Buying guide · Updated July 2026

Citadel Pots vs Dropper Bottles: Storing Each Properly

Hobby paints come in two very different containers, and the biggest storage mistake is buying one rack for both. Citadel, P3 and SMS use short, wide flip-top pots (about 32 mm across). Vallejo, Army Painter and AK use tall, narrow dropper bottles. A rack sized for one is wrong for the other — pots rattle around in dropper seats, and droppers fall straight through pot-sized openings.

The two containers, side by side

If your paints are Citadel pots

The Paint Rack 44 is built specifically for 32 mm pots: four stepped tiers hold 44 pots with every label band visible, and the same hidden magnetic drawer sits underneath for brushes and tools. Citadel, P3, SMS lacquers and other 32 mm pots all fit the same seats.

Paint Rack 44 — stepped tiers sized for 32 mm pots.

If your paints are dropper bottles

You want the dropper family: the Paint Rack 35 (twin drawers, compact), the Paint Rack 60 (our most popular), the Wall Rack 38 (zero bench space), or the rotating Carousel 57. The full breakdown is in our Vallejo & dropper bottle rack guide.

If you own both (most painters do)

Run one rack per system side by side — a Rack 44 for the Citadel pots and a Rack 60 for the droppers. The two racks share the same design language, the same drawer, and the same Pin-Canal accessory mounts, so they look like one workstation rather than two mismatched stands. The clip-on Brush Holder fits either.

RackCapacityWhere it livesDrawerBest forPrice (AUD)
Paint Rack 4444 × 32 mm potsDesk1 hidden magnetic drawerCitadel, P3, SMS pots$89.99
Paint Rack 6060 droppersDesk1 hidden magnetic drawerVallejo, Army Painter, AK$79.99
Paint Rack 3535 droppersDesk2 hidden magnetic drawersSmaller dropper collections$59.99
Wall Rack 3838 droppersWallHidden drawerDroppers, zero bench space$79.99

Frequently asked questions

Will Citadel pots fit in a dropper bottle rack?

No — and it's the most common paint-storage mistake. Citadel pots are ~32 mm wide and short; dropper seats are narrower and angled for tall bottles. Use Paint Rack 44 for pots and any of the dropper racks for bottles.

Do old-style and new-style Citadel pots both fit Paint Rack 44?

The rack is sized for the standard ~32 mm pot base used by Citadel, P3 and SMS.

Can I mix pots and droppers in one rack?

We deliberately don't make a hybrid — half-and-half racks waste seats as your ratio changes. Two dedicated racks side by side store more paint in less space and let each system grow independently.

Do the two racks match visually?

Yes — same fluted design language, same hidden magnetic drawer, same colour options, same accessory system.

More guides: Best paint racks for Vallejo & dropper bottles · Citadel pots vs dropper bottles · Full paint rack comparison

All racks are designed and 3D printed to order by Formada3D in Melbourne, shipped Australia-wide. Browse the full range at formada.net.