember print and paint cannot reach every screen color.
More orange color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange + red | red-orange (vermilion) | equal parts | #E74627 |
| Orange + yellow | yellow-orange (amber) | equal parts | #F8A221 |
| Orange + green | olive green | equal parts | #638431 |
| Orange + blue | dull gray-green (neutral) | 1 orange : 2 blue | #276155 |
| Orange + purple | russet (red-brown) | 2 orange : 3 purple | #874847 |
| Orange + pink | coral (salmon) | 1 orange : 2 pink | #F3976A |
| Orange + brown | burnt orange | equal parts | #A76427 |
| Orange + white | peach | 1 orange : 2 white | #FDD086 |
| Orange + gray | tan (muted orange) | equal parts | #AC843A |
More black color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black + red | dark red (maroon) | 1 black : 4 red | #602B30 |
| Black + yellow | olive green | 1 black : 2 yellow | #5B5D36 |
| Black + green | dark green (hunter green) | 1 black : 2 green | #2A372C |
| Black + blue | blue-black (dark navy) | 1 black : 2 blue | #212D33 |
| Black + purple | deep purple (eggplant) | 1 black : 2 purple | #312632 |
| Black + pink | dusky gray-mauve | 1 black : 2 pink | #504C4F |
| Black + brown | dark brown (espresso) | 1 black : 2 brown | #312C22 |
| Black + white | gray | 1 black : 3 white | #888888 |
| Black + gray | dark gray (charcoal) | 1 black : 2 gray | #3C3C3C |
Frequently asked questions
What color do orange and black make?
Orange and black make dark brown in paint (about #383627, mixed 3 orange : 2 black). Black shades orange into brown. A little black gives a warm mid brown; more gives a dark, earthy brown.
Is orange and black the same in paint and on a screen?
Not exactly. Paint gives dark brown (about #383627 at 3 orange : 2 black), while a 50/50 digital blend in a design tool gives #794623, because screens mix light rather than pigment.
How do I make the mix lighter or darker?
Add white to lighten it into a tint, black (a little at a time) to darken it into a shade, or gray to mute it. Changing the ratio of orange to black shifts the hue itself.
Mix any two colors
The color mixer blends up to five colors by weight in a spectral paint model, OKLab or linear light, and exports the steps.