Dark Tone vs Pure Black

How close are they?

ΔE 2.7, very close: most people won’t see a difference side by side. Our swatches for the two are almost the same. They are different kinds of paint: Army Painter Dark Tone is a wash/shade and Reaper Pure Black 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 Pure Black instead of Dark Tone?

Yes, for most jobs. Very close match (ΔE 3). The swatches are almost the same. They are different kinds of paint.

Can I use Dark Tone instead of Pure Black?

The same difference applies the other way round.

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.