Method
The guide combines curated editorial rows with local paint data, hex values, and Delta-E CIEDE2000 scoring so each recommendation stays traceable.
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The most common question in any Warhammer hobby community: "What's the Vallejo equivalent of X?" This guide answers it for the 25 most essential Citadel paints, using Delta-E CIEDE2000 — the same colour science standard used in professional printing and textile manufacturing. Every score is calculated from the actual paint hex values, not guesswork.
How to read the table: ΔE (Delta-E) measures colour difference. ΔE < 3 = direct substitution (imperceptible on a miniature). ΔE 3-6 = acceptable for most schemes. ΔE > 6 = noticeable difference — test before committing.
The most used paints in any army — primers, basecoats and highlights.
Essential for Space Marines, Ultramarines, Aeldari and many more.
Blood Angels, Chaos, Khorne — reds are fundamental to dozens of armies.
Bases, straps, skin tones, skulls — the workhorse neutral tones.
Orks, Dark Angels, Death Guard, Salamanders and forest bases.
Imperial Fists, Stormcasts, ornaments — the hardest colour family to substitute.
Every army needs metal — weapons, armour trim, bionics.
The most used paints after basecoats — shades define depth on every miniature.
What experienced painters wish they knew before switching
Dropper bottles vs pots
Vallejo and Army Painter use dropper bottles — you get precise control over how much paint you use, and bottles last longer since paint doesn't dry out. Citadel pots tend to dry faster once opened.
Consistency differences
Vallejo paints are typically slightly thinner than Citadel. You may need slightly less water when thinning. Army Painter Warpaints are the closest in consistency to Citadel Base paints.
Shades are hardest to substitute
Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil have unique flow-improver formulas that help them settle into recesses. Vallejo and Army Painter shades work well but may behave slightly differently — always test first.
Mixing brands is fine
All major miniature paints are water-based acrylics and are fully compatible. Using a Citadel shade over a Vallejo base, or an Army Painter wash over a Citadel layer, works perfectly.
The Delta-E limit
A ΔE below 3 is imperceptible in normal viewing conditions. But on a tabletop army, even ΔE 6-8 substitutions are acceptable — nobody will notice at arm's length. Only for display pieces should you aim for ΔE < 3.
Use ChromaStack's comparator
For any paint not covered in this guide, use the ChromaStack colour comparator to find equivalents by hex colour, or browse the full equivalents index.
How much can you really save by switching from Citadel?
Real-world saving example: A 30-model Ultramarines army requires roughly 12 different Citadel paints (~€57). Using Vallejo Model Color (~€2.90) and Army Painter (~€3.50) equivalents reduces that to ~€37 — a saving of €20 with virtually identical results for the core colours.
Yes — Vallejo and Citadel paints are both water-based acrylics and are fully compatible. You can mix them, apply them over each other, and use Citadel shades over Vallejo base coats (and vice versa) without any issues.
ChromaStack uses Delta-E CIEDE2000, the international colour science standard. A ΔE below 3 means the difference is imperceptible on a painted miniature. Some Citadel paints have very close Vallejo equivalents (ΔE < 2), while others like Agrax Earthshade or Rhinox Hide have no truly close equivalent in any other brand.
Neither is strictly better — they have different strengths. Vallejo offers dropper bottles (easier dosing), better price-per-ml, and a huge colour range. Citadel has excellent brush-on consistency, a well-designed colour system (base/layer/shade/contrast), and official GW colour recipes. Most experienced painters use both.
The closest Army Painter equivalent to Nuln Oil is Dark Tone shade (ΔE 3.0). It behaves very similarly as a black wash — apply in recesses, avoid pooling on flat surfaces. Strong Tone is the equivalent of Agrax Earthshade.
Agrax Earthshade is notoriously difficult to match exactly — its particular warm brown-green tone is unique. The closest Vallejo equivalent by Delta-E is around ΔE 9+. Army Painter Strong Tone is a better substitute (ΔE ~3) as a wash. Vallejo Model Wash Brown or Sepia are also worth considering for the shade effect.
Yes — paints are paints regardless of the game system. The Citadel, Vallejo and Army Painter equivalents listed here apply to any miniature painting project, whether Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, or any other game.
Use ChromaStack's full equivalents index at /equivalent/ — it covers all 397 Citadel paints with Delta-E scores for every alternative in our database of 1652 paints across 7 brands.