What color do orange and yellow make?
Orange and yellow make yellow-orange (amber). Orange and yellow are neighbors on the wheel, so the mix is the tertiary color yellow-orange: amber, marigold or saffron.
Orange + yellow = yellow-orange (amber)
Why orange and yellow make yellow-orange (amber)
Orange and yellow are neighbors on the color wheel, so the mix is the color between them, a tertiary color. Mixes of neighbors stay clean and bright because no complementary color is involved to dull them.
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 yellow toward yellow. 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 yellow on a screen
Tips for mixing orange and yellow
- 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 yellow 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 + 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 + black | dark brown | 3 orange : 2 black | #383627 |
| Orange + white | peach | 1 orange : 2 white | #FDD086 |
| Orange + gray | tan (muted orange) | equal parts | #AC843A |
More yellow color mixes
| Mix | Result | Ratio | Hex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow + red | orange | 3 yellow : 2 red | #FA7A30 |
| Yellow + green | yellow-green (chartreuse) | 2 yellow : 1 green | #9DC930 |
| Yellow + blue | green | equal parts | #4D954A |
| Yellow + purple | brown (muddy gray-brown) | 1 yellow : 2 purple | #885056 |
| Yellow + pink | peach (light orange) | equal parts | #F8B646 |
| Yellow + brown | golden brown (ochre) | equal parts | #B8872F |
| Yellow + black | olive green | 2 yellow : 1 black | #5B5D36 |
| Yellow + white | pale yellow (cream) | 1 yellow : 3 white | #FDF59A |
| Yellow + gray | khaki (muted yellow) | equal parts | #B6B240 |
Frequently asked questions
What color do orange and yellow make?
Orange and yellow make yellow-orange (amber) in paint (about #F8A221, mixed equal parts). Orange and yellow are neighbors on the wheel, so the mix is the tertiary color yellow-orange: amber, marigold or saffron.
Is orange and yellow the same in paint and on a screen?
Not exactly. Paint gives yellow-orange (amber) (about #F8A221 at equal parts), while a 50/50 digital blend in a design tool gives #F9A81E, 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 yellow shifts the hue itself.
What other colors make yellow?
Yellow is a primary color in paint and print and cannot be mixed. On screens, red and green light make yellow. See what colors make yellow.
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.