Paints › Army Painter › Heavy Metal › vs Blackened SteelHeavy Metal vs Blackened Steel
Brand Army Painter Range John Blanche Vol. 1-4 Code Vol. 2 Metallic Type a metallic Swatch #414342 (estimate)
Brand Reaper Range MSP Metallics Code 09205 Type a metallic Swatch #5d5a58 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 10.5, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Blackened Steel is noticeably lighter than Heavy Metal.
Can I use Blackened Steel instead of Heavy Metal? Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 10). Blackened Steel is noticeably lighter than Heavy Metal.
Can I use Heavy Metal instead of Blackened Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Heavy Metal is noticeably 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 Heavy Metal on the colour wheel See Blackened Steel on the colour wheel
Other Reaper paints close to Heavy Metal Other Army Painter paints close to Blackened Steel All matches: Heavy Metal equivalents · Blackened 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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