Quinacridone Red
29 Quinacridone Red paints from 15 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Quinacridone Red isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Quinacridone Red, 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 29 of them from 15 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 Quinacridone Red 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 29 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Liquitex | Delta E 1.35 | Near-identical |
| Matisse | Delta E 1.38 | Near-identical |
| Michael Harding | Delta E 1.38 | Near-identical |
| Sennelier | Delta E 1.43 | Near-identical |
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 1.49 | Near-identical |
| Holbein | Delta E 1.70 | Near-identical |
| Gamblin | Delta E 1.74 | Near-identical |
| Williamsburg | Delta E 1.74 | Near-identical |
| Daniel Smith | Delta E 1.79 | Near-identical |
| M. Graham | Delta E 1.84 | Near-identical |
| Maimeri | Delta E 3.29 | Very close |
| Golden | Delta E 3.51 | Very close |
| Daler-Rowney | Delta E 4.26 | Very close |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Delta E 4.73 | Very close |
| Schmincke | Delta E 5.04 | Noticeably different |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 105 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- GamblinvsWilliamsburgDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- MatissevsMichael HardingDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- GamblinvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 0.42Near-identical
- WilliamsburgvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 0.42Near-identical
- Daniel SmithvsM. GrahamDelta E 0.51Near-identical
- HolbeinvsSennelierDelta E 0.59Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- Daler-RowneyvsSchminckeDelta E 9.25Noticeably different
- MaimerivsSchminckeDelta E 8.26Noticeably different
- Nevskaya PalitravsSchminckeDelta E 7.78Noticeably different
- GoldenvsNevskaya PalitraDelta E 7.42Noticeably different
- Daler-RowneyvsGoldenDelta E 7.24Noticeably different
- HolbeinvsSchminckeDelta E 6.57Noticeably different
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Daler-Rowney, Golden, Liquitex, M. Graham, Maimeri, Winsor & Newton
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Golden
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Maimeri, Matisse, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Maimeri
Golden, Nevskaya Palitra, Schmincke
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Matisse, Michael Harding, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Quinacridone Red. Each links to that brand's full range.
- Daler-Rowney · 2 paints
- Daniel Smith · 1 paint
- Gamblin · 1 paint
- Golden · 8 paints
- Holbein · 1 paint
- Liquitex · 2 paints
- M. Graham · 2 paints
- Maimeri · 1 paint
- Matisse · 2 paints
- Michael Harding · 1 paint
- Nevskaya Palitra · 1 paint
- Schmincke · 1 paint
- Sennelier · 2 paints
- Williamsburg · 1 paint
- Winsor & Newton · 3 paints
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Quinacridone Red we have measured
All 29 paints, with the measurements the comparisons above are built from.
| Brand | Line | Medium | Hex | L*a*b* | Pigment | Opacity | Lightfastness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daler-Rowney | Aquafine | watercolor | #cd3241 | 46.5, 60.4, 29.3 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Artists' Watercolour | watercolor | #cd3746 | 47.2, 59.0, 27.1 | PR209 | Transparent | I | |
| Daniel Smith | Extra Fine Watercolors | watercolor | #c62a48 | 44.4, 61.1, 22.1 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Gamblin | Artist's Oil Colors | oil | #c72845 | 44.4, 61.8, 23.9 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Fluid | acrylic | #9d373f | 38.2, 43.0, 18.2 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #c72845 | 44.4, 61.8, 23.9 | PR209 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #a93d50 | 41.8, 45.8, 12.7 | PW6, PV19 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #9a3a40 | 38.3, 40.6, 17.5 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #9f383f | 38.9, 43.6, 18.9 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | OPEN | acrylic | #9a3a40 | 38.4, 40.3, 17.8 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | QoR Modern Watercolors | watercolor | #c8283c | 44.4, 61.6, 29.5 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | SoFlat | acrylic | #a93d50 | 41.8, 46.0, 12.7 | PW6, PV19 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Holbein | Heavy Body Acrylic | acrylic | #c32d41 | 44.0, 59.0, 25.8 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Liquitex | Professional Heavy Body | acrylic | #c52b48 | 44.3, 60.6, 21.9 | PR209 | Transparent | I | |
| Liquitex | Soft Body | acrylic | #be2846 | 42.6, 59.3, 20.7 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #c32a48 | 43.8, 60.3, 21.2 | PR209 | Transparent | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #c62d4b | 44.8, 60.4, 20.7 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Maimeri | Classico | oil | #c33741 | 45.2, 55.6, 27.3 | PR209 | Semi-Opaque | I | |
| Matisse | Flow Formula | acrylic | #c32841 | 43.5, 60.5, 25.1 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Matisse | Structure Formula | acrylic | #c32841 | 43.5, 60.5, 25.1 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Michael Harding | Artists Oil Colours | oil | #c32841 | 43.5, 60.5, 25.1 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Master Class | oil | #cd3755 | 47.5, 59.9, 18.4 | PV19 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Schmincke | PRIMAcryl | acrylic | #af2346 | 39.2, 56.5, 15.6 | PV19 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Sennelier | Extra-Fine Acrylique | acrylic | #b92d46 | 42.2, 56.3, 20.0 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Sennelier | l'Aquarelle | watercolor | #cd3241 | 46.5, 60.4, 29.3 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Williamsburg | Handmade Oil Colors | oil | #c72845 | 44.4, 61.8, 23.9 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artists' Oil Colour | oil | #c32846 | 43.6, 60.7, 22.1 | PV19 | Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Acrylic | acrylic | #c31e37 | 42.5, 62.5, 30.0 | PR209 | Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Watercolour | watercolor | #ca304e | 45.9, 60.9, 20.5 | PV19 | Transparent | I |
