Skip to main content
Page background

Duke University School Colors

Duke University's school colors are Duke Navy Blue (#012169) and Duke Royal Blue (#00539B). Duke's brand standards define 20 colors in all; every official HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone value is listed below, along with the story of how the colors were chosen.

Duke Navy Blue
#012169 · RGB 1, 33, 105
PMS 280 U
Duke Royal Blue
#00539B · RGB 0, 83, 155
PMS 287 U

History of the Duke colors

In the late 1880s, students at Trinity College, the school that became Duke University, chose dark blue as the school color. By 1910, blue and white were commonly paired in the college's songs and cheers and were regarded as the school colors. An official 'Duke blue' came later: a committee formed in 1961 to design a doctoral robe recommended Prussian blue, a shade between navy and royal, and the executive committee of the Board of Trustees adopted it on September 23, 1965. Today's brand guide calls Duke Navy Blue the official Duke blue and adds Duke Royal Blue, which has been used since 2009 for athletics, apparel and promotional materials.

Sources: library.duke.edu · brand.duke.edu

General view of Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina during the 2025 football game between the Duke Blue Devils and the NC State W
Duke football
Photo: Jlm87, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tippoff at the Duke / UNC basketball game at the Dean E.
Duke basketball
Photo: Anders94, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Duke primary colors

Duke University primary colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Duke Navy Blue#0121691, 33, 105100, 85, 5, 22PMS 280 U
PMS 280 C
Duke Royal Blue#00539B0, 83, 155100, 53, 2, 16PMS 287 U
PMS 287 C

Duke secondary colors

Duke University secondary colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Copper#C84E00200, 78, 00, 76, 100, 0PMS 166 U
PMS 166 C
Persimmon#E89923232, 153, 350, 45, 95, 0PMS 1375 U
PMS 1375 C
Dandelion#FFD960255, 217, 960, 8, 70, 0PMS 114 U
PMS 121 C
Piedmont#A1B70D161, 183, 1354, 0, 100, 0PMS 382 U
PMS 376 C
Eno#33989851, 152, 15281, 0, 39, 0PMS 3262 U
PMS 326 C
Magnolia#1D636329, 99, 9996, 16, 42, 57PMS 328 U
PMS 323 C
Prussian Blue#0055870, 85, 135100, 45, 0, 45PMS 301 U
PMS 7692 C
Shale Blue#0577B15, 119, 177100, 0, 1, 3PMS Process Blue U
PMS 7461 C
Ironweed#993399153, 51, 15335, 95, 0, 0PMS Purple U
PMS 248 C
Hatteras#E2E6ED226, 230, 23710, 2, 0, 0PMS 649 U
PMS 656 C
Whisper Gray#F3F2F1243, 242, 2414, 2, 4, 8PMS Cool Gray 1 U
PMS Cool Gray 1 C
Ginger Beer#FCF7E5252, 247, 2290, 2, 15, 0PMS 9060 U
PMS 9060 C
Dogwood#988675152, 134, 11710, 18, 25, 32PMS 7530 U
PMS 7530 C
Shackleford#DAD0C6218, 208, 1983, 4, 14, 8PMS 7527 U
PMS 2527 C
Cast Iron#26262638, 38, 3867, 44, 67, 95PMS Black 3 U
PMS Black 3 C
Graphite#666666102, 102, 10240, 30, 20, 66PMS Cool Gray 10 U
PMS Cool Gray 10 C
Granite#B5B5B5181, 181, 18113, 8, 11, 26PMS 421 U
PMS 421 C
Limestone#E5E5E5229, 229, 2295, 3, 5, 11PMS Cool Gray 2 U
PMS Cool Gray 2 C

Matching Duke colors on clothing

Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Duke'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 Duke's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 825 styles close to Duke Navy Blue, 1233 styles close to Duke Royal Blue.

Clothing in Duke Navy Blue #012169

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Duke Navy Blue, measured from the garment itself. 825 matching styles in stock.

Clothing in Duke Royal Blue #00539B

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Duke Royal Blue, measured from the garment itself. 1233 matching styles in stock.

Duke colors: frequently asked questions

What are Duke school colors?

Duke University's school colors are Duke Navy Blue (#012169) and Duke Royal Blue (#00539B).

What is the hex code for Duke Navy Blue?

Duke Navy Blue is #012169 (RGB 1, 33, 105, CMYK 100, 85, 5, 22).

What is the hex code for Duke Royal Blue?

Duke Royal Blue is #00539B (RGB 0, 83, 155, CMYK 100, 53, 2, 16).

What Pantone color is Duke Navy Blue?

Duke Navy Blue is PMS 280 U and PMS 280 C.

What Pantone color is Duke Royal Blue?

Duke Royal Blue is PMS 287 U and PMS 287 C.

Why are Duke's colors Duke Navy Blue and Duke Royal Blue?

In the late 1880s, students at Trinity College, the school that became Duke University, chose dark blue as the school color. By 1910, blue and white were commonly paired in the college's songs and cheers and were regarded as the school colors.

Color values are taken from the official Duke University brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by Duke University. 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.

← All school colors

TOP BRANDS
!