Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Gun MetalSteel vs Gun Metal
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Tamiya Range PS Spray (polycarbonate) Code PS-23 Type a metallic Swatch #545358 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 2.9, very close: most people won’t see a difference side by side. Our swatches for the two are almost the same.
Can I use Gun Metal instead of Steel? Yes, for most jobs. Very close match (ΔE 3). The swatches are almost the same.
Can I use Steel instead of Gun Metal? The same difference applies the other way round.
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 Gun Metal on the colour wheel
Other Tamiya paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Gun Metal All matches: Steel equivalents · Gun 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.
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