Paints › AK Interactive › Gun Metal › vs SteelGun Metal vs Steel
Brand AK Interactive Range 3rd Gen Metallic Code AK11212 Type a metallic Swatch #424544 (estimate)
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 10.0, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Steel is a little lighter than Gun Metal.
Can I use Steel instead of Gun Metal? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 10). Steel is a little lighter than Gun Metal.
Can I use Gun Metal instead of Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Gun Metal is a little darker.
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 Gun Metal on the colour wheel See Steel on the colour wheel
Other Army Painter paints close to Gun Metal Other AK Interactive paints close to Steel All matches: Gun Metal 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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