Matching it is straightforward: AK Interactive Rubber Black lands at 97 percent in the same finish, and 7 brands in all carry a close same-finish swap. Rubber Black sits in the grey family: very dark in tone, muted in saturation, neutral in cast. Within the Tamiya range it ladders cleanly, Semi Gloss Black for the shadows and NATO Black for the highlights. In practice you can substitute across brands here without anyone noticing at arm's length.
Rubber Black equivalents in other ranges
This is one of the easy ones. A same finish twin exists, and 10 brands in the catalog land close enough to consider.
Closest AK Interactive equivalent: AK Interactive Rubber Black, the same color for practical purposes (delta E 0.6).
- Monument Pro Acryl's closest color: Monument Pro Acryl Carbon Black, indistinguishable once dry (delta E 0.9).
- Nearest in the Vallejo catalog: Vallejo German Grey, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.3).
- Best Scale75 option: Scale75 Abyssal Blue, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.9).
- From The Army Painter: The Army Painter Night Sky, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.4).
- Revell's closest color: Revell Tar Black (RAL 9021), a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.8).
Side by side the two agree in lightness and temperature; at delta E 0.6 the gap is smaller than the variation between two pots of the same paint.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
AK Interactive
Monument Pro Acryl
Vallejo
Scale75
The Army Painter
Revell
Citadel
Green Stuff World
Humbrol
P3 Paints
Two Thin Coats
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 Tamiya Rubber Black?
The closest same-finish match is AK Interactive Rubber Black at 97% color similarity.
Is there a Vallejo equivalent of Rubber Black?
Yes. The closest Vallejo option is German Grey at 88%, a same-finish match.
What color is Rubber Black?
Rubber Black is a very dark muted grey with a neutral cast (hex #282828).
What do I highlight and shade Rubber Black with?
Highlight Rubber Black toward NATO Black and shade it down into Semi Gloss Black, both Tamiya paints in the same finish family.