Cadmium Yellow Light
34 Cadmium Yellow Light paints from 17 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Cadmium Yellow Light isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Cadmium Yellow Light, and no two are quite the same. They pick different pigments, grind them differently and mix them to their own recipe — so two tubes with the same word on the label can look noticeably different once they are on the paper.
We measured all 34 of them from 17 brands and compared them the way a lab would, using a number called Delta E. It is just a measure of how far apart two colours look to the human eye. Under 2 and almost nobody can tell them apart; over 10 and most people would call them different colours.
Useful when your usual Cadmium Yellow Light is out of stock and you need the closest substitute, when you are deciding which brand to buy, or when a mix you got right last time will not come out the same again.
How far is each brand from the average?
Every brand's version measured against the average of all 34 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Harding | Delta E 0.47 | Near-identical |
| Old Holland | Delta E 0.51 | Near-identical |
| Williamsburg | Delta E 0.51 | Near-identical |
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 0.75 | Near-identical |
| Golden | Delta E 0.80 | Near-identical |
| Lukas | Delta E 0.94 | Near-identical |
| Schmincke | Delta E 1.07 | Near-identical |
| Gamblin | Delta E 1.21 | Near-identical |
| Sennelier | Delta E 1.29 | Near-identical |
| Amsterdam | Delta E 1.30 | Near-identical |
| Royal Talens | Delta E 1.31 | Near-identical |
| Matisse | Delta E 1.77 | Near-identical |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Delta E 1.93 | Near-identical |
| Holbein | Delta E 2.04 | Very close |
| M. Graham | Delta E 2.12 | Very close |
| Maimeri | Delta E 2.70 | Very close |
| Atelier | Delta E 4.21 | Very close |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 136 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- Old HollandvsWilliamsburgDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- HolbeinvsM. GrahamDelta E 0.11Near-identical
- Royal TalensvsSennelierDelta E 0.21Near-identical
- AmsterdamvsSennelierDelta E 0.22Near-identical
- SchminckevsSennelierDelta E 0.22Near-identical
- AmsterdamvsSchminckeDelta E 0.28Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- AteliervsMaimeriDelta E 6.57Noticeably different
- AteliervsM. GrahamDelta E 6.21Noticeably different
- AteliervsHolbeinDelta E 6.16Noticeably different
- AteliervsMatisseDelta E 5.97Noticeably different
- AteliervsGamblinDelta E 5.41Noticeably different
- AteliervsLukasDelta E 5.13Noticeably different
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Amsterdam, Atelier, Golden, Lukas, Maimeri, Matisse, Nevskaya Palitra, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg
Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, M. Graham, Michael Harding, Old Holland, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Winsor & Newton
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Amsterdam, Atelier, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Lukas, M. Graham, Maimeri, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Old Holland, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Amsterdam, Atelier, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Lukas, M. Graham, Maimeri, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Old Holland, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Cadmium Yellow Light. Each links to that brand's full range.
- Amsterdam · 1 paint
- Atelier · 2 paints
- Gamblin · 1 paint
- Golden · 3 paints
- Holbein · 4 paints
- Lukas · 1 paint
- M. Graham · 2 paints
- Maimeri · 2 paints
- Matisse · 3 paints
- Michael Harding · 1 paint
- Nevskaya Palitra · 1 paint
- Old Holland · 1 paint
- Royal Talens · 2 paints
- Schmincke · 4 paints
- Sennelier · 3 paints
- Williamsburg · 1 paint
- Winsor & Newton · 2 paints
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Cadmium Yellow Light we have measured
All 34 paints, with the measurements the comparisons above are built from.
| Brand | Line | Medium | Hex | L*a*b* | Pigment | Opacity | Lightfastness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Expert Series | acrylic | #ffe100 | 89.5, -7.0, 88.9 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Atelier | Free Flow | acrylic | #fdd137 | 85.4, 1.2, 76.0 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Atelier | Interactive | acrylic | #fbdd05 | 88.1, -6.6, 87.4 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Gamblin | Artist's Oil Colors | oil | #ffe900 | 91.5, -10.9, 90.4 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Fluid | acrylic | #ffe900 | 91.5, -10.9, 90.4 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #ffe100 | 89.8, -4.6, 94.6 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | QoR Modern Watercolors | watercolor | #ffe32d | 90.0, -7.3, 82.9 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Acryla Gouache | gouache | #fff034 | 93.4, -13.5, 84.0 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Oil Color | oil | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #ffeb2d | 92.1, -11.3, 84.6 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Heavy Body Acrylic | acrylic | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Lukas | 1862 Artists' Oil | oil | #ffe800 | 91.2, -10.4, 90.2 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #ffee34 | 92.9, -12.5, 83.5 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Maimeri | Classico | oil | #ffee32 | 92.9, -12.6, 84.0 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Maimeri | Puro | oil | #ffee32 | 92.9, -12.6, 84.0 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Flow Formula | acrylic | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Fluid | acrylic | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Structure Formula | acrylic | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Michael Harding | Artists Oil Colours | oil | #ffe600 | 90.7, -9.4, 89.8 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Master Class | oil | #ffe132 | 89.5, -6.2, 81.2 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Old Holland | Classic Oil Colors | oil | #ffe400 | 90.2, -8.4, 89.5 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Royal Talens | Rembrandt Oil Colors | oil | #ffe100 | 89.5, -7.0, 88.9 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Royal Talens | Van Gogh | watercolor | #ffe123 | 89.5, -6.5, 84.7 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Horadam Aquarell | watercolor | #ffe123 | 89.5, -6.5, 84.7 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Mussini Oil Colors | oil | #ffe400 | 90.2, -8.4, 89.5 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Norma Professional | oil | #ffd700 | 86.9, -1.9, 87.1 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | PRIMAcryl | acrylic | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #ffe100 | 89.5, -7.0, 88.9 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Extra-Fine Acrylique | acrylic | #ffe100 | 89.5, -7.0, 88.9 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | l'Aquarelle | watercolor | #ffe11e | 89.5, -6.6, 85.6 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Williamsburg | Handmade Oil Colors | oil | #ffe400 | 90.2, -8.4, 89.5 | PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artisan Water Mixable Oil | oil | #ffe300 | 90.0, -8.0, 89.3 | PY37 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Acrylic | acrylic | #ffe300 | 90.0, -8.0, 89.3 | PY37 | Opaque | I |
