University of Houston School Colors
University of Houston's school colors are Red (#C8102E) and White (#FFFFFF). Houston's brand standards define 17 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 Houston colors
The University of Houston was founded in 1927 as Houston Junior College and took the University of Houston name in 1934. The university describes its scarlet red and albino white as unchanged through its history, and its brand guide says red stands for pride, energy and determination while white brings balance and clarity. The student newspaper has reported a traditional account tying the colors to Sir Hugh, the Norman ancestor claimed by Sam Houston, whose coat of arms forms the UH System seal.
Sources: uh.edu · stories.uh.edu · uh.edu · thedailycougar.com · uhsystem.edu
Photo: Dknights411, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: BrianReading, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Houston primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | #C8102E | 200, 16, 46 | 0, 100, 81, 4 | PMS 186 C | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | White |
Houston secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | PMS Black | |
| Slate | #54585A | 84, 88, 90 | 45, 29, 26, 76 | PMS 425 C |
Additional Houston palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick | #960C22 | 150, 12, 34 | 8, 97, 76, 31 | PMS 704 C | |
| Chocolate | #640817 | 100, 8, 23 | 26, 85, 85, 72 | PMS 490 C | |
| Cream | #FFF9D9 | 255, 249, 217 | 1, 2, 24, 0 | PMS 7499 C | |
| Gray | #888B8D | 136, 139, 141 | 26, 16, 13, 46 | PMS Cool Gray 8 C | |
| Gold | #F6BE00 | 246, 190, 0 | 0, 29, 100, 0 | PMS 7408 C | |
| Mustard | #D89B00 | 216, 155, 0 | 10, 30, 100, 0 | PMS 124 C | |
| Ocher | #B97800 | 185, 120, 0 | 9, 35, 98, 30 | PMS 1245 C | |
| Teal | #00B388 | 0, 179, 136 | 84, 0, 59, 0 | PMS 339 C | |
| Green | #00866C | 0, 134, 108 | 100, 10, 61, 38 | PMS 328 C | |
| Forest | #005950 | 0, 89, 80 | 95, 25, 70, 68 | PMS 3305 C |
Houston athletics colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red (athletics) | — | 201, 42, 57 | 2, 100, 85, 6 | PMS 186 | |
| Dark Red (athletics) | — | 125, 41, 53 | 16, 100, 65, 58 | PMS 188 | |
| Gray (athletics) | — | 184, 185, 183 | 13, 8, 11, 26 | PMS 421 |
Matching Houston colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Houston'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 Houston's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 1131 styles close to Red.
Clothing in Red #C8102E
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Red, measured from the garment itself. 1131 matching styles in stock.
Houston colors: frequently asked questions
What are Houston school colors?
University of Houston's school colors are Red (#C8102E) and White (#FFFFFF).
What is the hex code for Houston Red?
Houston Red is #C8102E (RGB 200, 16, 46, CMYK 0, 100, 81, 4).
What Pantone color is Houston Red?
Houston Red is PMS 186 C.
Why are Houston's colors Red and White?
The University of Houston was founded in 1927 as Houston Junior College and took the University of Houston name in 1934. The university describes its scarlet red and albino white as unchanged through its history, and its brand guide says red stands for pride, energy and determination while white brings balance and clarity.
Color values are taken from the official University of Houston brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Houston. 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.