Tarmac is a dark muted grey with a neutral cast. Matching it is straightforward: Vallejo Sombre Grey lands at 95 percent in the same finish, and 7 brands in all carry a close same-finish swap. For modelling, drop to Black Grey in the recesses and step up to Matt Tank Grey on the edges, both Humbrol paints. Treat it as an easy swap, just confirm the finish type matches before you commit.
Tarmac equivalents in other ranges
No brand clones Tarmac outright, but 1 range comes close enough to swap. The best candidate from each catalog:
- Closest Vallejo equivalent: Vallejo Sombre Grey, close enough that batch variation matters more (delta E 1.0).
- Nearest in the AK Interactive catalog: AK Interactive Deep Sea Blue, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.8).
- Best P3 Paints option: P3 Paints Ironhull Grey, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.6).
- From Monument Pro Acryl: Monument Pro Acryl Warm Grey, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.6).
- Scale75's closest color: Scale75 Graphene Grey, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.9).
- Nearest in the Two Thin Coats catalog: Two Thin Coats Oxidation Green, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 4.0).
Side by side the two agree in lightness and temperature; at delta E 1.0 the gap is smaller than the variation between two pots of the same paint.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Vallejo
AK Interactive
P3 Paints
Monument Pro Acryl
Scale75
Two Thin Coats
Green Stuff World
Revell
The Army Painter
Tamiya
Citadel
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Found in 7 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Humbrol Tarmac?
The closest same-finish match is Vallejo Sombre Grey at 95% color similarity.
What color is Tarmac?
Tarmac is a dark muted grey with a neutral cast (hex #343D46).
What do I highlight and shade Tarmac with?
Highlight Tarmac toward Matt Tank Grey and shade it down into Black Grey, both Humbrol paints in the same finish family.