University of Louisville School Colors
University of Louisville's school colors are Cardinal Red (#AD0000) and Black (#000000). Louisville's brand standards define 14 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 Louisville colors
Louisville adopted its school colors in 1913, when Ellen Patterson, wife of Arts and Sciences dean and later acting president John Patterson, suggested cardinal red and black. The same suggestion gave athletics its mascot, the cardinal, which is Kentucky's state bird. The university's academic red was standardized as PMS 1797 in a 2008 rebrand, while athletics moved its red to PMS 200 in 2012-2013.
Sources: brand.louisville.edu · brand.louisville.edu
Photo: U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jwhalin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Gogerr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Louisville primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Red | #AD0000 | 173, 0, 0 | 0, 100, 99, 4 | PMS 1797 | |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 40, 30, 30, 100 | PMS Black | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | White |
Academic red and athletics red
The University of Louisville's brand standards specify Cardinal Red as PMS 1797. According to the university's brand history, Louisville athletics moved to PMS 200 for its red in 2012-13, so team merchandise can be a slightly different red from academic materials.
Louisville secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandeis Ash | #8B9DA1 | 139, 157, 161 | 49, 31, 33, 0 | PMS 7543 C | |
| Patterson Red | #9A1220 | 154, 18, 32 | 0, 97, 80, 42 | PMS 187 C | |
| Swain Tobacco | #7A6C53 | 122, 108, 83 | 40, 42, 63, 30 | PMS 7531 C | |
| Strong Bronze | #CA942F | 202, 148, 47 | 0, 31, 87, 23 | PMS 117 C | |
| Jefferson Parchment | #D9C982 | 217, 201, 130 | 0, 4, 49, 18 | PMS 7402 C | |
| Parkway Field Laurel | #98BD83 | 152, 189, 131 | 34, 0, 54, 14 | PMS 5787 C |
Additional Louisville palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyalty | #004E74 | 0, 78, 116 | 100, 18, 0, 60 | PMS 3025 C | |
| Progress | #00A89D | 0, 168, 157 | 79, 0, 42, 9 | PMS 7466 C | |
| Courage | #FEBE10 | 254, 190, 16 | 0, 27, 100, 0 | PMS 7548 C | |
| Innovation | #AAB43A | 170, 180, 58 | 20, 0, 87, 23 | PMS 7745 C |
Louisville athletics colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Red | — | — | — | PMS 200 |
Matching Louisville colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Louisville'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 Louisville's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 415 styles close to Cardinal Red.
Clothing in Cardinal Red #AD0000
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Cardinal Red, measured from the garment itself. 415 matching styles in stock.
Louisville colors: frequently asked questions
What are Louisville school colors?
University of Louisville's school colors are Cardinal Red (#AD0000) and Black (#000000). The official brand palette also includes White as a primary color, plus 11 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for Louisville Cardinal Red?
Louisville Cardinal Red is #AD0000 (RGB 173, 0, 0, CMYK 0, 100, 99, 4).
What Pantone color is Louisville Cardinal Red?
Louisville Cardinal Red is PMS 1797.
Why are Louisville's colors Cardinal Red and Black?
Louisville adopted its school colors in 1913, when Ellen Patterson, wife of Arts and Sciences dean and later acting president John Patterson, suggested cardinal red and black. The same suggestion gave athletics its mascot, the cardinal, which is Kentucky's state bird.
Color values are taken from the official University of Louisville brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Louisville. 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.