If you are trying to find the closest Citadel match for an Army Painter Warpaints color, you can use approximate digital swatches to find a candidate. These matches are ranked by comparing catalog data rather than guessing from bottle labels. You can find the full, curated brand-to-brand chart on the Army Painter to Citadel conversion page.
Why isn't there an official Army Painter to Citadel chart
Army Painter and Games Workshop are competing companies, so there is no reason for them to publish a cross-reference between their ranges. Hobby conversion charts usually come from painter comparisons or calculations based on digital color references. The candidates on this site are computed from approximate stored swatches. While the catalog finish metadata is shown with the results and cross-finish candidates can be flagged, the finish itself is not measured by the color calculation.
Sample matches from Army Painter into Citadel
| Army Painter | Closest Citadel match | Similarity |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Black | Abaddon Black | 100% |
| Matt White | White Scar | 98% |
| Abyssal Blue | Thousand Sons Blue | 94% |
| Ultramarine Blue | Alaitoc Blue | 92% |
| Wolf Grey | Caledor Sky | 91% |
| Fiendish Yellow | Zamesi Desert | 90% |
This is a sample of high-scoring same-finish results from the stored data. You can see the larger curated view on the conversion page, or look at the reverse direction on Citadel to Army Painter.
Do black and white match almost perfectly across brands
In the sample above, the stored Matt Black and Matt White swatches receive high scores against the listed Citadel candidates. This describes those specific catalog coordinates only; it does not establish a universal physical-paint trend across every brand pair.
Should you convert Army Painter speedpaints into Citadel contrast paints
Not directly, even if the digital color score is high. Speedpaints and contrast paints are both single-coat shading formulas, but they're mixed to different consistencies and applied over different recommended undercoats. A high score means the stored swatches are close; it does not establish that the paints dry alike or that you can swap one workflow for the other without adjusting technique.
Buying into either range
If you're building a scheme around the Army Painter speedpaint system, a starter set covers the core triad colors without buying bottles individually: Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 starter set(affiliate link). For the base Warpaints Fanatic range, the equivalent starter option is the Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic starter set(affiliate link).
How should you read the similarity percentage on this chart
The percentage is a display scale calculated from the color distance between two approximate digital swatches. It is not a measured accuracy rate or a guarantee of an identical finish. A 90 percent score means the stored colors are close in the site's calculation. It does not establish dried-paint color, opacity, drying time, or brush handling. Always check the finish-type flag alongside the percentage, then test the actual paint before substituting.
FAQ
Is Army Painter cheaper than Citadel
Army Painter is generally positioned as the more budget-friendly option per bottle, though bottle sizes and pigment concentration differ enough between the two that a straight per-milliliter comparison doesn't tell the whole story.
Can I use the conversion chart to replace my whole Citadel collection with Army Painter
You can get close on most colors, but a handful of specialty finishes, particularly certain metallics and technical paints, don't have a clean one-to-one match in either direction. Check the finish-type flag on each match before assuming a straight swap.
Does the conversion chart account for Army Painter Speedpaint 2.0 specifically versus the older formula
The dataset records a current or older status where that information is available, but shoppers should confirm current range names and formulas with the manufacturer or retailer.
Where can I compare the two brands beyond just color matching
The Citadel versus Army Painter comparison page covers range structure, pricing position, and which brand suits which kind of painter, beyond just color-by-color matching.