Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Medium Color Comparison and Review

What is the Difference Between Cadmium Red Medium and Cadmium Red Deep? Do you really need them both? And are Cadmium Reds all they're made out to be?

We're taking a look at these questions -- and more.

Cadmium Red Deeps and Mediums

A Quick Look at Some Stunning Oil Paints

Our Featured Paints: Cadmium Red Deeps and Mediums

These are the paints we're focusing on here- a range of bright middle-reds labeled Cadmium Red Medium and Deep

Cadmiums in Context

Genuine Cadmium Reds come in a wide range of colors. We're taking a look at paints in the Cadmium Red Mediums and Cadmium Red Deeps. While all these paints are made of PR108, these paints differ in hue, tinting, texture, and handling (stiffness) according to brand, not necessarily according to paint name. In fact, the colors we're examining fall between two excellent Williamsburg colors- Cadmium Red Medium and Cadmium Red Deep. Our featured panel is the first full panel to the left, while the panel on the right shows the depths that Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Maroon can reach. All that to say that our featured colors in this article are not the deepest ones out there.

Generally the names Cadmium Red Medium vs Cadmium Red Deep refer to differences in the hue and value of the color (same pigment, different hue and depth). However with these colors the naming structure is not consistent across brands, so we'll explore that too. Unfortunately one brand's idea of a Medium is sometimes another brand's idea of a Deep. Whether you need them both depends on the subject matter you like to paint and whether you find their hues and opacity helpful.

Cadmium Red comes in a wide range of hues and values which all have the same pigment code -- PR108. This pigment can be made into a range of reds from deep cherry red-purples to fiery red oranges.

Since the pigment used in Cadmium Red in general can cover such a wide range of hues, brands tend to name their colors light, medium, or deep (and deeper still, cadmium red purple or cadmium maroon). The only problem is that brands have totally different ideas of what color a Cadmium Red Medium looks like. One brand's Medium is another brand's Deep.

In the most general terms only, paints named Cadmium Red Light are oranger, Cadmium Red Mediums tend to be cooler middle-reds than Cadmium Red Lights, and Cadmium Red Deeps are a little cooler and darker than paints named Cadmium Red Medium. At least that is how it's supposed to work. So,in order from orange to purplish we have Cadmium Red Light--Cadmium Red Medium-- then Cadmium Red Deep. But where brands place their cadmiums on this scale differs a lot from company to company. Within a brand, they usually follow these conventions, it's just that brands don't tend to coordinate together. Each brand is a scale unto itself.

Two panels show the range of cadmium red deeps in oil paint. Six tubes of oil paint are shown, which are the featured paints in the article.

A range of high-chroma cadmium reds exist between Williamsburg Cadmium Red Medium and their Cadmium Red Deep. The reds we're focusing on are the first full panel to the left. The Deeps and Maroons get much deeper from here.

Our Featured Paints: Cadmium Red Deeps and Mediums

These are the paints we're focusing on here- a range of bright middle-reds labeled Cadmium Red Medium and Deep

Deeper than Some Cadmium Red Lights

While Naming Structures Vary, There are Patterns

So while the reds and maroons go deeper, they also go lighter than than our featured panel, too. Here are just a few Cadmium Red Lights and Mediums which are brighter/oranger than the paints we're focusing on here.

Here are some similar genuine cadmium red medium colors and warmer cadmium red lights. The featured panel is on the left. (Just an FYI, in bright light these appeared a bit more saturated than they really are. The colors are a bit deeper-- see the other pictures on the page and keep in mind that screen colors vary a lot. Though we try our best, screen colors inherently cannot be relied upon when judging paints).

We tested a few of the best-of-the-best Cadmium Reds the world has to offer. We wanted to see how they compare amongst themselves for hue temperature and tinting strength.

We compared offerings from Vasari, Old Holland, Michael Harding, and Schmincke Norma.

Three panels showing a progression of cadmium red mediums and lights

The paint tubes correlate to the left-most panel. Cadmium reds go lighter/brighter/oranger than our featured panel. There may be some reflection/glare on the right-most paint, however in general they seem more red-orange.

Best-in-Class Cadmium Reds

When we say best, this is not compared to every paint ever (we would include Williamsburg in that category, even though they aren't on the panel--see above), but rather that these are high-end paint brands, with the possible exception of Schmincke Norma, which is often thought of as a mid-tier paint line. Compared to lower-end and student grade paints, the tinting strength, the performance, and handling of these paints was excellent. Since we don't know what exactly is in them (as far as additives) we can't speak to their archival properties. In terms of how they handle on the palette, these paints have incredibly high tinting strength.

We compared offerings from Vasari, Old Holland, Michael Harding, and Schmincke Norma.

These are the high-end cadmium reds that we'll be focusing on in this review. Paints from left to right on the featured panel are: Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned), Michael Harding Cadmium Red, Schmincke Norma Cadmium Red Deep, Vasari Cadmium Red Medium, Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep, and Michael Harding Cadmium Red Deep.

A panel with swatches of paint showing the range of hues for these cadmium red paints

The featured panel of Cadmium Reds by Old Holland, Michael Harding, Schmincke Norma, and Vasari

The featured paints

More information about a given paint can be found on each paint page

Do You Need Cadmium Red?

Opacity, Lightfastness, and Mixing- Depends on Your Painting Practice

Cadmium Reds are rock stars of the palette, and we love this color for its opacity. This quality can be hard to find among red colors. It is an absolute stunner of a pigment that is hard to truly replace.

Lightfastness vs. Weatherfastness- Susceptible to Moisture Degradation

While Cadmium Reds are considered lightfast, moisture can be an issue. Lightfastness and weatherfastness are different. More on this can be found in an academic paper here Moisture Degradation and Cadmium Red.

An Elusive Cadmium Red With Extraordinary Lightfastness

We found Virgil Elliot's research on Cadmium Red Lightfastness to be extremely interesting. There is a different cadmium red, which is not PR108 but rather PR113 that outperformed even the regular cadmium reds. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, PR113 is not available in oil paints.

Pyrrole Red Can Imitate Some Cadmium Reds

Yes, some cadmium reds can be approximated by using Pyrrole Red, PR254. We actually use both Cadmium Red and Pyrrole Red for different things. Cadmium Red mixes a bit differently in tints than Pyrrole, and Cadmium Red is usually more opaque, though that seems less noticeable to us than differences in the hue. (As a portrait painter writing this, the slight dustiness in the cadmium red mixes can be nice). Cadmium Reds come in a wide variety of colors. Both pigments are great and we paint with both. There is, however, a higher chroma note in Pyrrole that can be extremely useful.

Cadmium Red Opacity in Cool Red Colors

Many of the other red and magenta colors in paint pigments-- especially deeper-valued colors like Alizarin Crimson Permanent/Anthraquinone Red PR177 tend toward transparency. The same is true of genuine Alizarin Crimson, PR83, as well as many other crimson varieties and other magentas. So, it's helpful to have some deeper cooler reds around that have opacity when it's needed, and that's where Cadmium Red Deep or even Maroon comes in.

In the cadmium reds, the word Deep usually refers to differences in lightness or value, so deeper cadmium reds are often a deeper/darker cherry red than cadmium red mediums. It goes deeper from here, and cadmium red-purples and cadmium maroon descend through the Munsell charts on the value scale. These can be used in concert with other reds to lend opacity where needed in a painting.

More Gliding Kinds of Paints Were a Bit Less Opaque

Perhaps we should add that "good" cadmium reds have opacity, as sometimes brands try to cheapen the paint with fillers, and then some of that opaque quality would be lost. It should also be noted that some of the more gliding cadmium reds we tested were a little bit less opaque. In general though, opacity and high pigment load are highly desirable traits in a paint made with genuine cadmium red PR108.

Not the Greatest for Mixing Clear Bright Purples

However, we would not recommend most cadmium red deeps or cadmium maroons if you're trying to mix the brightest purples with a limited palette- for mixing clear purples a quinacridone magenta would be recommended over Cadmium Reds. Also if you want super-chromatic pinks, cadmium red is not the first choice. However, if you're painting realistically, the way cadmium red tints can be a good thing.

Three panels show varying tints of Cadmium Red paint

Several panels of cadmium red paints

Cadmium Red Tinting Comparison

Four paints tinted a bit cooler than the others

Four colors could be said to be slightly more cool in tints compared with the paints on the panel, namely, Schmincke Norma Cadmium Red Deep, Vasari Cadmium Red Medium, Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep, and Michael Harding Cadmium Red Deep. The coolest of the grouping were the Norma and the Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep. Of course all of this is contextual though.

Of course the cool-ness goes much deeper when we get to some of the other Cadmium Red Deeps and Maroons, which are shown to the right for comparison.

Notes On the Tinting Method:

For reference, when looking at our swatch panels, the "c" shape on the third row down from the top shows the color in a 50-50 mix with Titanium White.

When making generalizations on the tinting behaviors we mix this again two more times. For this review, we also made larger batches of the 50-50 mixture to help judge the differences in color. These are shown in some of the photos above. We mix the 50-50 blend twice by eye, and then average the two piles. We use Williamsburg Titanium White in linseed oil for the tints.

Two panels compare our featured paints with a handful of paints that tint even cooler, mostly Cadmium Red Purples and Cadmium Maroons.

The tinting was hard to capture due to the effects of glare, so please also consult the photo further down the page as well.

Paints that Were Cooler in Tints

Of the colors on our panel, four were cooler. The Schmincke Norma and Old Holland leaned the coolest, however none of them were as cool-tinting as the coolest Deeps and Cadmium Maroons.

The Cooler-Tinting Cadmium Maroons

Explore the deeper and cooler Cadmium Maroons and Cadmium Red Deeps (shown for comparison)

Paints that Were Warmer in Tints

Two of the colors on the panel veered a bit warmer in tints. The redder tinters were Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned) and Michael Harding Cadmium Red. These colors are incidentally lighter in value than some of the others. Of course there are cadmium colors which go warmer and oranger than these.

Featured Paints that Tinted Warmer

While all cadmiums are a bit dusty in tints, several paints on the panel retained more of their warmth.

Tinting Strength Notes

The tinting was strangely hard to capture due to the effects of glare, so please also consult the photos on the page as well.

Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep had very high tinting strength. Anecdotally, Old Holland is known for having very strongly tinting cadmiums, and these were no exception. However, it was a bit hard to discern whether their Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned) had higher tinting strength than Michael Harding Cadmium Red. When we mixed larger batches and averaged them, the Old Holland had slightly higher tinting strength in the end.

In general, the Schmincke Norma and the Vasari didn't have quite the strength of some of the others, but it should be borne in mind that these nevertheless would be considered strongly tinting paints. These were followed by the two Michael Harding colors with medium tinting strength relative to the rest of the panel, again, we're talking good tinting strength overall for every color here.

Strongest tinter: Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep,

Next strongest / medium tinters (still very high compared to other brands) Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned) Michael Harding Cadmium Red Deep Michael Harding Cadmium Red

Less-strong tinters (these are still strong compared with other brands) Vasari Cadmium Red Medium Schmincke Norma Cadmium Red Deep

Also it may be helpful to note in regard to the Vasari and the Schmincke Norma that though they were slightly less intense tinters, they were also the most gliding paints in consistency.

Let's be real though, all of these colors would be considered as having high tinting strength.

Old Holland's Cadmium Red Deep was one of the strongest.

All of the paints were strong tinters (see the 'C' shape on the third row for 50-50 blends with Titanium White)

Stronger Tinting Colors

The highest tinting strength seemed to be Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep

Less-Strongly Tinting Colors

These colors tended to have more glide and were still good tinters

Cadmium Categorizations

Options for Classifying Cadmiums

Cadmium Red Deeps: More of a Dusty Red-Violet In the Tints

Among Cadmium Reds, there were deeper reds (usually but not always labeled Cadmium Red Deep) which tended to have a comparatively more violet character in mixes with Titanium White- a sort of cool dusty red-violet in tints. What makes these reds “deeps” is generally not actually being more violet in masstone— the opposite is sometimes true. These deeps tended to be deeper in value (see the Munsell notes at the bottom). On this panel the deeper cadmium reds include Schmincke Norma Cadmium Red Deep and Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep.

Between Cadmium Red Medium and Deep

A few colors bridged these classes by falling between the two groupings. These in-between colors can sometimes be quite valuable.

While paint is wet it is sometimes difficult to judge how hues will dry. At first, we only had two categories— Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Medium. However as they dried it seemed there should really be three categories. Vasari Cadmium Red Medium and Michael Harding Cadmium Red Deep could initially be sorted into the Cadmium Red Deeps. However upon drying, these two (Harding and Vasari) seemed to form their own in-between category.

Cadmium Red Mediums-Bright Cherry Reds, More Reddish in Tints

A second group contained some really bright primary reds that retained more of their reddish masstone in tints. (yes we know, we know, primary reds aren't really a thing. We could also call this "psychological" red, though everyone's ideas of this 'reddest red" color will differ. If you're interested in a paint color's specifics, see the Munsell notes for this category at the bottom).

Despite variances in brand naming conventions, this second class of Cadmiums tinted out a bit differently than the group which we label as deeps. In general this tinting behavior did tend to coincide with what brands labeled as their Cadmium Red Mediums.

When we say Cadmium Red Medium we're talking about the brighter cherry reds which do not tend as strongly toward violet in tints. On this panel, these are Old Holland Cadmium Red (Vermillioned) and Michael Harding Cadmium Red. (Paints not pictured here which also fall into this cluster are Williamsburg Cadmium Red Medium and Old Holland Cadmium Red Light.)

Please note these categories are subject to change. In analyzing spectro data the reds are weird and counter-intuitive!

A panel of Cadmium Red Mediums and Deeps that shows differences in tint temperature.

Cadmium pigments sort themselves into groupings. Here we have colors which tint a little bit more purple-red, colors that retain their bright cherry red character in tints, and a few colors that are in between. The Michael Harding Cadmium Red Deep on the right is a little brighter in character than how it photographed here.

True Cadmium Red Deeps

These tinted a little cooler and also had a deeper masstone

Colors in between Deep and Medium

These colors had a note of coolness in masstone but didn't have the same degree of dusty violet in the tints. They looked in-between

Bright Reds that were Solidly 'Medium'

These retained a sprightly red (for a cadmium) in tints

Technical Post Script: Munsell Masstone Notes

Reds Are Weird, But It's Too Much To Go Into Here

Reds can be quite deceptive! This is a section with major caveats. So take it all with a grain of salt and do your own tests here. Do let us know your results- we'd love to hear. However we'd like to keep the discussion oriented towards paint and its application in practical paintings.

Ok, so we could go really deep on this... like boring our readers to high heaven, but honestly it is a bit too much theory and data for this article. We use a variety of methods to try to quantify colors. These methods include, but are not limited to, spectrophotometer readings as well as interpretations of off-the-charts Munsell colors through another algorithm. We chart things in CIELAB and CIELch, and we also have our 1970s too-old-to-be-perfectly-accurate trusty Munsell Glossy Book (new ones look like this) and use the chips for a visual comparison. So that's a lot of different angles from which to look at a color, and these reds were somewhat baffling-- so much so that we went back and actually did the measurements twice.

Usually these models make it easier to select a color. However when we imagined having not seen the panel in person, the data would almost lead one to come away with the wrong interpretation. So in the case of these reds, the models seemed to made it a bit more confusing, and this may have to do with a number of different interesting rabbit trails.

Counter-Intuitive Munsell Hue and Value

For example, when seeing the panel in real life, the Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned) and Michael Harding Cadmium Red (regular) appeared a more red-orange version of primary red -- yes we know, there is no primary red, but we mean that even though these are red-oranger, they are still a solid middle red color-- than the other colors on the panel. However the Munsell data suggested they were cooler. Bizarre thing number one.

We also charted these in CIELAB and CIELch and the results also felt somewhat counter-intuitive--so much so that we re-took the readings and the readings were right.

One thing that was helpful: the Cadmium Red Deeps are not exactly more violet in masstone, however they tend to be deeper in lightness, usually by a step in Munsell. The Deeps tended to hover closer to value 3, while the Cadmium Red Medium category we described was often closer to value 4. (Please note these generalizations do not apply to every brand). Our readings were taken when dried, and we are only evaluating masstone in this part of the discussion. For context, lower R hue numbers in Munsell are cooler (toward red purple) and higher R numbers are warmer reds that lean progressively toward orange.

A panel of cadmium red colors with Munsell chips shown for comparison

Ok here is where things get weird. The closest Munsell chip matches, which are not really that close. The high chroma of the paint exceeds the Munsell chip gamut. This image was processed to try to get the chips to read the same RGB on our monitors as the best Munsell conversion could reach, so this is yet another gloss on the whole attempt to convey colors on screens.

Munsell Notes for Specific Colors

These were weird. But here they are.

The first covered here are out of order from the panel. These are the deeper-in-lightness reds between values 3 and 4 (approximately value 3 3/4):

Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep: the estimated Munsell is 4.4R 3.81/9.05. The closest Munsell chip according to the spectrophotometer: the spectro suggested 5R 4/8 as the lowest delta E, however, that looks way too chalky and dusty to represent this color even when dried. This is a high-saturation red between values 3 and 4.

Michael Harding Cadmium Red Deep Best estimate of Munsell, 5R 3.79/10.19. The closest chip listed by the spectrophotometer: 5R 4/10. Ok, to suggest 5R4/10 seems quite dusty for this super-vibrant color, however this could be the effect of its unvarnished matteness once dried because we would think of this as a very high chroma color overall. This is a really powerful red. It is somewhat similar in masstone to Schmincke Norma's Cadmium Red Deep in appearance but slightly different in handling and tints. The Schmincke Norma has cooler tints. Perhaps because of the cooler tints, the Norma feels slightly deeper.

Schmincke Norma Cadmium Red Deep: estimated 5.6R 3.7/11.12. Closest chip: 6.25R 4/12. The closest Munsell chip according to the spectrophotometer pales in comparison to this red. The slight decrease in value (for the paint color) really makes a difference and this paint is super chromatic and punchy. Our readings suggested they are similar values to Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep, however the extra chroma in the Norma makes it look brighter than the Old Holland Cadmium Red Deep.

Vasari Cadmium Red Medium, 5.7R 3.74/11.77. The closest chip is suggested to be 6.25R 4/12, but this is likely due to the unvarnished matteness when dried, as even the dried color is a bit deeper (at 3.74 value) which makes a big difference in reds, especially at high chromas. Technically this was estimated to be the highest chroma red on the panel even though it didn't particularly leap out that way by eye. This color stayed redder (as opposed to violet) in tints.

-- Following are the reds that strike one as warmer/oranger, but perhaps it is that they are lighter at just over value 4.

Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned) Estimated Munsell reading: 4.6R 4.15/11.27. The closest chip is 5R 4/12. This is a bright red which, along with Michael Harding Cadmium Red regular, strikes one as quite warm. Rather counterintuitively this paint was estimated by a LAB-to-Munsell algorithm to be 4.6R, however that feels somewhat misleading. Visually it feels both warmer/oranger and more saturated than than 5R 4/12 and not cooler in hue as the 4.6 R would suggest. As mentioned above there may be interesting reasons for this.

Michael Harding Cadmium Red The Munsell estimate is 4.6R 4.17/11.73. The closest chip is 5R 4/12. On the panel, this color is most similar to the Old Holland Cadmium Red Medium (Vermillioned).

In sum, in masstone there are no perfect Munsell chip matches to the paints sampled here. The Cadmium Red Deep colors are close-ish to a 5R-6.25R 3/12 with Mediums tending to be higher in value. In tints, some cooled toward the comparatively purpler side of things (cooler meaning leaning in the direction that goes toward 10RP).

Side view of the painted panel of Cadmium Red Deeps and Mediums

These were in the stages of drying- for example Vasari was partially glossy when this photo was taken

These colors differ in hue, tinting temperature and handling and other characteristics. Old Holland has more of an impasto while Vasari has glide. Michael Harding has a versatile, soft, workable consistency while having high-chroma paint.