In the pot, Pig Iron reads as a neutral metallic silver, dark and muted. Within the P3 Paints range it ladders cleanly, Boiler Black for the shadows and Cold Steel for the highlights. Substitutes are thinner on the ground; Monument Pro Acryl Steel is the nearest same-finish option at 82 percent, with 1 brand in strong-match range. Any substitute is a mixing base rather than a drop-in, so tune it on the model.
Pig Iron equivalents and near misses
Fair warning: nothing matches P3 Paints Pig Iron cleanly. The options below are the least bad, and every one of them drifts.
Closest Monument Pro Acryl equivalent: Monument Pro Acryl Steel, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.6).
Best Citadel option: Citadel Iron Warriors, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 4.2).
From Tamiya: Tamiya Dark Iron, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 5.3).
The Army Painter's closest color: The Army Painter Death Metal, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 6.4).
Check it on a spare model first, because Monument Pro Acryl Steel sits slightly cooler than the original and the difference grows over large flat panels.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Monument Pro Acryl
Citadel
Tamiya
The Army Painter
Humbrol
Vallejo
Gunmetal
Oily Steel
German Grey
Camouflage Black Green
Black Grey
Dark Grey
Olive Brown
Dark Sea Green
Continental Blue
Two Thin Coats
Green Stuff World
AK Interactive
Revell
Scale75
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to P3 Paints Pig Iron?
The closest same-finish match is Monument Pro Acryl Steel at 82% color similarity.
Is there a Citadel equivalent of Pig Iron?
Yes. The closest Citadel option is Iron Warriors at 79%, a same-finish match.
What finish is Pig Iron?
Pig 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 Pig Iron with?
Highlight Pig Iron toward Cold Steel and shade it down into Boiler Black, both P3 Paints paints in the same finish family.