diff --git a/newsfragments/4567.bugfix.rst b/newsfragments/4567.bugfix.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3fcaef6a7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/newsfragments/4567.bugfix.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Ensured all methods in ``setuptools.modified`` raise a consistant ``distutils.error.DistutilsError`` type -- by :user:`Avasam`
diff --git a/setuptools/command/build_clib.py b/setuptools/command/build_clib.py
index 9db57ac8a2..eab08e70f2 100644
--- a/setuptools/command/build_clib.py
+++ b/setuptools/command/build_clib.py
@@ -1,15 +1,10 @@
 from ..dist import Distribution
+from ..modified import newer_pairwise_group
 
 import distutils.command.build_clib as orig
 from distutils import log
 from distutils.errors import DistutilsSetupError
 
-try:
-    from distutils._modified import newer_pairwise_group
-except ImportError:
-    # fallback for SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=stdlib
-    from .._distutils._modified import newer_pairwise_group
-
 
 class build_clib(orig.build_clib):
     """
diff --git a/setuptools/modified.py b/setuptools/modified.py
index 245a61580b..cc8c89c10a 100644
--- a/setuptools/modified.py
+++ b/setuptools/modified.py
@@ -1,8 +1,18 @@
-from ._distutils._modified import (
-    newer,
-    newer_group,
-    newer_pairwise,
-    newer_pairwise_group,
-)
+try:
+    # Ensure a DistutilsError raised by these methods is the same as distutils.error.DistutilsError
+    from distutils._modified import (
+        newer,
+        newer_group,
+        newer_pairwise,
+        newer_pairwise_group,
+    )
+except ImportError:
+    # fallback for SETUPTOOLS_USE_DISTUTILS=stdlib, because _modified never existed in stdlib
+    from ._distutils._modified import (
+        newer,
+        newer_group,
+        newer_pairwise,
+        newer_pairwise_group,
+    )
 
 __all__ = ['newer', 'newer_pairwise', 'newer_group', 'newer_pairwise_group']