Color-wise this is a muted, very dark black leaning neutral. No shortage of substitutes here, Blindwater Green from P3 Paints matches at 86 percent and 4 brands carry a strong same-finish near-match. For modelling, drop to Night Blue in the recesses and step up to Charred Brown on the edges, both Vallejo paints. Treat it as an easy swap, just confirm the finish type matches before you commit.
Charcoal equivalents and near misses
Fair warning: nothing matches Vallejo Charcoal cleanly. The options below are the least bad, and every one of them drifts.
Closest P3 Paints equivalent: P3 Paints Blindwater Green, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.7).
AK Interactive's closest color: AK Interactive Black Uniform Base, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.8).
Nearest in the Green Stuff World catalog: Green Stuff World Barrel Grey, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.5).
Best Monument Pro Acryl option: Monument Pro Acryl Dark Green Brown, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.7).
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 2.7 rather than an obvious shift.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
P3 Paints
AK Interactive
Green Stuff World
Monument Pro Acryl
Humbrol
Tamiya
The Army Painter
Citadel
Scale75
Revell
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Found in 4 other brands with a same-finish match.
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Vallejo Charcoal?
The closest same-finish match is P3 Paints Blindwater Green at 86% color similarity.
What color is Charcoal?
Charcoal is a very dark muted black with a neutral cast (hex #1A1710).
What do I highlight and shade Charcoal with?
Highlight Charcoal toward Charred Brown and shade it down into Night Blue, both Vallejo paints in the same finish family.