Paints › Army Painter › Ironclad Grey › vs NATO BlackIronclad Grey vs NATO Black
Brand Army Painter Range John Blanche Vol. 1-4 Code Vol. 1 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #303135 (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range Model Air Code 71.251 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #28282b (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 4.2, very close: most people won’t see a difference side by side. NATO Black is a little darker than Ironclad Grey.
Can I use NATO Black instead of Ironclad Grey? Yes, for most jobs. Very close match (ΔE 4). NATO Black is a little darker than Ironclad Grey.
Can I use Ironclad Grey instead of NATO Black? The same difference applies the other way round: Ironclad Grey 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 Ironclad Grey on the colour wheel See NATO Black on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Ironclad Grey Other Army Painter paints close to NATO Black All matches: Ironclad Grey equivalents · NATO Black 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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