Kansas State University School Colors
Kansas State University's school colors are K-State Purple (#512888) and White (#FFFFFF). K-State'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 K-State colors
According to the 1922 Royal Purple yearbook, as summarized by the K-State Alumni Association, a student committee recommended royal purple in the fall of 1896 because of its beauty and because no other school was using it; the college took no formal action, but purple became the de facto color. The faculty approved royal purple as the official color in 1921, and the college newspaper insisted that white, though commonly paired with it, was not an official color. Accounts of the date differ: the university's traditions page describes purple as the only official color since 1896. The shade itself was not standardized until 1978 (PMS 527), and the university has since settled on PMS 268.
Sources: k-state.com · k-state.edu
Photo: Ksuwildkat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Kgwo1972 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
K-State primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K-State Purple | #512888 | 81, 40, 136 | 82, 100, 0, 12 | PMS 268+ (as published on the brand page) | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — | |
| K/Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0, 0 (as published) | 0, 0, 0, 100 | — | |
| 20% K/Black | #D1D1D1 | 209, 209, 209 | 0, 0, 0, 20 | — | |
| 40% K/Black | #A7A7A7 | 167, 167, 167 | 0, 0, 0, 40 | — |
K-State purple on athletic merchandise
Kansas State's licensing sheet specifies Athletics Purple, PMS 2695 C, for athletic marks, a darker purple than the university's K-State Purple (PMS 268). Licensed athletics apparel may use either shade.
K-State secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral (PMS 7528) | #E7DED0 | 231, 222, 208 | 9, 10, 17, 0 | PMS 7528 | |
| Neutral (PMS 7530) | #B9AB97 | 185, 171, 151 | 29, 29, 40, 0 | PMS 7530 | |
| Neutral (Cool Gray 9 U) | #939193 | 147, 145, 147 | 45, 38, 36, 2 | PMS Cool Gray 9 U |
Additional K-State palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent (Pantone 617 C) | #E4D89E | 228, 216, 158 | 11, 10, 44, 0 | PMS 617 C | |
| Accent (Pantone 1205 C) | #FFF1C9 | 255, 241, 201 | 0, 4, 24, 0 | PMS 1205 C | |
| Accent (PMS 141) | #F4C55C | 244, 197, 92 | 4, 22, 75, 0 | PMS 141 | |
| Accent (Pantone 7407 C) | #CEA152 | 206, 161, 82 | 19, 36, 79, 1 | PMS 7407 C | |
| Accent (Pantone 7503 C) | #AC9766 | 172, 151, 102 | 33, 35, 68, 4 | PMS 7503 C | |
| Accent (Pantone 7525 C) | #9F694F | 159, 105, 79 | 31, 60, 70, 15 | PMS 7525 C |
K-State athletics colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics Purple | — | — | — | PMS 2695 C | |
| K-State Gray | — | — | — | PMS 877 | |
| K-State Light Gray | — | — | — | PMS 30% PMS 877 |
Matching K-State colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from K-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 K-State's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 356 styles close to K-State Purple.
Clothing in K-State Purple #512888
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to K-State Purple, measured from the garment itself. 356 matching styles in stock.
K-State colors: frequently asked questions
What are K-State school colors?
Kansas State University's school colors are K-State Purple (#512888) and White (#FFFFFF). The official brand palette also includes K/Black, 20% K/Black and 40% K/Black as primary colors, plus 12 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for K-State Purple?
K-State Purple is #512888 (RGB 81, 40, 136, CMYK 82, 100, 0, 12).
What Pantone color is K-State Purple?
K-State Purple is PMS 268+ (as published on the brand page).
Why are K-State's colors K-State Purple and White?
According to the 1922 Royal Purple yearbook, as summarized by the K-State Alumni Association, a student committee recommended royal purple in the fall of 1896 because of its beauty and because no other school was using it; the college took no formal action, but purple became the de facto color. The faculty approved royal purple as the official color in 1921, and the college newspaper insisted that white, though commonly paired with it, was not an official color.
Color values are taken from the official Kansas State University brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kansas State 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.