Dark Tan is a mid-tone moderate brown with a warm undertone. It builds a smooth gradient with Flat Earth underneath and Khaki on the highlights, all in the Tamiya line. Dark Tan is a little less common: the closest same-finish match, AK Interactive Denison Tan Base, reaches 88 percent, and 2 other brands carry a strong same-finish alternative. A cross-brand swap will get you most of the way, but eyeball it against the original first.
Dark Tan equivalents in other ranges
1 of the 11 brands with a mapped match get genuinely close to Tamiya Dark Tan, though none is a clone. Brand by brand, the nearest colors are:
- Closest AK Interactive equivalent: AK Interactive Denison Tan Base, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.3).
- Vallejo's closest color: Vallejo Tan Earth, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.2).
- Nearest in the Two Thin Coats catalog: Two Thin Coats Vambrace Brown, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 5.4).
- Best P3 Paints option: P3 Paints Lyossan Flesh, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 5.4).
- From The Army Painter: The Army Painter Command Khaki, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 6.0).
- Scale75's closest color: Scale75 Arabic Shadow, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 6.4).
Check it on a spare model first, because AK Interactive Denison Tan Base sits slightly warmer than the original and the difference grows over large flat panels.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
AK Interactive
Vallejo
Tan Earth
Mustard Brown
Us Field Drab
Old Wood
Cork Brown
Khaki Grey
Stone Grey
Khaki
German Beige Wwii
Sepia Wash
Medium Grey
Umber Wash
Two Thin Coats
P3 Paints
The Army Painter
Scale75
Green Stuff World
Revell
Humbrol
Citadel
Monument Pro Acryl
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Pairs well with
Try any paint in the scheme toolMatch difficulty
Found in 2 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Tamiya Dark Tan?
The closest same-finish match is AK Interactive Denison Tan Base at 88% color similarity.
Is there a Vallejo equivalent of Dark Tan?
Yes. The closest Vallejo option is Tan Earth at 84%, a same-finish match.
What color is Dark Tan?
Dark Tan is a mid-tone moderate brown with a warm undertone (hex #907050).
What do I highlight and shade Dark Tan with?
Highlight Dark Tan toward Khaki and shade it down into Flat Earth, both Tamiya paints in the same finish family.