Black Tone vs Brown Liner

How close are they?

ΔE 9.8, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Brown Liner is a little lighter, more saturated than Black Tone. They are different kinds of paint: Army Painter Black Tone is a wash/shade and Reaper Brown Liner is an opaque base/layer paint, so they won’t behave the same on the model even where the colour is close.

Can I use Brown Liner instead of Black Tone?

Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 10). Brown Liner is a little lighter, more saturated than Black Tone. They are different kinds of paint.

Can I use Black Tone instead of Brown Liner?

The same difference applies the other way round: Black Tone is a little darker, more muted.

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.