Citadel / Warhammer paint equivalents

Every Citadel / Warhammer paint on The Painters Desk (466 in all). Pick one to see its closest matches in the other brands. Swatch colours are estimates.

About Citadel paints

Citadel is Games Workshop's paint range, made for Warhammer. Paints are sorted by job: Base paints cover in one coat, Layers build up highlights, Shades sink into recesses, Contrast paints shade and colour in a single coat, and Technical paints add textures and effects.

The Painters Desk lists 466 Citadel paints in 8 ranges (Colour: Base: 57, Colour: Shade: 19, Colour: Layer: 93, Colour: Contrast: 61, Colour: Technical: 17, Colour: Air: 44, Colour: Dry: 23, Tone Pro: 152). By type that is 339 opaque base and layer paints, 61 one-coat contrast-style paints, 28 metallics, 19 washes and shades, 19 technical paints, primers and mediums.

How Citadel compares to Vallejo

53%of 339 opaque paints have a Vallejo match under ΔE 6
86%have one under ΔE 10
5.9median ΔE to the nearest Vallejo paint
110paints with a chart-listed Vallejo equivalent

ΔE is the colour difference between two swatches (CIE76): under about 6 looks close side by side, over about 15 is a loose substitute. These figures compare our estimated swatches, so treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Some of the closest pairs:

Citadel to Vallejo conversion chart

How Citadel compares to Army Painter

53%of 339 opaque paints have a Army Painter match under ΔE 6
91%have one under ΔE 10
5.8median ΔE to the nearest Army Painter paint
190paints with a chart-listed Army Painter equivalent

ΔE is the colour difference between two swatches (CIE76): under about 6 looks close side by side, over about 15 is a loose substitute. These figures compare our estimated swatches, so treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Some of the closest pairs:

Citadel to Army Painter conversion chart

Conversion charts

Colour: Base

Colour: Shade

Colour: Layer

Colour: Contrast

Colour: Technical

Colour: Air

Colour: Dry

Tone Pro