German Grey is a very dark muted grey with a neutral cast. This is a common color; 5 other brands cover it, the nearest being Tamiya NATO Black at 92 percent. Within the Vallejo range it ladders cleanly, Black Grey for the shadows and Violet for the highlights. In practice you can substitute across brands here without anyone noticing at arm's length.
German Grey equivalents in other ranges
1 of the 11 brands with a mapped match get genuinely close to Vallejo German Grey, though none is a clone. Brand by brand, the nearest colors are:
- Closest Tamiya equivalent: Tamiya NATO Black, close enough that batch variation matters more (delta E 1.6).
- Nearest in the Citadel catalog: Citadel Dryad Bark, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 2.9).
- Best AK Interactive option: AK Interactive Rubber Black, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 2.9).
- From Monument Pro Acryl: Monument Pro Acryl Carbon Black, close, with a hint of drift side by side (delta E 3.1).
- Green Stuff World's closest color: Green Stuff World Blackroot Grey, a near match with visible drift up close (delta E 3.5).
- Nearest in the P3 Paints catalog: P3 Paints Greylord, a usable stand-in rather than a twin (delta E 4.2).
Side by side the two agree in lightness and temperature; at delta E 1.6 the gap is smaller than the variation between two pots of the same paint.
How to read the score
90+Close
80sUsable
<70Mix
Tamiya
Citadel
AK Interactive
Monument Pro Acryl
Green Stuff World
P3 Paints
Scale75
Two Thin Coats
Humbrol
The Army Painter
Revell
About this color
Color profile
Highlight and shade ladder
Match difficulty
Where painters use it
Frequently asked
What is the closest equivalent to Vallejo German Grey?
The closest same-finish match is Tamiya NATO Black at 92% color similarity.
Is there a Citadel equivalent of German Grey?
Yes. The closest Citadel option is Dryad Bark at 86%, a same-finish match.
What color is German Grey?
German Grey is a very dark muted grey with a neutral cast (hex #2E2E2C).
What do I highlight and shade German Grey with?
Highlight German Grey toward Violet and shade it down into Black Grey, both Vallejo paints in the same finish family.