<p>Chemistry-based net ecosystem calcification and census-based coral reef carbonate budgets are widely used to quantify coral reef growth. However, these studies typically do not capture the full complexity of coral reef growth and suffer from ambiguous terminology, include different processes integrating over different spatiotemporal scales, and use overlapping definitions that complicate direct comparisons between methods. Here, we propose a refinement of the coral reef growth equation terms to evaluate key knowledge gaps in our understanding of coral reef growth. While many studies do not fully capture the reality of coral reef-scale calcium carbonate accumulation and/or vertical accretion, they nonetheless remain useful for comparing the rates and drivers of components of the coral reef growth equation through space and time. Recognizing what different approaches may or may not account for in the coral reef growth equation is a critical step to improve predictions for coral reef growth under climate change.</p>