Yellow Ocher is a natural clay earth pigment composed primarily of hydrated iron oxide. It occurs as a soft, earthy, massive deposit often associated with weathered iron-bearing rocks and is historically significant as one of the oldest pigments used by humans.
Is this yellow ocher?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch yellow ocher with a known reference. Yellow Ocher sits at Mohs 1-3 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Yellow Ocher leaves a yellowish-brown streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Yellow Ocher typically shows a earthy luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, brownish-yellow, ochre-yellow.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: earthy.
Often confused with
Yellow Ocher vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Limonite is the harder of the two (Mohs 4-5.5 vs. 1-3); luster reads earthy on Yellow Ocher and submetallic to earthy on Limonite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs — Yellow Ocher leaves yellowish-brown, Jarosite leaves yellow; luster reads earthy on Yellow Ocher and vitreous on Jarosite.
Often found alongside yellow ocher
Minerals reported to co-occur with yellow ocher. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- FeO(OH)·nH₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 1-3
- Density
- 3.3-4.3 g/cm³
- Streak
- Yellowish-brown
- Luster
- Earthy
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Earthy
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Pigment, Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- Sedimentary Iron Ore Deposits
- Typical price
- $5-30 per specimen
Where rockhounds find yellow ocher
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- France
- Italy
- Cyprus
- USA
- Germany
Field-hunting tip
Look in sedimentary iron ore deposits country — that is the host setting where yellow ocher typically forms. If you start seeing hematite, kaolinite, quartz in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a earthy habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Kentucky, Mississippi — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find yellow ocher on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
