Paints › Army Painter › The Darkness › vs Steely BlueThe Darkness vs Steely Blue
Brand Army Painter Range John Blanche Vol. 1-4 Code Vol. 1 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #182128 (estimate)
Brand Reaper Range Master Series Paints Code 09151 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #122334 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 7.4, close: similar, with a visible difference side by side. Steely Blue is more saturated than The Darkness.
Can I use Steely Blue instead of The Darkness? Usually, if you are not matching paint already on the model. Close match (ΔE 7). Steely Blue is more saturated than The Darkness.
Can I use The Darkness instead of Steely Blue? The same difference applies the other way round: The Darkness is more muted.
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 The Darkness on the colour wheel See Steely Blue on the colour wheel
Other Reaper paints close to The Darkness Other Army Painter paints close to Steely Blue All matches: The Darkness equivalents · Steely Blue 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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