Pigment guide: Yellow Ochre

Yellow Ochre is the second popular pigment in use for paints after titanium white. Ochres are one of the most ancient pigments used even in cave-paintings. Chemically speaking, yellow ochre is naturally or synthetically hydrated iron oxide. As most mineral pigments, yellow ochre has excellent lightfastness and varies in transparency from very transparent (like yellow mars or travertine) to opaque.

Technical Data on Yellow Ochre

With colour index 77492 pigment formula varies, depending on method of manufacturing and treatment. PY42 stays for synthetic oxide, while PY43 is natural. Natural iron oxides include a combination of one or more ferrous or ferric oxides, and impurities, such as manganese, clay, or organics.

Normally, they are used together in paint-making. When heated this pigment changes its colours to red shades and gradually transforms to PR101 pigment that also belongs to iron oxide family.

Due to wide range of usage yellow ochre can show colours from neutral yellow through orange to brick red and blackcurrant.
PY42-43 is one of the most comfortable pigments to work with as they provide excellent mixing and grinding properties in all binders: oil, acrylic, watercolours, gouache, egg tempera, PVAc etc.

Oil absorption ratio varies from 15 to 30 g per 100g, which makes this colour perfect to work with: it’s drying neither too fast nor too slowly.

Although yellow ochre can be found in many places, the most common quality sources of these pigments is France, Italy and Cyprus. What about safety, when in paints PY42-43 is not toxic at all, but dust can contain small amounts of heavy metals, manganese, lead or other minerals. So, when you work in pastels or raw pigment avoid dust and use protective gears.

Different Names of Yellow Ochre

Paints made with this pigment may have many different names as hues and transparency varies.
Here are some of the most common names:

• Yellow Ochre (Light, Pale, Deep etc.)
• Golden Ochre
• Indian Yellow Transparent (hue)
• Mars Yellow
• Iron Oxide Yellow
• Light Ochre
• Mars Orange
• Orange Oxide
• Raw Sienna
• Natural Yellow
• Natural Sienna
• Mars Yellow Orange
• Brown Ochre
• Natural Ochre

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