University of Colorado Boulder School Colors
University of Colorado Boulder's school colors are CU Gold (#CFB87C) and Black (#000000). Colorado's brand standards define 9 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 Colorado colors
Silver and gold were established as the University of Colorado's colors by the early 1890s; the student newspaper founded in September 1892 was named the Silver and Gold after them. Athletic teams wore silver and gold for decades, and in 1959 football coach Sonny Grandelius made black the main jersey color, with silver helmets to match the official colors. Blue briefly replaced black as the primary uniform color in 1981 before black returned in 1985, and today's brand palette centers on CU Gold and black with grays.
Sources: colorado.edu · static.cubuffs.com · colorado.edu
Photo: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ted Chalfen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Colorado primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CU Gold | #CFB87C | 207, 184, 124 | 0, 10, 48, 22 | PMS 4525 C Madeira 1305 (thread, Sport Clubs brand guide) Polyneon 1939 (thread, Sport Clubs brand guide) | |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | — | |
| CU Dark Gray | #565A5C | 86, 90, 92 | 38, 28, 21, 63 | PMS 425 C | |
| CU Light Gray | #A2A4A3 | 162, 164, 163 | 16, 11, 11, 29 | PMS 422 C |
Colorado secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accessible CU Gold | #8D7334 | 141, 115, 52 | 40, 47, 93, 18 | — | |
| CUB Sky Blue | #096FAE | 9, 112, 174 | 89, 54, 7, 0 | — | |
| CUB Light Gold | #F3F0E9 | 243, 240, 233 | 3, 3, 7, 0 | — | |
| CUB Dark Blue | #0A3758 | 11, 56, 88 | 100, 78, 41, 33 | — | |
| CUB Light Blue | #EEF5F8 | 238, 245, 247 | 5, 1, 1, 0 | — |
Matching Colorado colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Colorado'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 Colorado's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 225 styles close to CU Gold.
Clothing in CU Gold #CFB87C
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to CU Gold, measured from the garment itself. 225 matching styles in stock.
Colorado colors: frequently asked questions
What are Colorado school colors?
University of Colorado Boulder's school colors are CU Gold (#CFB87C) and Black (#000000). The official brand palette also includes CU Dark Gray and CU Light Gray as primary colors, plus 5 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for CU Gold?
CU Gold is #CFB87C (RGB 207, 184, 124, CMYK 0, 10, 48, 22).
What Pantone color is CU Gold?
CU Gold is PMS 4525 C.
Why are Colorado's colors CU Gold and Black?
Silver and gold were established as the University of Colorado's colors by the early 1890s; the student newspaper founded in September 1892 was named the Silver and Gold after them. Athletic teams wore silver and gold for decades, and in 1959 football coach Sonny Grandelius made black the main jersey color, with silver helmets to match the official colors.
Color values are taken from the official University of Colorado Boulder brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Colorado Boulder. 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.