Cobalt Turquoise
20 Cobalt Turquoise paints from 10 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Cobalt Turquoise isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Cobalt Turquoise, 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 20 of them from 10 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 Cobalt Turquoise 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 20 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Gamblin | Delta E 1.81 | Near-identical |
| Liquitex | Delta E 2.43 | Very close |
| Holbein | Delta E 3.37 | Very close |
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 3.38 | Very close |
| Schmincke | Delta E 3.50 | Very close |
| Sennelier | Delta E 3.84 | Very close |
| Vallejo | Delta E 3.96 | Very close |
| Williamsburg | Delta E 4.89 | Very close |
| Matisse | Delta E 6.74 | Noticeably different |
| Golden | Delta E 12.28 | Clearly different |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 45 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- SenneliervsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 0.77Near-identical
- SenneliervsVallejoDelta E 0.98Near-identical
- SchminckevsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 1.04Near-identical
- HolbeinvsVallejoDelta E 1.27Near-identical
- SenneliervsWilliamsburgDelta E 1.36Near-identical
- WilliamsburgvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 1.51Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- GoldenvsWilliamsburgDelta E 17.65Clearly different
- GoldenvsSennelierDelta E 16.40Clearly different
- GoldenvsVallejoDelta E 16.21Clearly different
- GoldenvsSchminckeDelta E 16.09Clearly different
- GoldenvsMatisseDelta E 16.07Clearly different
- GoldenvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 16.00Clearly different
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Vallejo
Gamblin, Golden, Liquitex, Matisse, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Holbein
Sennelier
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, Matisse, Schmincke, Sennelier, Vallejo, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, Vallejo, Winsor & Newton
Golden, Matisse, Schmincke, Sennelier, Winsor & Newton
Schmincke, Sennelier, Vallejo, Williamsburg
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Cobalt Turquoise. Each links to that brand's full range.
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Cobalt Turquoise we have measured
All 20 paints, with the measurements the comparisons above are built from.
| Brand | Line | Medium | Hex | L*a*b* | Pigment | Opacity | Lightfastness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamblin | Artist's Oil Colors | oil | #00949e | 55.7, -28.8, -14.7 | PB36 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Fluid | acrylic | #006f6f | 41.7, -28.2, -8.3 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #006f6f | 42.0, -26.1, -7.7 | PB36 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #007273 | 42.6, -29.1, -9.4 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Golden | OPEN | acrylic | #006f6f | 41.7, -28.3, -8.4 | PB36 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Oil Color | oil | #00989b | 56.9, -31.7, -11.2 | PG50 | Opaque | I | |
| Liquitex | Professional Heavy Body | acrylic | #009196 | 54.5, -30.0, -11.9 | PB36 | Opaque | I | |
| Liquitex | Soft Body | acrylic | #009696 | 56.1, -32.4, -9.5 | PB36 | Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Flow Formula | acrylic | #0091aa | 55.2, -23.2, -22.3 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Structure Formula | acrylic | #0091aa | 55.2, -23.2, -22.3 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Horadam Aquarell | watercolor | #37919b | 55.5, -23.2, -13.2 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Mussini Oil Colors | oil | #009ea8 | 59.2, -30.4, -15.1 | PB36 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Schmincke | Norma Professional | oil | #009ba5 | 58.2, -29.9, -14.9 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #009ba5 | 58.2, -29.9, -14.9 | PG50, PB28 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Sennelier | Extra-Fine Acrylique | acrylic | #009ba0 | 58.0, -31.6, -12.3 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Vallejo | Acrylic Artist Color | acrylic | #009ba0 | 58.0, -31.6, -12.3 | PB35, PY35 | Opaque | I | |
| Vallejo | Fluid Acrylic | acrylic | #009ba0 | 58.0, -31.6, -12.3 | PB35, PY35 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Williamsburg | Handmade Oil Colors | oil | #009ea8 | 59.2, -30.4, -15.1 | PB36 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artists' Oil Colour | oil | #009196 | 54.5, -30.0, -11.9 | PB36 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Watercolour | watercolor | #00a2af | 60.7, -30.1, -16.8 | PB36 | Semi-Opaque | I |
