University of South Carolina School Colors
University of South Carolina's school colors are Garnet (#73000A) and Black (#000000). South Carolina's brand standards define 18 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 South Carolina colors
Garnet and black became South Carolina's colors through custom, not a formal vote. According to the university's 1916 official history, the combination is said to have been chosen by the family of Dr. J. William Flinn, and in November 1895 a member of that family presented a garnet-and-black banner to the football team; students may have worn caps in those colors a few years earlier. The student yearbook took the name Garnet and Black in 1899, and the colors came before the Gamecock nickname, which arrived in the early 1900s. A university history podcast notes that no documents clearly record how the colors were chosen.
Sources: archive.org · sc.edu
Photo: Eisenthesky Productions, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Berniestew at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Berniestew at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
South Carolina primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garnet | #73000A | 115, 0, 10 | 9, 100, 64, 48 | PMS 202 | |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | PMS Black | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | — |
South Carolina secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% Black | #363636 | 54, 54, 54 | 0, 0, 0, 90 | — | |
| 70% Black | #5C5C5C | 92, 92, 92 | 0, 0, 0, 70 | — | |
| 50% Black | #A2A2A2 | 162, 162, 162 | 0, 0, 0, 50 | — | |
| 30% Black | #C7C7C7 | 199, 199, 199 | 0, 0, 0, 30 | — | |
| 10% Black | #ECECEC | 235, 235, 235 | 0, 0, 0, 10 | — | |
| Warm Grey | #676156 | 103, 97, 86 | 56, 51, 61, 26 | — | |
| Sandstorm | #FFF2E3 | 255, 242, 227 | 0, 7, 15, 0 | — |
Additional South Carolina palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose | #CC2E40 | 204, 46, 64 | 10, 100, 75, 5 | — | |
| Atlantic | #466A9F | 70, 106, 159 | 78, 44, 0, 7 | — | |
| Congaree | #1F414D | 31, 65, 77 | 88, 63, 51, 41 | — | |
| Horseshoe | #65780B | 101, 120, 11 | 59, 26, 100, 7 | — | |
| Grass | #CED318 | 206, 211, 24 | 29, 0, 99, 0 | — | |
| Honeycomb | #A49137 | 164, 145, 55 | 0, 0, 75, 15 | — | |
| Dark Garnet (special use) | #570008 | 87, 0, 8 | 20, 100, 85, 70 | — | |
| Azalea (special use) | #844247 | 132, 66, 71 | 30, 68, 44, 6 | — |
Matching South Carolina colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from South Carolina'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 South Carolina's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 180 styles close to Garnet.
Clothing in Garnet #73000A
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Garnet, measured from the garment itself. 180 matching styles in stock.
South Carolina colors: frequently asked questions
What are South Carolina school colors?
University of South Carolina's school colors are Garnet (#73000A) and Black (#000000). The official brand palette also includes White as a primary color, plus 15 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for South Carolina Garnet?
South Carolina Garnet is #73000A (RGB 115, 0, 10, CMYK 9, 100, 64, 48).
What Pantone color is South Carolina Garnet?
South Carolina Garnet is PMS 202.
Why are South Carolina's colors Garnet and Black?
Garnet and black became South Carolina's colors through custom, not a formal vote. According to the university's 1916 official history, the combination is said to have been chosen by the family of Dr.
Color values are taken from the official University of South Carolina brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of South Carolina. 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.