Paints › Army Painter › Rough Iron › vs Rusty MetalRough Iron vs Rusty Metal
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Fanatic Type a metallic Swatch #3a3a3a (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range True Metallic Metal Code 77.158 Shade Type a metallic Swatch #423d37 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 4.9, very close: most people won’t see a difference side by side. Rusty Metal is more saturated than Rough Iron.
Can I use Rusty Metal instead of Rough Iron? Yes, for most jobs. Very close match (ΔE 5). Rusty Metal is more saturated than Rough Iron.
Can I use Rough Iron instead of Rusty Metal? The same difference applies the other way round: Rough Iron 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 Rough Iron on the colour wheel See Rusty Metal on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Rough Iron Other Army Painter paints close to Rusty Metal All matches: Rough Iron equivalents · Rusty Metal 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.
The Painters Desk is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by any paint brand. Paint names are trademarks of their owners.
All brands · Guides · Privacy policy · Site rules
Choose a theme Changes how the site looks on this device. Paint colours stay the same.
Paint Pot The original. Follows your light or dark setting. NEON 1984 80s cyberpunk with a synthwave grid. Grimdark Gothic iron, brass and hive spires. Wildwood Misty pines and morning light. DWARVEN Jade peaks, gold rims and forge light. Eldritch Abyss Deep-sea glow, tentacles and runes. Arcane Library Parchment and a celestial chart. FROSTFORGE Ice peaks, aurora and a glowing forge. Infernal Black rock, lava glow and embers. Hobby Bench A painting desk on a cutting mat. Japanese Ink Washi paper, ink-wash mountains and a red sun. Desert Wastes Rust, sand and sun-bleached metal. Sci-fi Lab Clean white, teal and blueprints. Steampunk Workshop Brass pipes, gears and lamplight. Egyptian Tomb Pyramids at dusk, lapis and gold. Void Station Deep space above a blue world.
Done