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Acrylic Painting Know-How: 59 Popular Paint Pigment Numbers

About Acrylic Paint pigment numbers and color properties

Sometimes, you just need to decide, which paint to buy, but you don’t have time to look at each acrylic paint tube or bottle separately, to find out about their color properties. This is especially true when you’re starting out with acrylic painting for beginners, and you need to make quick, informed choices. Or you are shopping online and sometimes you don’t even HAVE all those detailed pictures of paint tubes available to view. But you know that you need red that is opaque or blue that is semi-transparent for your next artwork. So, what to do? 

Here is a list of 59 common acrylic paints with their pigment number and color properties, tailored for those starting out with acrylic painting for beginners, so that you could easily search and find what you’re looking for. 🙂

Where to Find Pigment Number on Acrylic Paint Tube?

acrylic painting for beginners, how to find pigment number on acrylic paint

Here, on the back side of the tube.  The pigment numbers are PY73 and PY83. 

How to Read The Pigment Code of Acrylic Paint and Oil Paint?

pigment number on oil paint tube

The letters indicate the color group (like PY for Pigment Yellow or PR for Pigment Red), and the number represents the specific chemical composition. 

For example, PV23 is labeled as ‘Pigment Violet 23,’ which is known as Dioxazine Violet.  This code doesn’t reflect the pigment’s chemical structure but is assigned based on when the pigment was added to the index. Not all manufacturers list the chemical formula next to the Colour Index Name Code, but some do.

List of Colors By Pigment Number And Color Properties

  1. PW6: Titanium White – Opaque, strong white with excellent covering power.
  2. PB29: Ultramarine Blue – Vibrant, deep blue with good lightfastness and moderate transparency.
  3. PR101: Synthetic Red Iron Oxide – A range of reds from bright to deep, with good opacity and earthy tones.
  4. PY3: Arylide Yellow – Bright, semi-transparent yellow, but with limited lightfastness.
  5. PG7: Phthalocyanine Green – A strong, very transparent green with high tinting strength and good lightfastness.
  6. PV19: Quinacridone Violet – A versatile violet to rose range, transparent with high tinting strength.
  7. PR83: Alizarin Crimson – A transparent, deep red with moderate lightfastness.
  8. PB15: Phthalocyanine Blue – Intense, very transparent blue with excellent lightfastness.
  9. PY42: Yellow Ochre – Earthy, opaque yellow with good lightfastness, often used for natural tones.
  10. PB28: Cobalt Blue – A lightfast, opaque blue with moderate tinting strength.
  11. PB27: Prussian Blue – A dark, intense blue with strong tinting strength and good lightfastness.
  12. PY74: Arylide Yellow – A bright, semi-opaque yellow, known for its good tinting strength.
  13. PR122: Quinacridone Magenta – A vibrant magenta, highly transparent with excellent lightfastness.
  14. PY150: Nickel Azo Yellow – Transparent, ranging from yellow to orange tones, with good lightfastness.
  15. PR112: Naphthol Red – A medium red with good opacity and moderate lightfastness.
  16. PB35: Cerulean Blue – A light, sky blue, opaque with moderate tinting strength.
  17. PY35: Cadmium Yellow – A strong, opaque yellow, known for its excellent lightfastness.
  18. PR108: Cadmium Red – Bright, opaque red with excellent covering power and lightfastness.
  19. PV23: Dioxazine Violet – A deep, transparent violet with high tinting strength.
  20. PG18: Viridian – A dark, transparent green with good lightfastness.
  21. PY65: Diarylide Yellow HR-70 – Bright, opaque, and strong tinting yellow.
  22. PR170: Naphthol Red AS – A bright, semi-transparent red with good lightfastness.
  23. PB60: Indanthrone Blue – Deep, highly lightfast blue with strong tinting strength.
  24. PR264: Pyrrole Red – A bright, opaque red with excellent lightfastness.
  25. PY83: Diarylide Orange – Vibrant, semi-opaque orange with moderate lightfastness.
  26. PG50: Cobalt Green – A unique green with moderate opacity and lightfastness.
  27. PY42: Mars Yellow – Earthy yellow, opaque with excellent lightfastness.
  28. PBk9: Ivory Black – A rich, opaque black with good covering power.
  29. PW4: Zinc White – A less opaque white, often used for mixing and toning down colors.
  30. PR23: Toluidine Red – Bright, semi-transparent red, useful for warm tones.
  31. PY97: Transparent Yellow – A bright, transparent yellow with high lightfastness.
  32. PV29: Perylene Violet – Deep, transparent violet, excellent for shading and dark tones.
  33. PB36: Cobalt Turquoise – A light, opaque turquoise with moderate tinting strength.
  34. PR146: Naphthol Red AS-D – A vivid, transparent red with good lightfastness.
  35. PY110: Isoindolinone Yellow – A strong, semi-opaque yellow with excellent lightfastness.
  36. PG36: Phthalocyanine Green YS – A bright, transparent green with high tinting strength.
  37. PR149: Perylene Red – A dark, transparent red, great for deep, rich tones.
  38. PB23: Cerulean Blue (Genuine) – A lightfast, transparent blue with low tinting strength.
  39. PR202: Quinacridone Magenta – A bright, transparent magenta, excellent for cool red tones.
  40. PY53: Nickel Titanate Yellow – A pale, opaque yellow, great for soft, light tones.
  41. PBk11: Mars Black – A deep, opaque black, known for its strong coverage.
  42. PW5: Lithopone White – A semi-opaque white, often used for softening colors.
  43. PV37: Manganese Violet – A soft, opaque violet with good lightfastness.
  44. PY42: Mars Yellow – A strong, earthy yellow with good opacity.
  45. PBk10: Carbon Black – A deep, strong black with high tinting strength.
  46. PR101: Transparent Red Iron Oxide – A transparent, earthy red, excellent for glazing.
  47. PV19: Quinacridone Rose – A transparent, vibrant rose, useful for bright pinks.
  48. PG58: Chromium Green Oxide – A strong, opaque green with excellent lightfastness.
  49. PY74: Hansa Yellow Light – A bright, transparent yellow, great for mixing greens.
  50. PR176: Anthraquinone Red – A deep, transparent red with high tinting strength.
  51. PBk7: Bone Black – A deep, natural black with a slightly brownish tone, known for its strong coverage and historical use.
  52. PY150: Nickel Azo Yellow – A transparent, lightfast yellow, perfect for glazing and subtle yellow tones.
  53. PB32: Manganese Blue – A bright, transparent blue, known for its unique greenish-blue hue and good lightfastness.
  54. PR9: Naphthol Red – A bright, moderately opaque red, favored for its intense color but with varying lightfastness.
  55. PY42: Raw Sienna – An earthy, semi-transparent yellow-brown, ideal for natural landscapes and underpainting.
  56. PG17: Chromium Oxide Green – A stable, opaque green with a muted, earthy tone, often used for landscape and natural scenes.
  57. PY12: Diarylide Yellow – A strong, semi-opaque yellow, known for its bright hue and good tinting strength.
  58. PV22: Ultramarine Violet – A soft, transparent violet derived from ultramarine, offering subtle blue-purple shades.
  59. PR188: Perylene Maroon – A deep, transparent maroon, excellent for rich, dark reds and shading.

Essential Pigment Knowledge for Acrylic Painting Beginners

The Color of Art Pigment Database is a comprehensive, free resource offering detailed pigment information, crucial for artists in various mediums like oil, watercolor, and acrylic. It’s an essential tool for understanding pigment properties, aiding in creating durable art and useful for those interested in art restoration or making their own paint. This database serves as a key reference for artists seeking in-depth knowledge about color application in their work.

acrylic painting color pigments

Want to Know More About Pigment Colour Index?

Established in 1925, the Colour Index International, a collaborative effort between the Society of Dyers and Colourists and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, is a comprehensive database cataloging pigments and dyes. This resource provides a unified naming system for colorants, often known by various proprietary and generic names, making it an invaluable tool for manufacturers, consumers, and artists worldwide for consistent color identification and usage.

The Colour Index International is like a giant color dictionary. Each color has a unique code, like “PB29” for ultramarine blue, which tells what’s in it. This code helps everyone, from artists to paint manufacturers, know exactly what color they’re using. 

For example, “PR101” refers to red iron oxide, a common pigment in many red paints. These codes ensure that whether you’re in New York or Paris, when you talk about “PB29,” you’re talking about the same ultramarine blue.

In conclusion, I hope this comprehensive list of 59 common oil and acrylic color pigment numbers, along with their color properties, has been beneficial to you. Whether you are just embarking on the journey of acrylic painting as a beginner or you are a seasoned artist refining your palette, this guide is designed to enhance your understanding and selection of colors. It’s our aim that this resource, especially useful in acrylic painting for beginners, simplifies your artistic process, allowing you to focus more on your creative expression and less on the guesswork of color properties.  

Happy painting 🙂