The best Metal paints, compared.
Top pick: Hammerite 5158235 smooth black – Highest amazon.co.uk rating among listings with at least 500 reviews. It ties another tin at 4.7 and at a score of 94, and the higher review count takes the badge. Best value: Hammerite smooth black 250 ml – Lowest listed price among direct-to-rust tins of at least 250 ml, at about £9.97, and not the highest score. Updated October 2026.
Metal paint is a coating for iron and steel that you buy in the UK for gates, railings, garden metal or a chip. It is not a metallic craft acrylic. You tell a suitable tin by the metal it names, the exposure, the pack size and the finish. Rusty steel can take a direct-to-rust enamel once loose rust and grease are off. Bare zinc, aluminium and galvanised steel need a special-metals primer first. Those checks are in the [metal paint buying guide](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/metal-paint/sub/metal-paint-buying-guide). A small bottle hides a chip. A mid-size tin suits a panel or a short rail. A larger tin can cover a small gate. Smooth means a glossy film, not a hammered texture. A hot radiator wants a heat-rated enamel, painted cold. Preparation is in [how to apply metal paint](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/metal-paint/sub/metal-paint-how-to-apply). Read the VOC line and the flash point. An up-to-8-years line is a pack claim, not a measured result. Do not thin solvent enamel or empty it into drains. A DIY tin is not a BS EN ISO 12944 system. Rust treatments sit under [anti-rust paint](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/anti-rust-paint).
Metal paint is a coating for iron and steel that you buy in the UK for gates, railings, garden metal or a chip. It is not a metallic craft acrylic.
26 products checked · 64 hrs invested · +19,800 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you coating?
Hammerite part 5158235 is gloss black direct-to-rust enamel at £20.43, with 4.7 from 7,075 reviews, the deeper count of the two 4.7 listings that clear 500 reviews. UK texts describe iron gates, railings, garage doors and a garden table after preparation, and several call it cheaper than the big DIY stores. The bullets say primer, undercoat and topcoat in one and long-lasting corrosion protection, without the 8-year line used on the other Hammerite tins here. Fill fields disagree: the title says 750 ml, the size field says 1 l, the volume says 750 millilitres, and the unit count says 1,000 ml. Item weight is printed as 186 g, which does not match a full 750 ml tin. A brush is listed, and one review says it was missing. The paint skins if the day is warm, and one reviewer aims to paint below 20°C. It is the top pick in this set because of the star line and the review depth, not because the page settles whether you bought 750 ml or a litre.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the most-reviewed large black Hammerite tin in this set for outdoor ferrous metal, and you will check the fill when it arrives.
Less suitable: A 30 ml chip, a white or gold job, a hot radiator, or anyone who needs the litre figure to be settled on the page.
Specifications
Common questions
Is Hammerite 5158235 a 750 ml tin or a 1 litre tin?
The title says 750 ml. The size field says 1 l, the volume field says 750 millilitres, and the unit count says 1,000 ml. The item type name says 1L. The listing does not resolve that.
Does this listing include a brush?
Included components say Brush. One review says a brush was advertised and was not in the tin. The listed price is £20.43.
What rust wording is on the bullet?
Long lasting corrosion protection, and primer, undercoat and topcoat in one. This listing’s bullets do not print the 8-year line. Dry time is 48 hours and full cure is 24 hours.
This Hammerite tin, part 5092966, is 750 ml of smooth black enamel at £22.00 for outdoor metal. It scores 4.7 from 1,454 reviews, and the 50 UK texts open on this black tin rather than the shared 250 ml pool. Reviewers describe railings, a patio set and a garage door after sanding and cleaning, even though the bullets say primer, undercoat and topcoat in one and paint directly onto rust. The film is very thick, like treacle, and going back over wet paint lifts it off. One reviewer bins the brush after the session. Dry time is listed as 24 hours and full cure as 4 hours, so the page disagrees with itself. Coverage is about 10–12 m² per litre, with no coat count, which is looser than the maker’s about 5 m² per litre. No brush is in the included-components field. It is a gate-sized black tin with a cleaner review file than the 250 ml colours, at a higher shelf price than part 5158235.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A black outdoor steel gate or a run of railings when you want 750 ml and a review file that starts on this ASIN.
Less suitable: A chip, a radiator, or a buyer who needs the dry-time fields on the listing to agree with each other.
Specifications
Common questions
Does Hammerite smooth black 750 ml claim to include primer?
The bullets say a 3-in-1 formulation: primer, undercoat and topcoat in one, and paint directly onto rust. The primer question has no separate answer. Reviews still describe sanding and cleaning first.
How long does the 750 ml listing say it takes to dry?
Full cure is 4 hours and dry time in hours is 24. Both figures are on the listing. Waterproof is false and the level says Water Resistant.
Is a brush in the box with part 5092966?
Included components are not stated on this ASIN. The listed price is £22.00 for 750 ml, listed weight 816 g.
Hammerite Direct to Rust smooth black, part 5084863, is a 250 ml gloss enamel at £9.97 for outdoor metal. The listing line is 4.6 from 20,433 reviews, and the 50 UK Amazon reviews are the shared 250 ml pool, including red, blue, gold and silver comments, so they are not a black-only verdict. Reviewers who do describe garden metal talk about a wire brush or a light sand, then a film that stayed on a bistro set, drain covers or a gate. The paint is thick and skins on the brush in warm weather, and ordinary brushes are ruined if they are not cleaned at once. The bullet claims up to 8 years of rust protection, which is a pack claim, not a test we ran. Coverage is printed as 2.5–3 m² per litre, tighter than the maker’s about 5 m² per litre, and a brush is listed. The flash point on the bullet is 32°C, and the heat question is unanswered, so this is not a radiator specification. At £9.97 it is the lowest listed price among the direct-to-rust tins of at least 250 ml, which makes it the best value here for a small panel.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small outdoor steel panel, bistro set or short rail in gloss black, once loose rust and grease are off.
Less suitable: A full gate, a hot radiator, bare galvanised steel, or anyone reading 20,433 as reviews of this black tin alone.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say Hammerite smooth black 250 ml needs a primer?
The primer question has no answer text. The bullets say direct to rust. No primer is listed in the box. A brush is listed.
Is Hammerite smooth black 250 ml listed as heat resistant?
The heat question is unanswered. There is no service-temperature figure for the dried film. The bullet prints a flash point of 32°C.
What coverage is printed for the 250 ml black tin?
The coverage field says 2.5–3 m² per litre on this 250 ml tin. The rust bullet says up to 8 years. The listed price is £9.97.
Hammerite smooth gold, part 5084847, is 250 ml at £10.51 for outdoor metal, with a brush listed. The star line matches the black 250 ml tin at 4.6 from 20,433, and the Amazon reviews repeat that shared pool. Only some lines are about gold: a hand-painted house sign, and a film one reviewer called matt gold over waxed wood, needing at least two coats. The bullet says a glossy finish and up to 8 years, while the full-cure field prints 8 years, which copies the protection phrase rather than a cure time. Dry time is 1 hour, and coverage is printed as 5 m² per litre, closer to the maker’s page than the black tin’s 2.5–3 m² per litre. Waterproof is false while the level says Water Resistant. Gold is a colour choice at 54p more than the black 250 ml tin, not a harder coating.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want outdoor ferrous metal in gold and you have checked the shade in daylight before you commit to a panel.
Less suitable: A black gate, a radiator, or a buyer who treats the star count as proof that 20,433 people reviewed this gold tin.
Specifications
Common questions
What does the full-cure field say on the gold tin?
It says 8 years, which is the same phrase as the rust-protection bullet, not a separate cure time. Dry time in hours is 1.
Are the 20,433 reviews only about gold?
The listing line is 4.6 from 20,433. The Amazon reviews repeat the other 250 ml listings and include red, blue and silver comments as well as gold.
Is a brush listed with the gold 250 ml tin?
Yes. Included components say Brush. The primer and heat questions have no answer text. The listed price is £10.51.
Hammerite smooth white, part 5084857, is 250 ml at £9.99, with the finish field set to High-Gloss and the job set to outdoor metal. The listing is 4.6 from 20,430 reviews, three below the black and gold line, and the Amazon reviews match those listings, including red and gold comments. No separate white-only block was isolated in the first 50. Shared praise is coverage after a wire brush and two coats on prepared metal. Shared complaints are thickness, skinning, ruined brushes and dented tins. Coverage is printed as 3 square metres per 250 ml, which reads as 12 m² per litre, and that does not match the gold tin’s 5 m² per litre. A brush is not in the captured fields, and the full-cure field again says 8 years. White is the colour to open when the metal should be white. It is not a better enamel than the black 250 ml tin at £9.97.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small outdoor steel item you want in high-gloss white, once you accept that the review texts are shared.
Less suitable: A match to an existing off-white, a gate that needs about 750 ml, or a hot radiator.
Specifications
Common questions
Is a brush listed for this white tin?
No included-components line was in the fields captured before the reviews. A brush is not stated for this ASIN.
What coverage figure is printed on the white tin?
3 square metres per 250 millilitres, which reads as 12 m² per litre. The gold 250 ml listing prints 5 m² per litre. Both figures are only what each listing states.
Does the review count belong only to white?
The listing line is 4.6 from 20,430. The Amazon reviews repeat the black and gold listings, including colours other than white. The listed price is £9.99.
The Paintsmiths gloss black bottle is 30 ml of enamel with a brush in the cap, listed at £8.79 on amazon.co.uk. Across 229 reviews the line is 4.2, and the 50 UK Amazon reviews are about chips rather than a full coat. Buyers report it on radiator chips, appliances, a uPVC door and a letterbox surround, and several say a little goes a long way. The cap brush is the complaint that returns: it leaves a Tipp-Ex-like patch, so those reviewers switch to a separate small brush. Colour notes in the same reviews describe bright white and grey, so this pool is mixed across colourways. Coverage is marked Partial, the indoor field says Indoor while specific uses say Interior/Exterior, and no heat limit is printed even though radiators are in the title. It hides a chip. It does not cover a gate.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have a small black gloss chip on indoor metal, an appliance or a radiator mark, and you will use your own fine brush.
Less suitable: A gate, a panel, or any surface that needs a stated heat limit or a colour you have not checked against the bottle.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the gloss black bottle include a brush?
Yes. Included components are bottle, brush and paint, and the bullets say the brush is built into the cap. Reviews say that brush can leave a Tipp-Ex-like finish.
Is a heat rating listed for radiators on the gloss black bottle?
Radiators are in the title. No heat limit is printed in the listing fields. The indoor/outdoor field says Indoor, while specific uses say Interior/Exterior.
How much paint is in the gloss black bottle?
30 ml, listed weight 40 g. Coverage is Partial. The listed price is £8.79.
This Paintsmiths bottle is water-based satin white, 30 ml at £8.79, with the brush in the cap. The listing is 4.1 from 55 reviews, and 23 UK texts are among the Amazon reviews, two of which describe black paint on a white page. Reviewers use it on chipped door handles, taps, tables and worktops, and one likens the dry film to eggshell rather than gloss. It is thick: a kettle scratch grew into a larger painted patch because the paint would not stay inside the mark. Low VOC and low odour are feature lines only, with no grams-per-litre figure, and one review title says there is no smell. The waterproof flag is false while the resistance level says Waterproof, and one review title says it washes off easily. No heat limit is printed, and the colour-code field says Various against a White colour field.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a satin white touch-up on a handle, worktop or similar small mark, and gloss would look wrong.
Less suitable: A rusty outdoor gate, a waterproof job you need to trust, or a colour you have not opened and checked.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the satin white bottle listed as waterproof?
The waterproof flag is false and the water-resistance level says Waterproof. Weather resistant is a special feature. One review title says it washes off easily.
Does the satin white listing state a VOC figure?
Low VOC is a special feature. No grams-per-litre figure is in the listing fields. Low odour is also a feature line, and one review title says there is no smell.
Which surfaces are named on the satin white bottle?
The surface field says metal, plastic and tiles. The title also names radiators, wood and uPVC. The uPVC question has no answer text. No heat limit is listed.
Seven amazon.co.uk metal paint listings were scored from the stored listing files, the UK review texts captured for each ASIN, and the maker pages named below. This was not a lab test. Stars and review depth take the largest share: a 4.7 from thousands of reviews sits above a 4.2 from a few hundred, and above a 4.1 from 55. A 30 ml cap-brush bottle and a 750 ml outdoor enamel are scored as different products, so a chip bottle does not outrank a gate tin. A named outdoor metal job, a brush line and a coverage figure you can compare with about 5 m² per litre come next. Price is judged against the job. The lowest shelf price among direct-to-rust tins of at least 250 ml can be best value without holding the only top score. Conflicting fill, dry time, coverage or waterproof fields are deducted, as are a shared review pool, a missing heat limit where the title names radiators, a thin sample, a dented tin, and a brush that skins or goes missing in the captured reviews. The up-to-8-years line stays a pack claim and is not added to a score. The top pick is the gloss black tin with 4.7 from 7,075 reviews. It ties another tin at 4.7 and at a score of 94, and the higher review count takes the badge. The badge is not repeated. The best value is the 250 ml direct-to-rust black tin at about £9.97.
Stars and review depth
40%The largest share of the score. A 4.7 from thousands of amazon.co.uk reviews sits above a 4.2 from a few hundred, and above a 4.1 from 55. Stars are the listing average, not a lab corrosion test.
Fit for the job
25%A 30 ml cap-brush bottle and a 750 ml outdoor enamel are scored as different products. A handy chip bottle does not outrank a gate tin.
Spec you can use
20%A named outdoor metal job, a brush line, and a coverage figure you can compare with about 5 m² per litre. Conflicting fill, dry-time, coverage or waterproof fields are deducted.
Price against the job
15%Price is scored against the job in front of you. The lowest shelf price among direct-to-rust tins of at least 250 ml can be best value without holding the only top score.
Start with the metal, then whether the job is outdoor weather or a hot radiator, then how big the area is, then finish and the label. The notes below follow that order. None of these listings was lab-tested.
Metal paint for a UK shopper is a coating for iron and steel, not a metallic craft acrylic. Ordinary rusty steel can take a direct-to-rust enamel once loose rust and grease are off. Bare zinc, aluminium and galvanised steel need a special-metals primer first. Hammerite names Special Metals Primer before Direct to Rust on those metals. An all-metal product is a different tin and is not in this comparison. A hot radiator or heating pipe wants a radiator enamel, painted cold.
Direct to rust is not a licence to paint over flakes. Wire-brush loose rust and wash grease off. Sound old paint can take a one-hour test patch. Bare or rusty ferrous metal wants two coats.
Bare zinc, aluminium and galvanised steel need the special-metals primer the maker names before a ferrous direct-to-rust enamel. Putting that enamel straight onto fresh galvanising is the wrong first coat.
An up-to-8-years line is a pack claim. The shared review count on the 250 ml colours is not a lab result, and it is not a count for one colour alone. Listing coverage that runs from 2.5–3 m² per litre to 12 m² per litre is not one agreed figure.
Ferrous steel is the direct-to-rust job. Galvanised steel, zinc and aluminium need Hammerite Special Metals Primer first, or a product the maker rates for all metals. That all-metal product is not in this set. Outdoor gates and railings want a weather enamel. A hot radiator or heating pipe wants a radiator enamel, painted cold. Rust-Oleum’s UK radiator paint states a 60°C limit and excludes chrome and towel rails. Hammerite’s radiator how-to says leave the radiator off for at least 12 hours.
Smooth on these tins means a plain glossy film, not a hammered texture. Match the colour in daylight. Reviews report bright whites that do not blend. Read the VOC line and the flash point, not the slogan. SI 2012/1715 requires the VOC subcategory, the legal cap and the ready-to-use maximum. Solvent-borne trim paint for wood and metal is capped at 300 g/l. One-pack performance coatings are capped at 500 g/l solvent-borne. GB CLP requires the matching hazard pictograms.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are painting a ferrous gate or a run of railings in gloss black. Hammerite 5158235 smooth black is the top pick, at about £20.43 with 4.7 from 7,075 reviews. The title says 750 ml and the size field says 1 l. Check the fill when the tin arrives. It is not a radiator specification.
You want gloss black on a small outdoor steel panel, a bistro set or a short rail, once loose rust and grease are off. Hammerite smooth black 250 ml is the best value, at about £9.97 with 4.6 from 20,433 reviews. That count is a shared 250 ml colour pool. A 250 ml tin is small for a full gate.
You have a small black gloss chip on indoor metal, an appliance or a radiator mark, and you will use your own fine brush. Paintsmiths gloss black 30 ml is about £8.79 with 4.2 from 229 reviews. The cap brush can leave a Tipp-Ex-like patch. No heat limit is printed, even though radiators are in the title.
The top pick is Hammerite 5158235 smooth black at about £20.43, with 4.7 from 7,075 reviews. It ties Hammerite smooth black 750 ml, part 5092966, at 4.7 and at a score of 94, and the higher review count takes the badge, which is not repeated. The title says 750 ml and the size field says 1 l. The best value is Hammerite smooth black 250 ml at about £9.97, the lowest listed price among direct-to-rust tins of at least 250 ml. The 4.6 from 20,433 reviews on that tin is a shared 250 ml colour pool, not a black-only count.
Hammerite 5158235 smooth black
Highest amazon.co.uk rating among listings with at least 500 reviews. It ties another tin at 4.7 and at a score of 94, and the higher review count takes the badge.
Hammerite smooth black 250 ml
Lowest listed price among direct-to-rust tins of at least 250 ml, at about £9.97, and not the highest score.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the stored amazon.co.uk figures. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was lab-tested.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk figures, not a live crawl. We did not lab-test these coatings.
