In the pot, Satin Varnish reads as a neutral grey, mid-tone and muted. Within the Two Thin Coats range it ladders cleanly, Gloss Varnish for the shadows and Matte Varnish for the highlights. Satin Varnish is a little less common: the closest same-finish match, Citadel Astrogranite, reaches 88 percent, and 2 other brands carry a strong same-finish alternative. Expect a close but not identical result from a swap, so check it on the model before committing a whole unit.
Satin Varnish equivalents, brand by brand
No brand clones Satin Varnish outright, but 1 range comes close enough to swap. The best candidate from each catalog:
- Closest Citadel equivalent: Citadel Astrogranite, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.4).
- Best Vallejo option: Vallejo Medium Sea Grey, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.8).
- From The Army Painter: The Army Painter Brush-On Primer, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 4.8).
- Tamiya's closest color: Tamiya Metallic Grey, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.3), but it is a metallic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
- Nearest in the AK Interactive catalog: AK Interactive Rlm 75, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.3), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
- Best Revell option: Revell Mouse grey/Mausgrau (RAL 7005), workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 5.0), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
The drift here is spread thinly across hue, lightness and saturation rather than leaning one way, so the mismatch reads as a general haze at delta E 2.4 rather than an obvious shift.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Citadel
Vallejo
The Army Painter
Tamiya
AK Interactive
Revell
Scale75
Humbrol
P3 Paints
Monument Pro Acryl
Green Stuff World
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Found in 2 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Two Thin Coats Satin Varnish?
The closest same-finish match is Citadel Astrogranite at 88% color similarity.
What color is Satin Varnish?
Satin Varnish is a mid-tone muted grey with a neutral cast (hex #777475).
What do I highlight and shade Satin Varnish with?
Highlight Satin Varnish toward Matte Varnish and shade it down into Gloss Varnish, both Two Thin Coats paints in the same finish family.