Camouflage patterns, often referred to as camo, are used to conceal military personnel and equipment from detection. The goal is to make them blend in with their surroundings and be less visible. Camouflage comes in a variety of colors and patterns depending on the environment it’s meant to blend into. Camo green is a common color used in woodland camouflage patterns.
Camo green refers to shades of green used in camouflage. It’s meant to blend in with foliage, trees, bushes, and other greenery. Determining the exact Pantone number for camo green can be tricky since there isn’t just one standardized shade used across all camo patterns. The specific hue and saturation can vary depending on the needs of the pattern and environment. However, there are some typical Pantone numbers associated with common camo green shades.
Key Pantone Numbers for Camo Green
Here are some of the key Pantone numbers for shades typically used in camo green patterns:
| Pantone 348 C | A mid-range green with slight yellow undertones. |
| Pantone 5512 C | A muted olive green. |
| Pantone 563 C | A yellow-tinged khaki green. |
| Pantone 5515 C | A darker olive drab green. |
| Pantone 362 C | A bright lime green. |
These shades can vary in how muted or bright they are. Camo designers will often mix these colors together along with browns, tans, grays, and black to create unique camouflage patterns tailored to specific environments. The colors work together to create an irregular, disruptive pattern that blends into the background.
Woodland Camouflage Patterns
Woodland camouflage, also known as M81 camo, is a common camo pattern using shades of camo green. It was widely used by the U.S. military from 1981-2005 and saw combat use in places like Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and the Gulf War. The pattern features blotches of black, brown, khaki, and shades of camo green.
Some of the key camo green Pantone numbers used in the classic woodland camo pattern include:
| Pantone 5515 C | For the darker green blotches. |
| Pantone 348 C | For the mid-tone green shapes. |
| Pantone 362 C | For bright green accents. |
These greens are mixed with browns like Pantone 4645 C and greys like Pantone Cool Grey 11 C to create a disruptive pattern that blends into forests and wooded areas. The black shapes help add depth and break up the outline.
MARPAT Camouflage
The Marine Corps developed a distinct digital camo pattern in the early 2000s called MARPAT. It comes in two main varieties: woodland and desert. MARPAT woodland uses similar shades of camo green as the classic woodland pattern but arranges them in smaller digital pixels rather than blotches.
Some of the main camo green Pantone numbers in MARPAT woodland include:
| Pantone 5515 C | For the darker forest green pixels. |
| Pantone 348 C | For the mid-tone green pixels. |
| Pantone 362 C | For brighter green accents. |
These are digitally arranged with browns like Pantone 468 C and tans like Pantone 464 C. Black and grey pixels provide depth and disrupt the outlines. This digital pattern proved effective and was adopted by other military branches.
ACU Digital Camouflage
The U.S. Army developed its own digital camo called the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), used on the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) from 2004-2014. It also comes in a woodland variety using similar camo green shades:
| Pantone 5515 C | For the forest green pixels. |
| Pantone 348 C | For the olive green pixels. |
| Pantone 362 C | For lime green accents. |
These greens are pixelated with tans like Pantone 464 C and grey tones like Pantone Cool Grey 4 C. However, due to the overly stylized shape and distribution of the pixels, this pattern was found to stand out rather than blend in. The Army developed new camo to replace UCP in 2015.
MultiCam Camouflage Pattern
MultiCam is a camouflage pattern designed for versatility across multiple environments, including woodland, desert, and urban settings. It uses a blend of greens, tans, and browns to help soldiers remain concealed across changing landscapes.
Some of the camo green Pantone numbers in MultiCam include:
| Pantone 5513 C | A grayish olive green |
| Pantone 5493 C | A muted pine green |
| Pantone 348 C | A standard camo green |
These greens are mixed with tans like Pantone 457 C and browns like Pantone 462 C in a layered, digitized pattern of irregular shapes and gradients. This allows for effective blending into diverse environments.
Emerging Camouflage Patterns
Military camouflage patterns continue to evolve to improve stealth and combat effectiveness. Some emerging patterns incorporating shades of camo green include:
Scorpion W2: Developed by the US Army, Scorpion W2 features gradient pixelated patterns mixing camo greens like Pantone 5513 C with tans, browns, and greens optimized for blend.
AU Camouflage: The Australian Defense Force has its own digital camo in shades of desaturated green along with brown and beige. Greens like Pantone 5512 C blend it into the diverse Australian landscape.
Fractal Pattern Camouflage: Experimental camo based on fractal geometry and mathematics to create optimal concealment. Fractal patterns use controlled randomness and textures to mimic nature more closely. Greens vary from bright accents like Pantone 362 C to dark shades like Pantone 5515 C.
As camouflage continues to evolve, the specific hues and combinations of camo green may shift and change. However, green will likely remain an essential component for concealment in woodland terrain. Careful selection of the right shades and patterns can make camo green effectively invisible.
Conclusion
Camo green encompasses a range of green shades used to blend into forested environments. While there is no single universal camo green, common Pantone numbers associated with classic camo patterns include Pantone 348 C, 5512 C, 5515 C, and 362 C. Specific camo greens are combined with tans, browns, blacks, and greys to create disruptive camouflage optimized for concealment in woodland terrain. As camo patterns evolve, new shades and combinations arise, but camo green remains a key color for stealth and invisibility.
