University of Kentucky School Colors
University of Kentucky's school colors are Wildcat Blue (#0033A0) and White (#FFFFFF). Kentucky's brand standards define 16 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 Kentucky colors
Before a football game against Centre College on December 19, 1891, Kentucky students settled on blue and light yellow as their colors. When someone asked which blue, football letterman Richard C. Stoll held up his necktie, and the students adopted that shade, which is close to royal blue. About a year later the students dropped the light yellow for white, and the university gives 1892 as the year blue and white became official. The alma mater describes the blue as the sky and the white as "Kentucky's stainless page."
Sources: uky.edu · ukathletics.com
Photo: PCN02WPS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: BlueShirtz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: PCN02WPS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kentucky primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcat Blue | #0033A0 | 0, 51, 160 | 100, 75, 0, 0 | PMS 286 C PMS 286 U (uncoated) | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — |
Kentucky blue thread colors
Kentucky's athletics guide pairs Kentucky Blue (PMS 286 C, the same #0033A0 as Wildcat Blue) with Madeira 1134 or Robison-Anton 1842 embroidery thread.
Kentucky secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass | #1E8AFF | 30, 138, 255 | 78, 30, 0, 0 | PMS 2382 | |
| Sky | #B1C9E8 | 177, 201, 232 | 37, 11, 0, 0 | PMS 658 | |
| Midnight | #1B365D | 27, 54, 93 | 95, 74, 7, 44 | PMS 534 | |
| Goldenrod | #FFDC00 | 255, 220, 0 | 0, 11, 80, 0 | PMS 122 | |
| Sunset | #FFA360 | 255, 163, 96 | 0, 51, 55, 0 | PMS 1635 | |
| River Green | #4CBCC0 | 76, 188, 192 | 58, 0, 36, 0 | PMS 7465 | |
| Cool Neutral | #DCDDDE | 220, 221, 222 | 0, 0, 0, 15 | — | |
| Warm Neutral | #D6D2C4 | 214, 210, 196 | 3, 4, 14, 8 | PMS 7527 | |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | — |
Kentucky athletics colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Blue (athletics) | #0033A0 | 0, 51, 160 | 100, 75, 0, 0 | PMS 286 C Madeira 1134 (thread) Robison-Anton 1842 (thread) | |
| White (athletics) | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | No ink (or opaque white) Madeira 1002 (thread) Robison-Anton 2297 (thread) | |
| Cool Grey (athletics) | #C8C9C7 | 200, 201, 199 | 8, 5, 7, 16 | PMS Cool Gray 3 C Madeira 1011 (thread) Robison-Anton 2592 (thread) | |
| Black (athletics) | #2C2A29 | 44, 42, 41 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | PMS Process Black C Madeira 1000 (thread) Robison-Anton 2296 (thread) | |
| Metallic Silver (athletics, limited use) | #A5ACAF | 214, 214, 209 | 0, 0, 0, 40 | PMS 877 C Metallic Madeira 1087 (thread) Robison-Anton Alum. J Metallic (thread) |
Matching Kentucky colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Kentucky'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 Kentucky's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 857 styles close to Wildcat Blue.
Clothing in Wildcat Blue #0033A0
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Wildcat Blue, measured from the garment itself. 857 matching styles in stock.
Kentucky colors: frequently asked questions
What are Kentucky school colors?
University of Kentucky's school colors are Wildcat Blue (#0033A0) and White (#FFFFFF).
What is the hex code for Wildcat Blue?
Wildcat Blue is #0033A0 (RGB 0, 51, 160, CMYK 100, 75, 0, 0).
What Pantone color is Wildcat Blue?
Wildcat Blue is PMS 286 C and PMS 286 U (uncoated).
Why are Kentucky's colors Wildcat Blue and White?
Before a football game against Centre College on December 19, 1891, Kentucky students settled on blue and light yellow as their colors. When someone asked which blue, football letterman Richard C.
Color values are taken from the official University of Kentucky brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Kentucky. 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.