Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Shadowed SteelSteel vs Shadowed Steel
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Reaper Range MSP Metallics Code 09052 Type a metallic Swatch #3b3938 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 14.6, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Shadowed Steel is noticeably darker than Steel.
Can I use Shadowed Steel instead of Steel? Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 15). Shadowed Steel is noticeably darker than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Shadowed Steel? The same difference applies the other way round: Steel is noticeably 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 Steel on the colour wheel See Shadowed Steel on the colour wheel
Other Reaper paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Shadowed Steel All matches: Steel equivalents · Shadowed 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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