Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Iron Hands SteelSteel vs Iron Hands Steel
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 8.0, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Iron Hands Steel is a little lighter than Steel.
Can I use Iron Hands Steel instead of Steel? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 8). Iron Hands Steel is a little lighter than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Iron Hands Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Steel is a little 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 Steel on the colour wheel See Iron Hands Steel on the colour wheel
Other Citadel paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Iron Hands Steel All matches: Steel equivalents · Iron Hands 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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