Paints › Army Painter › Steel › vs Sterling SilverSteel vs Sterling Silver
Brand Army Painter Range Warpaints Historical Code WP4038P Type a metallic Swatch #5a5a5e (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range True Metallic Metal Code 77.141 Shade Type a metallic Swatch #444040 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 11.3, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Sterling Silver is noticeably darker than Steel.
Can I use Sterling Silver instead of Steel? Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 11). Sterling Silver is noticeably darker than Steel.
Can I use Steel instead of Sterling Silver? 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 Sterling Silver on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Steel Other Army Painter paints close to Sterling Silver All matches: Steel equivalents · Sterling Silver 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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