Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Pig IronSteel vs Pig Iron
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Formula P3 Range P3 Metallics Code 93074 Type a metallic Swatch #696a6b (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 6.7, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Pig Iron is a little lighter than Steel.
Can I use Pig Iron instead of Steel? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 7). Pig Iron is a little lighter than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Pig Iron? 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 Pig Iron on the colour wheel
Other Formula P3 paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Pig Iron All matches: Steel equivalents · Pig Iron 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