University of Kansas School Colors
University of Kansas' school colors are Crimson (#E8000D) and Kansas Blue (#0051BA). Kansas' 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 Kansas colors
From the late 1870s into the mid-1890s, KU's official colors were sky blue and corn yellow. In October 1891 the university's athletic board switched its teams to crimson, and after complaints that crimson simply copied Harvard, the board settled on crimson and blue in late May 1896; by the end of that fall the pair was accepted as KU's athletic colors. Because crimson and blue are also the combined colors of Harvard and Yale, a popular story grew up that the pair was picked to placate Yale graduates on the faculty, but KU's history site describes this as a myth. Within a few years the alma mater, originally 'Yellow and Blue,' was updated by substituting crimson for yellow.
Sources: kuhistory.ku.edu · brand.ku.edu
Photo: Ryan Schreiber, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kansas primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Blue | #0051BA | 0, 81, 186 | 100, 55, 0, 5 | PMS 293 | |
| Crimson | #E8000D | 232, 0, 13 | 0, 100, 80, 5 | PMS 186 |
Kansas secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night | #003459 | 0, 52, 89 | 100, 56, 0, 67 | PMS 655 C | |
| Lake | #2767FF | 39, 103, 255 | 99, 50, 0, 0 | PMS 285 C | |
| Sky | #73CBF2 | 115, 203, 242 | 52, 0, 1, 0 | PMS 297 C | |
| Fog | #8E9FBC | 142, 159, 188 | 47, 22, 6, 7 | PMS 535 C | |
| Steam | #DDE5ED | 221, 229, 237 | 10, 2, 0, 0 | PMS 656 C | |
| Fire | #FF3042 | 255, 48, 66 | 0, 90, 84, 0 | PMS 185 C | |
| Brick | #971B2F | 151, 27, 47 | 8, 100, 70, 33 | PMS 7427 C | |
| Wheat | #F2A900 | 242, 169, 0 | 0, 32, 100, 0 | PMS 130 C | |
| Terra Cotta | #C66E4E | 198, 110, 78 | 12, 63, 72, 0 | PMS 7618 C | |
| Tallgrass | #BE9A79 | 190, 154, 121 | 0, 19, 36, 25 | PMS 2316 C | |
| Limestone | #D7D2CB | 215, 210, 203 | 6, 7, 10, 11 | PMS Warm Gray 1 C |
Additional Kansas palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayhawk Yellow | #FFC82D | 255, 200, 45 | 0, 15, 100, 0 | PMS 116 | |
| Signature Gray | #85898A | 133, 137, 138 | 5, 0, 0, 45 | PMS 430 |
Matching Kansas colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Kansas'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 Kansas's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 1174 styles close to Kansas Blue, 477 styles close to Crimson.
Clothing in Kansas Blue #0051BA
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Kansas Blue, measured from the garment itself. 1174 matching styles in stock.
Clothing in Crimson #E8000D
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Crimson, measured from the garment itself. 477 matching styles in stock.
Kansas colors: frequently asked questions
What are Kansas school colors?
University of Kansas' school colors are Crimson (#E8000D) and Kansas Blue (#0051BA).
What is the hex code for Kansas Crimson?
Kansas Crimson is #E8000D (RGB 232, 0, 13, CMYK 0, 100, 80, 5).
What is the hex code for Kansas Blue?
Kansas Blue is #0051BA (RGB 0, 81, 186, CMYK 100, 55, 0, 5).
What Pantone color is Kansas Crimson?
Kansas Crimson is PMS 186.
What Pantone color is Kansas Blue?
Kansas Blue is PMS 293.
Why are Kansas' colors Crimson and Kansas Blue?
From the late 1870s into the mid-1890s, KU's official colors were sky blue and corn yellow. In October 1891 the university's athletic board switched its teams to crimson, and after complaints that crimson simply copied Harvard, the board settled on crimson and blue in late May 1896; by the end of that fall the pair was accepted as KU's athletic colors.
Color values are taken from the official University of Kansas brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Kansas. 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.