Paints › Army Painter › Heavy Metal › vs Oily SteelHeavy Metal vs Oily Steel
Brand Army Painter Range John Blanche Vol. 1-4 Code Vol. 2 Metallic Type a metallic Swatch #414342 (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range Model Color Code 70.865 Type a metallic Swatch #3e3c45 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 7.2, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Oily Steel is more saturated than Heavy Metal.
Can I use Oily Steel instead of Heavy Metal? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 7). Oily Steel is more saturated than Heavy Metal.
Can I use Heavy Metal instead of Oily Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Heavy Metal is 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 Heavy Metal on the colour wheel See Oily Steel on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Heavy Metal Other Army Painter paints close to Oily Steel All matches: Heavy Metal equivalents · Oily 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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