Paints › AK Interactive › Cold Steel › vs SteelCold Steel vs Steel
Brand AK Interactive Range AK Quick Gen Code AK17070 Type a metallic Swatch #4f5d6b (estimate)
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 8.0, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Steel is more muted than Cold Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Cold Steel? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 8). Steel is more muted than Cold Steel.
Can I use Cold Steel instead of Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Cold Steel is more saturated.
ΔE is the colour difference between our two swatch estimates: under about 6 is close, over about 15 is loose. Real paints also differ in finish, coverage and how they thin, so test before you commit.
See Cold Steel on the colour wheel See Steel on the colour wheel
Other Army Painter paints close to Cold Steel Other AK Interactive paints close to Steel All matches: Cold Steel equivalents · Steel equivalents
© 2026 AK Tabletop Studio. Swatch colours are estimates and will differ from the real paints; cross-brand matches are close, never exact.
Chart-listed matches come from the Two Thin Coats Paint Comparison Chart 2024, the Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic conversion chart, the AK 3rd Generation Acrylics equivalence table (2021) and the Herrick Games hobby paint comparison chart; the rest are a nearest-colour calculation.
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