Paints › AK Interactive › Dark Steel › vs Rough IronDark Steel vs Rough Iron
Brand AK Interactive Range AK Quick Gen Code AK17067 Type a metallic Swatch #60585b (estimate)
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Air Type a metallic Swatch #3a3030 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 17.5, loose: different enough that you should pick on purpose. Rough Iron is noticeably darker than Dark Steel.
Can I use Rough Iron instead of Dark Steel? Not as a straight swap; see the closer alternatives below. Loose match (ΔE 17). Rough Iron is noticeably darker than Dark Steel.
Can I use Dark Steel instead of Rough Iron? The same difference applies the other way round: Dark Steel is noticeably lighter.
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 Dark Steel on the colour wheel See Rough Iron on the colour wheel
Other Army Painter paints close to Dark Steel Other AK Interactive paints close to Rough Iron All matches: Dark Steel equivalents · Rough Iron 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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