This is a common color; 9 other brands cover it, the nearest being Citadel Abaddon Black at 100 percent. Matt Black sits in the black family: very dark in tone, muted in saturation, neutral in cast. Highlight it toward Night Sky, the nearest lighter paint in the The Army Painter lane. In practice you can substitute across brands here without anyone noticing at arm's length.
Matt Black equivalents in other ranges
This is one of the easy ones. A same finish twin exists, and 9 brands in the catalog land close enough to consider.
Closest Citadel equivalent: Citadel Abaddon Black, the same color for practical purposes (delta E 0.0).
- Nearest in the Green Stuff World catalog: Green Stuff World Black Stallion, indistinguishable once dry (delta E 0.0).
- Best Revell option: Revell Black/Schwarz (RAL 9005), the same color for practical purposes (delta E 0.0).
- From Tamiya: Tamiya Black, indistinguishable once dry (delta E 0.0).
- Vallejo's closest color: Vallejo Black, the same color for practical purposes (delta E 0.0).
- Nearest in the Humbrol catalog: Humbrol Gloss Black, close enough that batch variation matters more (delta E 1.6).
Side by side the two agree in lightness and temperature; at delta E 0.0 the gap is smaller than the variation between two pots of the same paint.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Citadel
Green Stuff World
Revell
Tamiya
Vallejo
Humbrol
Monument Pro Acryl
Satin Black
Coal Black
Dark Burgundy
Dark Green Brown
Dark Navy Blue
Dark Sea Ben
Black Green
Dark Blue
Dark Purple
Dark Jade
Black Wash
Scale75
AK Interactive
P3 Paints
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to The Army Painter Matt Black?
The closest same-finish match is Citadel Abaddon Black at 100% color similarity.
What color is Matt Black?
Matt Black is a very dark muted black with a neutral cast (hex #000000).
What do I highlight and shade Matt Black with?
The next step up for highlighting Matt Black is Night Sky in the The Army Painter range. Nothing sits directly below it in the same lane, so reach for a wash to shade.