Paints › Army Painter › Death Metal › vs Steel RedDeath Metal vs Steel Red
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Fanatic Type a metallic Swatch #3a3a3a (estimate)
Brand Mr. Hobby Range Aqueous Hobby Color Code H-38 Type a metallic Swatch #483340 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 12.7, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Steel Red is much more saturated than Death Metal.
Can I use Steel Red instead of Death Metal? Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 13). Steel Red is much more saturated than Death Metal.
Can I use Death Metal instead of Steel Red? The same difference applies the other way round: Death Metal is much 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.
See Death Metal on the colour wheel See Steel Red on the colour wheel
Other Mr. Hobby paints close to Death Metal Other Army Painter paints close to Steel Red All matches: Death Metal equivalents · Steel Red 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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