University of California, Berkeley School Colors
University of California, Berkeley's school colors are Berkeley Blue (#002676) and California Gold (#FDB515). Cal's brand standards define 22 colors in all; every official HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone value is listed below, along with the story of how the colors were chosen.
History of the Cal colors
UC Berkeley chose blue and gold as its colors in 1873. The university says blue stands for the California sky and ocean and for the Yale graduates who helped found the university, and gold stands for the Golden State. According to a 1999 Berkeleyan article, a student committee meant to pick a single color but could not decide between the two, and a student named Rebekah Bragg Cummings suggested using both. The university's traditions page credits the suggestion more generally to the women of the classes.
Sources: berkeley.edu · newsarchive.berkeley.edu
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ron Sellers from Alameda, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cal primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley Blue | #002676 | — | 100, 91, 22, 14 | PMS 282 | |
| California Gold | #FDB515 | — | 0, 32, 100, 0 | PMS 123 | |
| White | #FFFFFF | — | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — |
Berkeley's Pantone colors right now
UC Berkeley's brand site says the university has temporarily gone back to its previously approved Pantone inks, Navy PMS 282 and Gold PMS 123, while it resolves inconsistencies in the blue and gold it introduced more recently. Check the brand site before sending files to a printer.
Cal secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Dark | #010133 | — | 96, 91, 42, 62 | — | |
| Gold Dark | #FC9313 | — | 0, 55, 100, 0 | — | |
| Green Dark | #00553A | — | 100, 38, 87, 38 | — | |
| Rose Dark | #770747 | — | 39, 100, 45, 27 | — | |
| Purple Dark | #431170 | — | 85, 100, 18, 13 | — | |
| Blue Medium | #004AAE | — | 99, 77, 0, 0 | — | |
| Gold Medium | #FFC31B | — | 0, 27, 100, 0 | — | |
| Green Medium | #018943 | — | 98, 18, 100, 5 | — | |
| Rose Medium | #E7115E | — | 0, 100, 43, 0 | — | |
| Purple Medium | #8236C7 | — | 60, 83, 0, 0 | — | |
| Blue Light | #9FD1FF | — | 37, 6, 0, 0 | — | |
| Gold Light | #FFE88D | — | 0, 7, 61, 0 | — | |
| Green Light | #B3E59A | — | 36, 0, 57, 0 | — | |
| Rose Light | #FFCFE5 | — | 0, 25, 0, 0 | — | |
| Purple Light | #D9CEFF | — | 13, 18, 0, 0 | — | |
| Black | #000000 | — | 100, 100, 100, 100 | — | |
| Gray Medium | #808080 | — | 52, 43, 43, 8 | — | |
| Gray Light | #F2F2F2 | — | 4, 2, 2, 0 | — |
Additional Cal palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Heritage Gold | #C09748 | — | 22, 41, 94, 2 | — |
Matching Cal colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Cal's official values, and supplier color codes describe the dye target rather than the finished fabric. So we measured the actual fabric color of every garment we carry from product photos and fabric swatches, then compared it to Cal's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 733 styles close to Berkeley Blue, 334 styles close to California Gold.
Clothing in Berkeley Blue #002676
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Berkeley Blue, measured from the garment itself. 733 matching styles in stock.
Clothing in California Gold #FDB515
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to California Gold, measured from the garment itself. 334 matching styles in stock.
Cal colors: frequently asked questions
What are Cal school colors?
University of California, Berkeley's school colors are Berkeley Blue (#002676) and California Gold (#FDB515). The official brand palette also includes White as a primary color, plus 19 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for Berkeley Blue?
Berkeley Blue is #002676 (CMYK 100, 91, 22, 14).
What is the hex code for California Gold?
California Gold is #FDB515 (CMYK 0, 32, 100, 0).
What Pantone color is Berkeley Blue?
Berkeley Blue is PMS 282.
What Pantone color is California Gold?
California Gold is PMS 123.
Why are Cal's colors Berkeley Blue and California Gold?
UC Berkeley chose blue and gold as its colors in 1873. The university says blue stands for the California sky and ocean and for the Yale graduates who helped found the university, and gold stands for the Golden State.
Color values are taken from the official University of California, Berkeley brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of California, Berkeley. We sell blank apparel in matching colors; no logos or trademarks are sold. Photos are used under their Creative Commons or public domain licenses and are credited above.