Reef Color
Reef is a yellow green color with hex code #C9FFA2. This page covers its meaning, all color values, harmonies, colors that go with reef, shades, tints, similar colors, CSS examples, FAQs, and WCAG contrast ratios.
Reef Color Values
What Does Reef Mean?
Reef belongs to the yellow green family of colors. Yellow greens read as new growth: seedlings, spring lawns, the flesh of a lime. They bring a freshness that deeper greens can't, and they sit naturally beside browns and earth tones in plant-heavy palettes. As a lighter shade, Reef reads as airy and understated, comfortable working in backgrounds and across big surfaces.
In the ISCC-NBS color naming system, Reef is classified as a yellow (nearest centroid: light yellow green, #C9DC89).
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Colors That Go With Reef
Reef and #D9A3FF are complements, parked opposite each other on the wheel. Together they hit maximum contrast, so a rough 70/30 split keeps the pairing from shouting.
Analogous neighbors — #F7FFA3 and #A3FFAB, which sit beside reef on the wheel. Pairings like this feel calm and settled, which suits backgrounds and gradients.
For an energetic three-color palette, pair reef with triadic partners #A3C9FF and #FFA3C9. All three sit evenly spaced around the wheel, so the scheme stays lively without clashing.
Build and test these combinations in our Color Wheel Tool or check text readability with the Contrast Checker.
Tints and Shades
Tints (lighter)
Shades (darker)
Similar Colors
- Tea Green —
#BDF8A3(Delta E 5) - Celery —
#C1FD95(Delta E 6) - Light Light Green —
#C8FFB0(Delta E 7) - Washed Out Green —
#BCF5A6(Delta E 7) - Light Pastel Green —
#B2FBA5(Delta E 8)
CSS Examples
.text { color: #C9FFA2; }
.background { background-color: #C9FFA2; }
.border { border: 2px solid #C9FFA2; }
.shadow { box-shadow: 0 4px 6px #C9FFA240; }WCAG Contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hex code for reef?
Reef has the hex code #C9FFA2. In RGB notation it is rgb(201, 255, 162), in HSL it is hsl(95, 100%, 82%), and its OKLCH value is 0.941, 0.132, 132.9.
What does the color reef mean?
Yellow Green-family colors like reef carry distinct psychological associations. Reef belongs to the yellow green family of colors. Yellow greens read as new growth: seedlings, spring lawns, the flesh of a lime. They bring a freshness that deeper greens can't, and they sit naturally beside browns and earth tones in plant-heavy palettes. As a lighter shade, Reef reads as airy and understated, comfortable working in backgrounds and across big surfaces.
What colors go with reef?
Reef has three easy routes: its complement #D9A3FF for punch, its neighbors #F7FFA3 and #A3FFAB for something calmer, or triadic partners #A3C9FF and #FFA3C9 when you want energy.
Is reef a standard web color?
No — Reef is not a CSS keyword. Use its hex value #C9FFA2 or any RGB/HSL equivalent in your stylesheets.
How do I make reef lighter or darker?
To lighten reef, add white to create tints; to darken it, add black to create shades. The tints and shades table above shows five computed steps of each, from #F6FFF0 (lightest tint) to #1E4700 (darkest shade).
About Reef
Reef is classified as a Yellow in the ISCC-NBS color naming system, within the Yellow Green hue family. It has The color is recognized by Resene.
Use our Color Converter to convert #C9FFA2 to any other color format, or explore the Color Wheel to find harmonious color combinations.