Color Value Scale Calculator

Munsell value steps for tonal value studies.

Number of Steps

Darkest Munsell Value

Lightest Munsell Value

White Paint Available

Black Paint Available

Tab to move between fields

Value Steps

Step Increment1

Middle Step Value5

Mid-Step Reflectance19.77%

Darkest Reflectance1.21%

Lightest Reflectance78.66%

White Paint Needed19.7 ml

Black Paint Needed50.3 ml

Paint per Step7.8 ml

White Adequate1

Black Adequate0

How to Use This Calculator

How the result changes with Number of Steps

Number of Steps: Number of value steps in the scale (common: 5, 7, 9, or 11).
Darkest Munsell Value: Munsell value of the darkest step (0 = absolute black).
Lightest Munsell Value: Munsell value of the lightest step (10 = pure white).
White Paint Available: Volume of titanium white paint available in ml.
Black Paint Available: Volume of ivory/lamp black paint available in ml.

Value Steps: Number of discrete value steps in your scale.
Step Increment: Munsell value increment between each step.
Middle Step Value: Munsell value of the middle step (key for mid-tone mixing).
Mid-Step Reflectance: Approximate reflectance percentage of the middle step.
Darkest Reflectance: Reflectance of the darkest step.
Lightest Reflectance: Reflectance of the lightest step.
White Paint Needed: Total white paint needed for all steps.
Black Paint Needed: Total black paint needed for all steps.
Paint per Step: Volume of mixed paint per value step.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Number of Steps = 9, Darkest Munsell Value = 1, Lightest Munsell Value = 9, White Paint Available = 50 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Value Steps
9 = 9
Calculate Step Increment
Step Increment = (lightest - darkest) / (steps - 1)
1 = 1
Calculate Middle Step Value
Middle Step Value = darkest + midIndex * stepSize
5 = 5