Paints › Army Painter › Heavy Metal › vs Shadowed SteelHeavy Metal vs Shadowed 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 09052 Type a metallic Swatch #3b3938 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 4.4, very close: most people won’t see a difference side by side. Shadowed Steel is a little darker than Heavy Metal.
Can I use Shadowed Steel instead of Heavy Metal? Yes, for most jobs. Very close match (ΔE 4). Shadowed Steel is a little darker than Heavy Metal.
Can I use Heavy Metal instead of Shadowed Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Heavy Metal is a little lighter.
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 Shadowed Steel on the colour wheel
Other Reaper paints close to Heavy Metal Other Army Painter paints close to Shadowed Steel All matches: Heavy Metal equivalents · Shadowed 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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