Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Metallic GraySteel vs Metallic Gray
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Tamiya Range XF Flat Acrylic Code XF-56 Type a metallic Swatch #6b6f72 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 8.4, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Metallic Gray is a little lighter than Steel.
Can I use Metallic Gray instead of Steel? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 8). Metallic Gray is a little lighter than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Metallic Gray? 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 Metallic Gray on the colour wheel
Other Tamiya paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Metallic Gray All matches: Steel equivalents · Metallic Gray 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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