Cross-brand swaps do not really exist for Black Wash; the closest color anywhere, Citadel Black Templar at 82 percent, sits in a different finish class, so it is a reference not a substitute. In the pot, Black Wash reads as a neutral grey, mid-tone and muted. Within the Vallejo range it ladders cleanly, Smoke Ink for the shadows and Umber Wash for the highlights. If you need this exact color, buy the pot, since no other line reproduces it in the same finish.
Black Wash equivalents and near misses
Fair warning: nothing matches Vallejo Black Wash cleanly. The options below are the least bad, and every one of them drifts.
Closest Citadel equivalent: Citadel Black Templar, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.6).
From Two Thin Coats: Two Thin Coats Incubus Purple, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.3), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
AK Interactive's closest color: AK Interactive Raf Dark Sea Grey Bs381C/638, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.6), but it is an opaque acrylic so treat it as a color reference, not a swap.
Nearest in the Monument Pro Acryl catalog: Monument Pro Acryl Silver, workable at tabletop distance, not up close (delta E 4.3), but it is a metallic 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 3.6 rather than an obvious shift.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Citadel
Two Thin Coats
AK Interactive
Monument Pro Acryl
Revell
Tamiya
Humbrol
Green Stuff World
Scale75
The Army Painter
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Found in 0 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Vallejo Black Wash?
The closest same-finish match is Citadel Black Templar at 82% color similarity.
What is Black Wash used for?
Black Wash is a wash that flows into recesses and pools in shadow. Common uses: all over grime shade; deepen recesses and panel lines.
What do I highlight and shade Black Wash with?
Highlight Black Wash toward Umber Wash and shade it down into Smoke Ink, both Vallejo paints in the same finish family.