Mars Black
35 Mars Black paints from 17 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Mars Black isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Mars Black, 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 35 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 Mars Black 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 35 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Talens | Delta E 0.93 | Near-identical |
| Daler-Rowney | Delta E 0.95 | Near-identical |
| Golden | Delta E 1.16 | Near-identical |
| Williamsburg | Delta E 1.25 | Near-identical |
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 1.30 | Near-identical |
| Maimeri | Delta E 1.41 | Near-identical |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Delta E 1.41 | Near-identical |
| Vallejo | Delta E 1.54 | Near-identical |
| Sennelier | Delta E 1.73 | Near-identical |
| Holbein | Delta E 1.74 | Near-identical |
| Liquitex | Delta E 1.74 | Near-identical |
| Matisse | Delta E 1.74 | Near-identical |
| Schmincke | Delta E 2.19 | Very close |
| Gamblin | Delta E 2.29 | Very close |
| M. Graham | Delta E 2.29 | Very close |
| Michael Harding | Delta E 3.18 | Very close |
| Atelier | Delta E 12.35 | Clearly different |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 136 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- GamblinvsM. GrahamDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- HolbeinvsLiquitexDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- HolbeinvsMatisseDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- LiquitexvsMatisseDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- MaimerivsNevskaya PalitraDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- SenneliervsVallejoDelta E 0.50Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- AteliervsMichael HardingDelta E 14.74Clearly different
- AteliervsSchminckeDelta E 14.11Clearly different
- AteliervsM. GrahamDelta E 13.97Clearly different
- AteliervsGamblinDelta E 13.97Clearly different
- AteliervsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 13.61Clearly different
- AteliervsSennelierDelta E 13.54Clearly different
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Atelier, Daler-Rowney, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Maimeri, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Vallejo, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Atelier
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Atelier, Daler-Rowney, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Maimeri, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Vallejo, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Atelier, Daler-Rowney, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Maimeri, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Vallejo, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Mars Black. Each links to that brand's full range.
- Atelier · 2 paints
- Daler-Rowney · 2 paints
- Gamblin · 1 paint
- Golden · 4 paints
- Holbein · 1 paint
- Liquitex · 3 paints
- M. Graham · 1 paint
- Maimeri · 2 paints
- Matisse · 2 paints
- Michael Harding · 1 paint
- Nevskaya Palitra · 1 paint
- Royal Talens · 1 paint
- Schmincke · 3 paints
- Sennelier · 4 paints
- Vallejo · 2 paints
- Williamsburg · 1 paint
- Winsor & Newton · 4 paints
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Mars Black we have measured
All 35 paints, with the measurements the comparisons above are built from.
| Brand | Line | Medium | Hex | L*a*b* | Pigment | Opacity | Lightfastness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atelier | A2 Lightfast | acrylic | #36332c | 21.3, -0.1, 4.9 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Atelier | Interactive | acrylic | #5e483a | 32.5, 7.2, 12.0 | PBk7 | Opaque | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Cryla Artists' Acrylic | acrylic | #242423 | 14.2, -0.2, 0.7 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | System3 | acrylic | #232328 | 13.9, 1.3, -3.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Gamblin | Artist's Oil Colors | oil | #1c1c1c | 10.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Fluid | acrylic | #1c1c1c | 10.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #1c1c1c | 10.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #3e3c3c | 25.5, 0.8, 0.4 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | QoR Modern Watercolors | watercolor | #232323 | 13.7, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Heavy Body Acrylic | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Liquitex | Basics | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Liquitex | Professional Heavy Body | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Liquitex | Soft Body | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #1c1c1c | 10.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Maimeri | Classico | oil | #262628 | 15.2, 0.5, -1.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Maimeri | Puro | oil | #262628 | 15.2, 0.5, -1.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Flow Formula | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Structure Formula | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Michael Harding | Artists Oil Colours | oil | #191919 | 8.8, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Master Class | oil | #262628 | 15.2, 0.5, -1.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Royal Talens | Rembrandt Oil Colors | oil | #232323 | 13.7, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | AKADEMIE Acrylic | acrylic | #232328 | 13.9, 1.3, -3.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Horadam Aquarell | watercolor | #232326 | 13.8, 0.8, -2.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | PRIMAcryl | acrylic | #19191c | 8.9, 0.8, -2.1 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Abstract Acrylic | acrylic | #232328 | 13.9, 1.3, -3.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #202020 | 12.2, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Extra-Fine Acrylique | acrylic | #232328 | 13.9, 1.3, -3.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Rive Gauche | oil | #202023 | 12.4, 0.8, -2.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Vallejo | Acrylic Artist Color | acrylic | #232326 | 13.8, 0.8, -2.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Vallejo | Acrylic Studio | acrylic | #232326 | 13.8, 0.8, -2.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Williamsburg | Handmade Oil Colors | oil | #202020 | 12.2, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artists' Oil Colour | oil | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Galeria | acrylic | #1e1e1e | 11.3, -0.0, -0.0 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Acrylic | acrylic | #232328 | 13.9, 1.3, -3.3 | PBk11 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Watercolour | watercolor | #1e1e20 | 11.3, 0.5, -1.4 | PBk11 | Opaque | I |
