Paints › Tamiya › Blue › vs Imperial BlueBlue vs Imperial Blue
Brand Tamiya Range X Gloss Acrylic Code X-4 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #0059a9 (estimate)
Brand Vallejo Range Game Color Code 72.020 Type an opaque base/layer paint Swatch #30518d (estimate) How close are they?
ΔE 12.5, fair: the same colour family, but not a straight swap. Imperial Blue is much more muted than Blue.
Can I use Imperial Blue instead of Blue? Only where an exact match doesn’t matter, such as a new unit or a highlight. Fair match (ΔE 13). Imperial Blue is much more muted than Blue.
Can I use Blue instead of Imperial Blue? The same difference applies the other way round: Blue is much more saturated.
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 Blue on the colour wheel See Imperial Blue on the colour wheel
Other Vallejo paints close to Blue Other Tamiya paints close to Imperial Blue All matches: Blue equivalents · Imperial 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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