NATO Green is a dark muted green with a cool undertone. No shortage of substitutes here, Splinter Green from Vallejo matches at 91 percent and 5 brands carry a strong same-finish near-match. For modelling, drop to Olive Drab in the recesses and step up to Dark Sea Grey on the edges, both Tamiya paints. Bottom line: run out mid-project and another brand will get you within a shade.
NATO Green equivalents in other ranges
1 of the 10 brands with a mapped match get genuinely close to Tamiya NATO Green, though none is a clone. Brand by brand, the nearest colors are:
- Closest Vallejo equivalent: Vallejo Splinter Green, close enough that batch variation matters more (delta E 1.8).
- Nearest in the Two Thin Coats catalog: Two Thin Coats Emerald Green, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.8).
- Best The Army Painter option: The Army Painter Woodland Camo, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.9).
- From AK Interactive: AK Interactive A-19f Grass Green, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 4.1).
- Humbrol's closest color: Humbrol Uniform Green, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 4.6).
- Nearest in the Revell catalog: Revell Greenish grey/Grüngrau (RAL 7009), a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 5.4).
Side by side the two agree in lightness and temperature; at delta E 1.8 the gap is smaller than the variation between two pots of the same paint.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Vallejo
Two Thin Coats
The Army Painter
AK Interactive
Humbrol
Revell
Scale75
Green Stuff World
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 5 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Tamiya NATO Green?
The closest same-finish match is Vallejo Splinter Green at 91% color similarity.
What color is NATO Green?
NATO Green is a dark muted green with a cool undertone (hex #486040).
What do I highlight and shade NATO Green with?
Highlight NATO Green toward Dark Sea Grey and shade it down into Olive Drab, both Tamiya paints in the same finish family.