Paint Volume Mixing Calculator
Split a total volume of mixed paint into pigment, medium and water at a given ratio, by volume and by weight.
At a glance
- What you enter
- Total mixed volume you want, Ratio of pigment to medium and water, Custom parts of medium, Custom parts of water, Preset parts of medium, Density of the paint, Density of the medium or water, Layers you plan to apply, Coverage of the mixed paint
- What you get
- Pigment in the batch, Medium in the batch, Water in the batch, Pigment in the mix, Medium and water in the mix, Pigment weight, Medium weight, Water weight, Weight of the mixed batch, How many times the paint was extended, Area one coat of this batch covers, Area across all the layers you planned, Pigment per litre of mixed paint, Pigment for all 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 Volume Mixing Calculator
- 1 Enter Total mixed volume you want (ml), The batch size. A 150 ml wash is 150.
- 2 Enter Ratio of pigment to medium and water, A glaze is usually 1 part paint to 1 to 3 parts medium. A wash is 1 part paint to 5 to 10 parts water.
- 3 Enter Custom parts of medium (parts), Only used when the choice above is set to the custom option.
- 4 Enter Custom parts of water (parts), Only used with the custom option. Set to zero for a medium only mix.
- 5 Enter Preset parts of medium, The medium parts for the preset you chose above. Ignored when the custom option is used.
- 6 Enter Density of the paint (g per ml), Acrylic and oil paint are roughly 1.2 to 1.5 grams per millilitre depending on the pigment.
- 7 Enter Density of the medium or water (g per ml), Water is 1.0. An acrylic medium is very close to water at about 1.02.
- 8 Enter Layers you plan to apply, Used for the total batch across several passes.
- 9 Enter Coverage of the mixed paint (sq m per litre), A thin wash behaves like a glaze at about 18 to 20 square metres per litre. Neat paint is nearer 10.
- 10 Press Calculate. You get Pigment in the batch, Medium in the batch, Water in the batch, Pigment in the mix, Medium and water in the mix, Pigment weight, Medium weight, Water weight, Weight of the mixed batch, How many times the paint was extended, Area one coat of this batch covers, Area across all the layers you planned, Pigment per litre of mixed paint, Pigment for all the layers you planned, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
- 11 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 150 ml wash at 1 to 5
A thin wash mixed with water only, for toning a large background.
You enter
- Total mixed volume you want
- 150 ml
- Ratio of pigment to medium and water
- 4
- Custom parts of medium
- 3 parts
- Custom parts of water
- 0 parts
- Preset parts of medium
- 5
- Density of the paint
- 1.40 g per ml
- Density of the medium or water
- 1 g per ml
- Layers you plan to apply
- 2
- Coverage of the mixed paint
- 20 sq m per litre
You get
- Pigment in the batch
- 25.00 ml
- Medium in the batch
- 125.00 ml
- Water in the batch
- 0.00 ml
- Pigment in the mix
- 16.7%
- Medium and water in the mix
- 83.3%
- Pigment weight
- 35.00 g
- Medium weight
- 125.00 g
- Water weight
- 0.00 g
- Weight of the mixed batch
- 160.00 g
- How many times the paint was extended
- 6.00
- Area one coat of this batch covers
- 3.00 sq m
- Area across all the layers you planned
- 6.00 sq m
- Pigment per litre of mixed paint
- 166.67 ml
- Pigment for all the layers you planned
- 50.00 ml
Six parts in total, so 25 millilitres of paint and 125 of water. That is 25 grams of paint and 125 of water, and the batch covers about 3 square metres a coat, so 6 across two coats.
A 100 ml glaze at 1 to 3 in medium
A glaze mixed with medium rather than water, for a top pass over a dry layer.
You enter
- Total mixed volume you want
- 100 ml
- Ratio of pigment to medium and water
- 3
- Custom parts of medium
- 3 parts
- Custom parts of water
- 0 parts
- Preset parts of medium
- 3
- Density of the paint
- 1.45 g per ml
- Density of the medium or water
- 1.02 g per ml
- Layers you plan to apply
- 1
- Coverage of the mixed paint
- 16 sq m per litre
You get
- Pigment in the batch
- 25.00 ml
- Medium in the batch
- 75.00 ml
- Water in the batch
- 0.00 ml
- Pigment in the mix
- 25.0%
- Medium and water in the mix
- 75.0%
- Pigment weight
- 36.25 g
- Medium weight
- 76.50 g
- Water weight
- 0.00 g
- Weight of the mixed batch
- 112.75 g
- How many times the paint was extended
- 4.00
- Area one coat of this batch covers
- 1.60 sq m
- Area across all the layers you planned
- 1.60 sq m
- Pigment per litre of mixed paint
- 250.00 ml
- Pigment for all the layers you planned
- 25.00 ml
Four parts, so 25 millilitres of paint and 75 of medium, which weighs 36.3 grams of paint and 76.5 of medium for 112.8 grams of glaze, 25 percent paint.
A three part acrylic mix
A custom mix of 1 part paint, 2 parts medium and 1 part water in a 200 ml batch.
You enter
- Total mixed volume you want
- 200 ml
- Ratio of pigment to medium and water
- 6
- Custom parts of medium
- 2 parts
- Custom parts of water
- 1 parts
- Preset parts of medium
- 3
- Density of the paint
- 1.35 g per ml
- Density of the medium or water
- 1.02 g per ml
- Layers you plan to apply
- 3
- Coverage of the mixed paint
- 15 sq m per litre
You get
- Pigment in the batch
- 50.00 ml
- Medium in the batch
- 100.00 ml
- Water in the batch
- 50.00 ml
- Pigment in the mix
- 25.0%
- Medium and water in the mix
- 75.0%
- Pigment weight
- 67.50 g
- Medium weight
- 102.00 g
- Water weight
- 50.00 g
- Weight of the mixed batch
- 219.50 g
- How many times the paint was extended
- 4.00
- Area one coat of this batch covers
- 3.00 sq m
- Area across all the layers you planned
- 9.00 sq m
- Pigment per litre of mixed paint
- 250.00 ml
- Pigment for all the layers you planned
- 150.00 ml
Four parts, so 50 millilitres of paint, 100 of medium and 50 of water. The medium carries the binder and the water loosens the consistency, which is 25 percent paint in the batch.
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