Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Black IceSteel vs Black Ice
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Turbo Dork Range Metallic Code Black base Type a metallic Swatch #393d41 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 13.0, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Black Ice is noticeably darker than Steel.
Can I use Black Ice instead of Steel? Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 13). Black Ice is noticeably darker than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Black Ice? 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 Black Ice on the colour wheel
Other Turbo Dork paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Black Ice All matches: Steel equivalents · Black Ice 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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