Paints › Army Painter › Cobalt Metal › vs Honed SteelCobalt Metal vs Honed Steel
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Fanatic Type a metallic Swatch #2a5a6a (estimate)
Brand Reaper Range MSP Metallics Code 09053 Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5a (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 18.1, loose: different enough that you should pick on purpose. Honed Steel is much more muted than Cobalt Metal.
Can I use Honed Steel instead of Cobalt Metal? Not as a straight swap; see the closer alternatives below. Loose match (ΔE 18). Honed Steel is much more muted than Cobalt Metal.
Can I use Cobalt Metal instead of Honed Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Cobalt Metal is much 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 Cobalt Metal on the colour wheel See Honed Steel on the colour wheel
Other Reaper paints close to Cobalt Metal Other Army Painter paints close to Honed Steel All matches: Cobalt Metal equivalents · Honed 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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