Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Obsidian BlackSteel vs Obsidian Black
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range True Metallic Metal Code 77.140 Base Type a metallic Swatch #4b4d4d (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 6.4, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Obsidian Black is a little darker than Steel.
Can I use Obsidian Black instead of Steel? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 6). Obsidian Black is a little darker than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Obsidian Black? The same difference applies the other way round: Steel is a little 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 Obsidian Black on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Obsidian Black All matches: Steel equivalents · Obsidian Black 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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