Paint Mixing Ratio Calculator
Work out how much medium, water or thinner to add to a quantity of paint at a given ratio.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Ratio of paint to medium, Custom ratio: parts medium, Paint volume, Coverage of the mixed paint, Layers you plan to apply
- What you get
- Medium to add, Total mixed volume, Paint in the mix, Medium in the mix, Area one coat of this batch covers, Area across all the layers you planned, Medium weight if it is water, Medium weight if it is an acrylic medium, Weight of the mixed batch, How many times the batch was extended, Medium for the layers you planned, Paint for the layers you planned
- Formula shown
- Yes, every step, right below your results.
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.
See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓
Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.
How to use the Paint Mixing Ratio Calculator
- 1 Enter Ratio of paint to medium
- 2 Enter Custom ratio: parts medium (parts), Only used when the choice above is set to the custom option.
- 3 Enter Paint volume (ml), The paint you are about to mix, in millilitres. A 37 ml tube is 37.
- 4 Enter Coverage of the mixed paint (sq m per litre), A thin wash behaves like a glaze at about 20 square metres per litre. Neat paint is nearer 10.
- 5 Enter Layers you plan to apply, Used for the total area this batch will cover.
- 6 Press Calculate. You get Medium to add, Total mixed volume, Paint in the mix, Medium in the mix, Area one coat of this batch covers, Area across all the layers you planned, Medium weight if it is water, Medium weight if it is an acrylic medium, Weight of the mixed batch, How many times the batch was extended, Medium for the layers you planned, Paint for the layers you planned, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 7 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.
Worked examples
Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.
A 1 to 3 wash from a 37 ml tube
A whole tube mixed as a wash, one coat.
You enter
- Ratio of paint to medium
- 3
- Custom ratio: parts medium
- 3 parts
- Paint volume
- 37 ml
- Coverage of the mixed paint
- 20 sq m per litre
- Layers you plan to apply
- 1
You get
- Medium to add
- 111.00 ml
- Total mixed volume
- 148.00 ml
- Paint in the mix
- 25.0%
- Medium in the mix
- 75.0%
- Area one coat of this batch covers
- 2.96 sq m
- Area across all the layers you planned
- 2.96 sq m
- Medium weight if it is water
- 111.00 g
- Medium weight if it is an acrylic medium
- 113.22 g
- Weight of the mixed batch
- 165.02 g
- How many times the batch was extended
- 4.00
- Medium for the layers you planned
- 111.00 ml
- Paint for the layers you planned
- 37.00 ml
111 millilitres of medium, so 148 millilitres of wash that is 25 percent paint and covers about 2.96 square metres.
A 1 to 1 glaze from 20 ml
A small glaze batch for a top pass.
You enter
- Ratio of paint to medium
- 1
- Custom ratio: parts medium
- 1 parts
- Paint volume
- 20 ml
- Coverage of the mixed paint
- 16 sq m per litre
- Layers you plan to apply
- 2
You get
- Medium to add
- 20.00 ml
- Total mixed volume
- 40.00 ml
- Paint in the mix
- 50.0%
- Medium in the mix
- 50.0%
- Area one coat of this batch covers
- 0.64 sq m
- Area across all the layers you planned
- 1.28 sq m
- Medium weight if it is water
- 20.00 g
- Medium weight if it is an acrylic medium
- 20.40 g
- Weight of the mixed batch
- 48.40 g
- How many times the batch was extended
- 2.00
- Medium for the layers you planned
- 40.00 ml
- Paint for the layers you planned
- 40.00 ml
20 millilitres of medium, 40 of glaze, half paint. Two passes of that batch cover about 1.28 square metres in total.
A 1 to 10 stain from 15 ml
A very thin stain to unify a background.
You enter
- Ratio of paint to medium
- 5
- Custom ratio: parts medium
- 10 parts
- Paint volume
- 15 ml
- Coverage of the mixed paint
- 22 sq m per litre
- Layers you plan to apply
- 2
You get
- Medium to add
- 150.00 ml
- Total mixed volume
- 165.00 ml
- Paint in the mix
- 9.1%
- Medium in the mix
- 90.9%
- Area one coat of this batch covers
- 3.63 sq m
- Area across all the layers you planned
- 7.26 sq m
- Medium weight if it is water
- 150.00 g
- Medium weight if it is an acrylic medium
- 153.00 g
- Weight of the mixed batch
- 174.00 g
- How many times the batch was extended
- 11.00
- Medium for the layers you planned
- 300.00 ml
- Paint for the layers you planned
- 30.00 ml
150 millilitres of medium gives 165 millilitres that is only 9 percent paint, covering about 7.3 square metres across two coats.
Guides that go with it
How to Calculate the Amount of Yarn You Need
You are about to start a project and the pattern says "6 skeins of worsted weight." Or worse, you are designing something yourself and there is no pattern at all. You want to buy once, not make three...
Inches vs Centimeters: The Ultimate Handcraft Conversion Guide
You found a pattern you love. The measurements are in inches. Your ruler is in centimeters. Or the reverse: a European yarn chart in centimeters, a US hook set labeled in millimeters and inches. Sudde...
How to Avoid Wasting Materials When Making Crafts
Most craft waste is not caused by clumsy hands. It is caused by decisions made before you pick up a tool: buying too much, cutting before measuring, or starting a project with no plan for the offcuts....