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Iowa State University of Science and Technology School Colors

Iowa State University of Science and Technology's school colors are Cardinal (#C8102E) and Gold (#F1BE48). Iowa State's brand standards define 23 colors in all; every official HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone value is listed below, along with the story of how the colors were chosen.

Cardinal
#C8102E · RGB 200, 16, 46
PMS 186 C
Gold
#F1BE48 · RGB 241, 190, 72
PMS 142 C

History of the Iowa State colors

Iowa State's first official colors, chosen in 1891, were silver, gold and black, which the student paper said stood for the college's mechanical, agricultural and veterinary work. The combination proved hard to reproduce in dyed athletic sweaters, and in October 1899 a student committee recommended a cardinal sweater with a gold letter, making cardinal and gold the school colors. The University Library credits the change to the simpler task of obtaining red sweaters, and it took place during William Beardshear's presidency.

Sources: thegazette.com · historicexhibits.lib.iastate.edu · digital.lib.iastate.edu

The new south end zone at Iowa State University's Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa on March 16, 2016.
Iowa State football
Photo: Alex Hanson from Ames, Iowa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Iowa State primary colors

Iowa State University of Science and Technology primary colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Cardinal#C8102E200, 16, 462, 100, 85, 6PMS 186 C
Madeira Rayon 1484 (thread, Trademark Licensing guide)
Gold#F1BE48241, 190, 720, 24, 78, 0PMS 142 C
PMS 7549 U (replaces 142 on uncoated paper)
Madeira Rayon 1171 (thread, Trademark Licensing guide)
Pantone 449 C#52472782, 71, 3931, 38, 75, 76PMS 449 C
Pantone 451 C#9B945F155, 148, 9521, 15, 54, 31PMS 451 C
Pantone 454 C#CAC7A7202, 199, 16711, 5, 29, 8PMS 454 C

Iowa State athletics colors

Iowa State's trademark guide lists a separate athletics palette: Cyclone Cardinal PMS 187 C (#A61932) and Cyclone Gold PMS 123 C (#FFC836), slightly different from the university's Cardinal (PMS 186 C) and Gold (PMS 142 C).

Iowa State secondary colors

Iowa State University of Science and Technology secondary colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Pantone 5743 C#3E482762, 72, 3954, 24, 86, 73PMS 5743 C
Pantone 7496 C#76881D118, 136, 2946, 6, 100, 42PMS 7496 C
Pantone 5777 C#A2A569162, 165, 10526, 9, 56, 20PMS 5777 C
Pantone 5548 C#003D4C0, 61, 76100, 21, 28, 76PMS 5548 C
Pantone 307 C#006BA60, 107, 166100, 22, 2, 18PMS 307 C
Pantone 5425 C#7A99AC122, 153, 17245, 16, 9, 24PMS 5425 C
Pantone 1815 C#7C2529124, 37, 4116, 97, 86, 54PMS 1815 C
Madeira Rayon 1374 (thread, 'Contrast Cardinal' in Trademark Licensing guide)
Pantone 484 C#9A3324154, 51, 368, 92, 100, 33PMS 484 C
Pantone 167 C#BE531C190, 83, 285, 77, 100, 15PMS 167 C
Pantone 464 C#8B5B29139, 91, 4111, 53, 94, 53PMS 464 C
Pantone 465 C#B9975B185, 151, 919, 29, 66, 24PMS 465 C
Pantone 7403 C#EED484238, 212, 1321, 11, 58, 2PMS 7403 C
Pantone Warm Grey 11 C#6E6259110, 98, 8926, 36, 38, 68PMS Warm Grey 11 C
Pantone 424 C#707372112, 115, 11430, 20, 19, 58PMS 424 C
Pantone Warm Grey 5 C#ACA39A172, 163, 15411, 13, 16, 32PMS Warm Grey 5 C

Iowa State athletics colors

Iowa State University of Science and Technology athletics colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Cyclone Cardinal#A61932166, 25, 500, 100, 74, 26PMS 187 C
Madeira Rayon 1181 (thread)
Cyclone Gold#FFC836255, 200, 540, 16, 89, 0PMS 123 C
Madeira Rayon 1172 (thread)
Accent Cardinal#872837135, 40, 551, 98, 58, 44PMS 202 C
Madeira Rayon 1374 (thread)

Matching Iowa State colors on clothing

Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Iowa State'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 Iowa State's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 1131 styles close to Cardinal, 336 styles close to Gold, 1013 styles close to Cyclone Cardinal.

Clothing in Cardinal #C8102E

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Cardinal, measured from the garment itself. 1131 matching styles in stock.

Clothing in Gold #F1BE48

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Gold, measured from the garment itself. 336 matching styles in stock.

Clothing in Cyclone Cardinal #A61932

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Cyclone Cardinal, measured from the garment itself. 1013 matching styles in stock.

Iowa State colors: frequently asked questions

What are Iowa State school colors?

Iowa State University of Science and Technology's school colors are Cardinal (#C8102E) and Gold (#F1BE48). The official brand palette also includes Pantone 449 C, Pantone 451 C and Pantone 454 C as primary colors, plus 18 more secondary and supporting colors.

What is the hex code for Iowa State Cardinal?

Iowa State Cardinal is #C8102E (RGB 200, 16, 46, CMYK 2, 100, 85, 6).

What is the hex code for Iowa State Gold?

Iowa State Gold is #F1BE48 (RGB 241, 190, 72, CMYK 0, 24, 78, 0).

What Pantone color is Iowa State Cardinal?

Iowa State Cardinal is PMS 186 C.

What Pantone color is Iowa State Gold?

Iowa State Gold is PMS 142 C and PMS 7549 U (replaces 142 on uncoated paper).

Why are Iowa State's colors Cardinal and Gold?

Iowa State's first official colors, chosen in 1891, were silver, gold and black, which the student paper said stood for the college's mechanical, agricultural and veterinary work. The combination proved hard to reproduce in dyed athletic sweaters, and in October 1899 a student committee recommended a cardinal sweater with a gold letter, making cardinal and gold the school colors.

Color values are taken from the official Iowa State University of Science and Technology brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by Iowa State University of Science and Technology. 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.

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