Catachan Flesh vs Brown Ink

How close are they?

ΔE 11.4, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Brown Ink is more muted, cooler than Catachan Flesh. They are different kinds of paint: Citadel Catachan Flesh is an opaque base/layer paint and Formula P3 Brown Ink is an ink, glaze or transparent paint, so they won’t behave the same on the model even where the colour is close.

Can I use Brown Ink instead of Catachan Flesh?

Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 11). Brown Ink is more muted, cooler than Catachan Flesh. They are different kinds of paint.

Can I use Catachan Flesh instead of Brown Ink?

The same difference applies the other way round: Catachan Flesh is more saturated, warmer.

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.