Paints › Mr. Hobby › Ground Color › vs CharcoalGround Color vs Charcoal
Brand Mr. Hobby Range Mr. Color Code C-522 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #50494d (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range Game Color Code 72.155 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #484142 (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 4.0, very close: most people won’t see a difference side by side. Charcoal is a little darker than Ground Color.
Can I use Charcoal instead of Ground Color? Yes, for most jobs. Very close match (ΔE 4). Charcoal is a little darker than Ground Color.
Can I use Ground Color instead of Charcoal? The same difference applies the other way round: Ground Color 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 Ground Color on the colour wheel See Charcoal on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Ground Color Other Mr. Hobby paints close to Charcoal All matches: Ground Color equivalents · Charcoal 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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