Paints › Army Painter › Matt Black Primer › vs Satin VarnishMatt Black Primer vs Satin Varnish
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Air Type a technical paint or medium Swatch #101010 (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range Model Air Code 70.522 Type a technical paint or medium Swatch #dcdcdc (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 83.1, loose: different enough that you should pick on purpose. Satin Varnish is noticeably lighter than Matt Black Primer.
Can I use Satin Varnish instead of Matt Black Primer? Not as a straight swap; see the closer alternatives below. Loose match (ΔE 83). Satin Varnish is noticeably lighter than Matt Black Primer.
Can I use Matt Black Primer instead of Satin Varnish? The same difference applies the other way round: Matt Black Primer 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 Matt Black Primer on the colour wheel See Satin Varnish on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Matt Black Primer Other Army Painter paints close to Satin Varnish All matches: Matt Black Primer equivalents · Satin Varnish 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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