Cadmium Orange
Inorganic - This is a strong, deep orange with high tint power and opacity, yielding surprisingly pinky hues in mixes with Titanium Whites.
Cadmium Orange is a single-pigment Michael Harding oil colour made with PO20 (Inorganic).
It is opaque, excellent lightfastness, average drying time, high tinting strength.
It is ground in linseed oil with low oil content.
- Code
- No. 502
- Series
- Series 5
- Pigment Index
- PO20
- Pigment Type
- Inorganic
- Oil / Vehicle
- Linseed Oil
- Sizes
- 40ml · 60ml · 225ml, 1L, 2.5L, 5L
- Lightfastness
- Excellent
- Opacity
- Opaque
- Drying
- Average
- Oil Content
- Low
- Tint Power
- High
- Toxicity
- Non-Toxic
Measured colour data
Pigment composition, masstone measurements, and tinting paths - independently measured and provided by Artist Pigments.
- PO20
- Cadmium OrangeCadmium Sulphoselenide · CI 77202 · CAS 12656-57-4 · EC 235-758-3InorganicSynthetic
- CIELab
- L 62.86 · a 58.54 · b 60.04
- Chroma / Hue
- C 83.85 · h 45.72°
- Munsell
- 9.43R 6.1/15.4
- ISCC-NBS
- vivid reddish orange
- Transparency
- O
- Lightfastness
- E
| Step | Label | CIELab | Munsell |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | masstone | L 62.85 · a 58.5 · b 60.04 | 9.44R 6.11/15.35 |
| 1 | tint_1 | L 65.23 · a 56.31 · b 52.88 | 9.02R 6.35/14.29 |
| 2 | tint_2 | L 68.15 · a 52.85 · b 45.12 | 8.51R 6.66/13.06 |
| 3 | tint_3 | L 70.86 · a 49.07 · b 38.77 | 8.04R 6.94/11.94 |
| 4 | tint_4 | L 73.69 · a 44.64 · b 32.92 | 7.59R 7.24/10.67 |
| 5 | tint_5 | L 76.61 · a 39.66 · b 27.57 | 7.16R 7.55/9.32 |
| 6 | tint_6 | L 80.07 · a 33.39 · b 22.14 | 6.77R 7.91/7.77 |
| 7 | tint_7 | L 83.15 · a 27.45 · b 17.99 | 6.66R 8.24/6.42 |
| 8 | tint_8 | L 86.28 · a 21.17 · b 14.44 | 6.99R 8.57/4.96 |
| 9 | tint_9 | L 89.43 · a 14.54 · b 11.6 | 8.51R 8.9/3.56 |
| 10 | tint_10 | L 92.96 · a 6.53 · b 9.71 | 3.98YR 9.27/2.61 |
| 11 | tint_11 | L 95.95 · a -0.74 · b 9.3 | 5.78Y 9.58/2.4 |
Tint · Tone · Shade · Glaze
Preview how Cadmium Orange behaves when mixed, toned, shaded and glazed. Each swatch is computed from the masstone using a perceptual subtractive model - an approximation for guidance, not a formulation guarantee.
Cadmium Orange straight from the tube.
A thin wash over white.
Mixed with Titanium White.
Mixed with a mid neutral grey.
Darkened with a chromatic black.
A thin transparent film over white.
Compare with nearby colours
See Cadmium Orange side-by-side with its closest neighbours in the range — chemistry, opacity and lightfastness at a glance.
Popular combinations
Open Cadmium Orange in the Virtual Mixing Studio to preview how it combines with these partners before you reach for the palette.
Open Cadmium Orange in Mixing StudioFeatured in 2 palettes
More oil colours
What pigment is used in Cadmium Orange?
Cadmium Orange is made with PO20.
Is Cadmium Orange a single-pigment colour?
Yes. Cadmium Orange uses a single pigment (PO20), so its behaviour stays consistent and predictable on the palette.
Is Cadmium Orange transparent or opaque?
Cadmium Orange is opaque.
Is Cadmium Orange lightfast?
Cadmium Orange has excellent lightfastness.
Is Cadmium Orange vegan?
Yes. Cadmium Orange contains no animal-derived ingredients and is suitable for vegan artists.
Artist Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to share your experience with this colour.
Colour Disclaimer: Colours shown on screen or in print may vary from the actual product. For the most accurate representation of colour, texture and finish, we recommend viewing a physical sample or swatch in person before making your final selection.