Rough Iron is a dark muted metallic silver with a neutral cast. For modelling, drop to Death Metal in the recesses and step up to Gun Metal on the edges, both The Army Painter paints. Substitutes are thinner on the ground; Tamiya Dark Iron is the nearest same-finish option at 80 percent, with 1 brand in strong-match range. Cross-brand swaps are adjust-on-model territory here, useful as a starting point rather than an exact replacement.
Rough Iron equivalents in other ranges
Rough Iron is awkward to replace. Treat the matches below as starting points for a mix rather than straight swaps.
Closest Tamiya equivalent: Tamiya Dark Iron, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 4.0).
Nearest in the Vallejo catalog: Vallejo Oily Steel, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 4.1).
Best Citadel option: Citadel Ironbreaker, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 4.2).
From Monument Pro Acryl: Monument Pro Acryl Steel, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 4.3).
Check it on a spare model first, because Tamiya Dark Iron sits slightly warmer than the original and the difference grows over large flat panels.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Tamiya
Vallejo
Citadel
Monument Pro Acryl
Two Thin Coats
Humbrol
P3 Paints
Scale75
AK Interactive
Green Stuff World
Revell
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 Rough Iron?
The closest same-finish match is Tamiya Dark Iron at 80% color similarity.
Is there a Vallejo equivalent of Rough Iron?
Yes. The closest Vallejo option is Oily Steel at 79%, a same-finish match.
What finish is Rough Iron?
Rough Iron is a metallic paint with a silver tone and a reflective finish. Because the shine comes from metal flake, a flat paint can match the color and still be wrong for the job, which is why cross-finish matches here are references rather than swaps.
What do I highlight and shade Rough Iron with?
Highlight Rough Iron toward Gun Metal and shade it down into Death Metal, both The Army Painter paints in the same finish family.