Fern Green #4f7942

Green from the forest understory.

RGB

79, 121, 66

HSL

106°, 29%, 37%

CMYK

35, 0, 46, 53

Luminance

0.1573

About Fern Green

Fern green, #4f7942, is mid-green grounded with gray-brown — the color of the plant that has grown unchanged since before dinosaurs. Warmer than pine, deeper than sage, it is green at its most quietly ancient.

History

Ferns predate flowers by 200 million years; Victorian "pteridomania" (fern fever) made collecting them a craze, and fern-green fabrics and wallpapers followed. The color name settled into the leafy mid-green of the understory.

Psychology

Fern green reads natural, balanced and grounded — green without brightness or trend. It carries the calm of shade and the credibility of deep time.

In design

Fern is a text-capable natural green (5.5:1 on white) and a warm-leaning surface. Pair with cream, terracotta, mustard and walnut. Botanical, organic and heritage-outdoor brands favor its unshowy depth.

In culture

Fern fever, fern-green Victorian parlors, the fiddlehead unfurling: the plant that outlived the dinosaurs, and the calm green that carries its patience.

Brands that own fern green

Botanical brands#4f7942 Garden centers#5b8a52 Organic packaging#567d48 Herbalist labels#486b3d Nature docs kin#4a7340

Shades of fern green

Green Moss Forest Sage Olive Hunter green Juniper Laurel

Every format

HEX	#4f7942
RGB	rgb(79, 121, 66)
HSL	hsl(106, 29%, 37%)
CMYK	cmyk(35%, 0%, 46%, 53%)
LAB	lab(46.6 -25.9 25.6)
LCH	lch(46.6 36.4 135.4)
OKLCH	oklch(0.531 0.095 138.6)

Copy-ready code

/* CSS */
color: #4f7942;
background-color: #4f7942;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#4f7942] bg-[#4f7942]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #4f7942;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.310, green: 0.475, blue: 0.259)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#4f7942")

Accessibility — WCAG contrast

#4f7942 on white: 5.07:1

AA ✓ pass · AA-large ✓ · AAA ✗

#4f7942 on black: 4.15:1

AA ✗ fail · AA-large ✓ · AAA ✗

true color

protanopia

deuteranopia

tritanopia

RGB percentages

Red31.0%

Green47.5%

Blue25.9%

CMYK percentages

Cyan34.7%

Magenta0.0%

Yellow45.5%

Key (black)52.5%

Color previews

#4f7942 text on a black background

contrast 4.15:1

Card sample

#4f7942 text on a white background

contrast 5.07:1

Card sample

CSS3 live lab

Text font color

The quick brown fox

color: #4f7942;

Background color

Panel with #4f7942 background

background-color: #4f7942;

Text shadow — hex

Glowing headline

text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #4f7942;

Text shadow — RGB

Soft neon halo

text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(79, 121, 66, 0.45);

Div box shadow

Elevated card

box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(79, 121, 66, 0.45);

Border & gradient

Gradient panel

border: 3px solid #4f7942;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #4f7942, #42795A);

Monochromatic scale

#1A2816 #38562F #568448 #78AC67 #A1C595 #CADFC4 #E7F1E5

Palettes built from #4f7942

UI palette

Gradient stops

Accent trio

Warm–cool bridge

Shades — darker

#476D3B #3F6135 #37552E #2F4928 #283D21 #20301A #182414 #10180D #080C07

Tints — lighter

#5D8E4D #6AA359 #7DAF6D #8FBB82 #A2C697 #B4D1AB #C7DDC0 #DAE8D5 #ECF4EA

Hue & tone neighbors

#617942 #587942 #467942 #427947 #659A54 #3A5830 #458C2F #596655

Color harmonies

Complement

Split-complement

Analogous

Triadic

Tetradic

Nearest named colors

seagreen · ΔE 15.7 olivedrab · ΔE 25.5 forestgreen · ΔE 30.9 olive · ΔE 34.1 teal · ΔE 34.2

Fern Green, answered

What is the hex code for fern green?

Fern green is #4f7942 — a mid-green with gray-brown grounding; lighter fronds run #5b8a52.

Fern green vs forest green?

Forest is darker and cooler; fern is a warmer, grayer mid-green — the understory rather than the canopy.

What pairs with fern green?

Cream and terracotta, mustard and walnut — botanical warmth. It grounds palettes the way olive does, with more green.

Work with #4f7942 in the Color Lab

Contrast Checker →Palette Generator →Palette Pro →Scale Generator →CSS Code Generator →Color Blind Simulator →Accessibility Checker →Color Distance →