Green Color Codes: RGB and HEX

The short answer: which code is "green"?

There is no single green color code. Two values are the ones most people mean. The first is the CSS named color "green", which is HEX #008000, or RGB 0, 128, 0. It is a mid-dark green defined in the web color standard. The second is pure screen green, the maximum green channel with no red or blue. That is HEX #00FF00, or RGB 0, 255, 0. In CSS this brighter value is named "lime", not "green", which confuses many people.

Both codes describe on-screen color in the sRGB space used by browsers and most design software. They are useful starting points for a logo palette. They are not a brand's official color unless that brand's guidelines say so.

Common named greens in HEX and RGB

These values come from the named colors in the CSS color specification. You can type them into design tools, stylesheets and SVG files and get the same result everywhere.

Name | HEX | RGB

darkgreen | #006400 | 0, 100, 0

green | #008000 | 0, 128, 0

forestgreen | #228B22 | 34, 139, 34

seagreen | #2E8B57 | 46, 139, 87

mediumseagreen | #3CB371 | 60, 179, 113

limegreen | #32CD32 | 50, 205, 50

lime | #00FF00 | 0, 255, 0

springgreen | #00FF7F | 0, 255, 127

mediumspringgreen | #00FA9A | 0, 250, 154

lawngreen | #7CFC00 | 124, 252, 0

chartreuse | #7FFF00 | 127, 255, 0

greenyellow | #ADFF2F | 173, 255, 47

yellowgreen | #9ACD32 | 154, 205, 50

lightgreen | #90EE90 | 144, 238, 144

palegreen | #98FB98 | 152, 251, 152

darkseagreen | #8FBC8F | 143, 188, 143

olivedrab | #6B8E23 | 107, 142, 35

darkolivegreen | #556B2F | 85, 107, 47

How HEX and RGB relate

A six-digit HEX code is RGB written in base 16. The three pairs of digits are the red, green and blue channels, each ranging from 00 to FF, which is 0 to 255 in decimal. For example, forestgreen #228B22 splits into 22, 8B and 22. Converted to decimal, those are 34, 139 and 34. Because the two notations hold identical information, you can convert between them in either direction with no loss.

Green tones get their character from the balance of the three channels:

• A higher green channel gives a brighter green.
• Adding red pushes the hue toward yellow-green, olive or chartreuse.
• Adding blue pushes it toward sea green, mint or teal.
• Raising all three channels together gives a paler, lighter tint.
• Lowering all three gives a deeper shade.

Using greens in vector logo gradients

In vector artwork, a gradient is stored as a set of color stops plus a direction or shape, not as pixels. Each stop holds a color value such as a HEX or RGB code. A green logo gradient often pairs a darker stop with a lighter one from the same hue family, such as darkgreen to limegreen. Pairing a green with a neighboring hue, such as seagreen to springgreen, gives a cooler result.

Here is the same two-stop green gradient written for the web and inside an SVG file:

/* CSS */
.logo-mark {
  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #006400 0%, #32CD32 100%);
}

<!-- SVG -->
<linearGradient id="greenFade" x1="0" y1="0" x2="1" y2="1">
  <stop offset="0" stop-color="#006400"/>
  <stop offset="1" stop-color="#32CD32"/>
</linearGradient>

The stops stay editable only while the gradient is a live vector object. Some exports and file conversions flatten it. The gradient may be turned into an embedded raster image, or broken into many solid-color bands. A file can look like a smooth vector gradient in a preview and still contain a bitmap inside. A vector file extension on its own does not prove that the gradient or the paths are editable. Opening the file and inspecting the objects is the reliable check.

Practical caveats

• Screen versus print: HEX and RGB values describe screen color. Printed logos usually need CMYK or spot-color values. Converting from RGB depends on the color profile, and very bright greens such as #00FF00 often cannot be reproduced exactly in print. No specific CMYK or spot-color matches are given here.
• Brand greens: Codes for a particular company's green should come from that company's published brand guidelines. They are not listed here because no brand-specific evidence was supplied.
• Permission: Being able to download a logo, or to sample its green with an eyedropper, does not grant permission to modify the artwork. It also does not grant use of its fonts or trademark. Those rights are separate from access to the file.