Primary Yellow
21 Primary Yellow paints from 9 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Primary Yellow isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Primary Yellow, 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 21 of them from 9 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 Primary Yellow 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 21 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Sennelier | Delta E 0.17 | Near-identical |
| Amsterdam | Delta E 0.88 | Near-identical |
| Daler-Rowney | Delta E 0.90 | Near-identical |
| Liquitex | Delta E 1.41 | Near-identical |
| Matisse | Delta E 1.41 | Near-identical |
| Maimeri | Delta E 1.63 | Near-identical |
| Holbein | Delta E 3.59 | Very close |
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 4.30 | Very close |
| Golden | Delta E 7.38 | Noticeably different |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 36 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- LiquitexvsMatisseDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- AmsterdamvsDaler-RowneyDelta E 0.18Near-identical
- HolbeinvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 0.71Near-identical
- AmsterdamvsSennelierDelta E 0.76Near-identical
- Daler-RowneyvsSennelierDelta E 0.78Near-identical
- LiquitexvsSennelierDelta E 1.52Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- GoldenvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 11.69Clearly different
- GoldenvsHolbeinDelta E 10.98Clearly different
- GoldenvsMatisseDelta E 8.79Noticeably different
- GoldenvsLiquitexDelta E 8.79Noticeably different
- GoldenvsMaimeriDelta E 7.95Noticeably different
- GoldenvsSennelierDelta E 7.27Noticeably different
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Golden
Matisse
Amsterdam, Daler-Rowney
Daler-Rowney
Daler-Rowney, Holbein, Liquitex, Sennelier, Winsor & Newton
Maimeri
Maimeri
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Daler-Rowney, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, Maimeri, Matisse, Sennelier, Winsor & Newton
Amsterdam
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Holbein, Winsor & Newton
Amsterdam, Daler-Rowney, Holbein, Maimeri, Sennelier
Golden, Liquitex, Matisse
Daler-Rowney
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Primary Yellow. Each links to that brand's full range.
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Primary Yellow we have measured
All 21 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 | PY3,PY74 | Semi-Opaque | II | |
| Amsterdam | Standard Series | acrylic | #ffdc00 | 88.2, -4.5, 88.0 | PY3,PY74 | Semi-Opaque | II | |
| Daler-Rowney | Cryla Artists' Acrylic | acrylic | #fbda06 | 87.3, -5.1, 86.7 | PY3,PY74 | Transparent | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Georgian Oil Colors | oil | #ffe100 | 89.5, -7.0, 88.9 | PY73 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Georgian Water Mixable Oil | oil | #ffe100 | 89.5, -7.0, 88.9 | PY73 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Graduate | acrylic | #ffdc00 | 88.2, -4.5, 88.0 | PY74 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Golden | Fluid | acrylic | #ffcc00 | 84.5, 4.8, 88.4 | PY175, PW6, PY74 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #ffcc00 | 84.7, 5.3, 86.9 | PY175, PW6, PY74 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Holbein | Acryla Gouache | gouache | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY74 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Heavy Body Acrylic | acrylic | #fff000 | 93.3, -14.3, 91.7 | PY74 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Liquitex | Basics | acrylic | #ffe700 | 91.0, -9.9, 90.0 | PY74 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Liquitex | Professional Heavy Body | acrylic | #ffe700 | 91.0, -9.9, 90.0 | PY74 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Liquitex | Soft Body | acrylic | #ffe400 | 90.2, -8.4, 89.5 | PY74 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Maimeri | Classico | oil | #ffe637 | 90.8, -8.5, 80.9 | PY97, PY175 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Maimeri | Puro | oil | #ffe132 | 89.5, -6.2, 81.2 | PY97 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Flow Formula | acrylic | #ffe600 | 90.7, -9.4, 89.8 | PY3, PY74, PW6 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Matisse | Structure Formula | acrylic | #ffe600 | 90.7, -9.4, 89.8 | PY3, PY74, PW6 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Sennelier | Abstract Acrylic | acrylic | #ffdc00 | 88.2, -4.5, 88.0 | PY74 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Extra-Fine Acrylique | acrylic | #ffeb00 | 92.0, -11.9, 90.7 | PY74 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Rive Gauche | oil | #ffdc00 | 88.2, -4.5, 88.0 | PY74 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Designers Gouache | gouache | #fff000 | 93.3, -14.3, 91.7 | PY74 | Opaque | I |
