University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School Colors
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's school colors are Illini Orange (#FF5F05) and Illini Blue (#13294B). Illinois' brand standards define 15 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 Illinois colors
Illinois went without settled colors for its first few decades; old gold and black were used for years, and Dartmouth green was popular in the early 1890s. In 1894, at President Andrew Draper's urging, a faculty-student committee and an Athletic Association committee settled on navy blue and orange, which a student convocation approved unanimously on October 24 and the faculty made official on November 6. Draper told students that blue stood for steadfastness and stability, while orange had a long history as a color of liberty. Accounts of the earliest colors differ: the athletics department says students first adopted silver on cardinal in 1879.
Sources: library.illinois.edu · fightingillini.com
Photo: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bordwall, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Illinois primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illini Orange | #FF5F05 | 255, 95, 5 | 0, 80, 100, 0 | PMS 1655 | |
| Illini Blue | #13294B | 19, 41, 75 | 100, 90, 10, 50 | PMS 2767 |
Illinois secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm | #707372 | — | 30, 20, 19, 58 | — | |
| Storm 60 | #8E9090 | — | 47, 38, 38, 2 | — | |
| Storm 80 | #C6C7C6 | — | 22, 16, 18, 0 | — | |
| White | #FFFFFF | — | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — | |
| Black | #000000 | — | 50, 40, 30, 100 | — |
Additional Illinois palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial | #1D58A7 | 29, 88, 167 | 90, 48, 0, 0 | — | |
| Arches | #009FD4 | 0, 159, 212 | 70, 5, 2, 0 | — | |
| Patina | #007E8E | 0, 126, 142 | 93, 34, 39, 5 | — | |
| Berry | #5C0E41 | 92, 14, 65 | 53, 100, 42, 43 | — | |
| Harvest | #FCB316 | 252, 179, 22 | 0, 33, 100, 0 | — | |
| Prairie | #006230 | 0, 98, 48 | 100, 13, 100, 44 | — | |
| Earth | #7D3E13 | 125, 62, 19 | 33, 76, 100, 36 | — | |
| Altgeld | #C84113 | — | — | — |
Matching Illinois colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Illinois'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 Illinois's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 266 styles close to Illini Orange, 2109 styles close to Illini Blue.
Clothing in Illini Orange #FF5F05
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Illini Orange, measured from the garment itself. 266 matching styles in stock.
Clothing in Illini Blue #13294B
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Illini Blue, measured from the garment itself. 2109 matching styles in stock.
Illinois colors: frequently asked questions
What are Illinois school colors?
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's school colors are Illini Orange (#FF5F05) and Illini Blue (#13294B).
What is the hex code for Illini Orange?
Illini Orange is #FF5F05 (RGB 255, 95, 5, CMYK 0, 80, 100, 0).
What is the hex code for Illini Blue?
Illini Blue is #13294B (RGB 19, 41, 75, CMYK 100, 90, 10, 50).
What Pantone color is Illini Orange?
Illini Orange is PMS 1655.
What Pantone color is Illini Blue?
Illini Blue is PMS 2767.
Why are Illinois' colors Illini Orange and Illini Blue?
Illinois went without settled colors for its first few decades; old gold and black were used for years, and Dartmouth green was popular in the early 1890s. In 1894, at President Andrew Draper's urging, a faculty-student committee and an Athletic Association committee settled on navy blue and orange, which a student convocation approved unanimously on October 24 and the faculty made official on November 6.
Color values are taken from the official University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 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.