Indiana University Bloomington School Colors
Indiana University Bloomington's school colors are Crimson (#990000) and Cream (#FFFFFF). Indiana's brand standards define 11 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 Indiana colors
Cream and crimson were chosen as Indiana University's official colors in 1888. According to IU Athletics, the class of 1888 picked them to end confusion between the school's crimson and black and the senior class's cream and gold, combining the two for the binding of a commencement publication. The Indiana Daily Student reports the vote was unanimous and that the colors debuted in the commencement issue of The Student that year. In practice the university now substitutes white for cream, which it says has been done for decades.
Sources: libraries.indiana.edu · iuhoosiers.com · idsnews.com · licensing.iu.edu
Photo: JYDecker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Chris Kuga, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: ZCash1104, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Indiana primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crimson | #990000 | 153, 0, 0 | 0, 100, 65, 34 | PMS 201 | |
| Cream | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | White |
IU cream and crimson on merchandise
Indiana University's brand standards treat cream as white for practical purposes. The university's licensing guide for retail merchandise lists cream as #EDEBEB and approves Madeira thread 1038 (Rayon) and 1982 (Polyneon) for crimson embroidery.
Indiana secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Crimson | #F41C40 | — | 0, 100, 72, 0 | PMS 199 | |
| Dark Crimson | #6D0808 | — | 15, 100, 63, 60 | PMS 188 | |
| Light Cream | #F8EFE2 | — | 2, 5, 11, 0 | — | |
| Dark Cream | #F5E3CC | — | 2, 10, 20, 0 | — | |
| Light Gray | #EEEEF0 | — | 2, 2, 2, 2 | — | |
| Dark Gray | #B9C1C6 | — | 6, 2, 2, 25 | — | |
| IU Black | #072332 | — | 87, 75, 45, 43 | PMS Black 6 |
Indiana athletics colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IU Crimson (licensing) | #990000 | — | 0, 100, 65, 34 | PMS 201 C Madeira thread 910-1038 Rayon Madeira thread 910-1238 Rayon Madeira thread 911-1038 Rayon Madeira thread 918-1982 Polyneon Madeira thread 919-1982 Polyneon | |
| Cream (licensing) | #EDEBEB | — | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — |
Matching Indiana colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Indiana'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 Indiana's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 334 styles close to Crimson.
Clothing in Crimson #990000
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Crimson, measured from the garment itself. 334 matching styles in stock.
Indiana colors: frequently asked questions
What are Indiana school colors?
Indiana University Bloomington's school colors are Crimson (#990000) and Cream (#FFFFFF).
What is the hex code for Indiana Crimson?
Indiana Crimson is #990000 (RGB 153, 0, 0, CMYK 0, 100, 65, 34).
What Pantone color is Indiana Crimson?
Indiana Crimson is PMS 201.
Why are Indiana's colors Crimson and Cream?
Cream and crimson were chosen as Indiana University's official colors in 1888. According to IU Athletics, the class of 1888 picked them to end confusion between the school's crimson and black and the senior class's cream and gold, combining the two for the binding of a commencement publication.
Color values are taken from the official Indiana University Bloomington brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by Indiana University Bloomington. 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.