Wake Forest University School Colors
Wake Forest University's school colors are Old Gold (#9E7E38) and Black (#000000). Wake Forest's brand standards define 7 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 Wake Forest colors
Wake Forest College was already using old gold and black in athletic competition by 1895. That year the college literary magazine, The Wake Forest Student, announced a new college badge designed by student John M. Heck, a button showing a tiger's head over the letters WFC, and described its colors as old gold and black. The university's brand guide calls old gold and black the traditional colors of the institution.
Sources: godeacs.com · parents.wfu.edu · brand.wfu.edu
Photo: HangingCurve, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: self, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wake Forest primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Gold | #9E7E38 | 158, 126, 56 | 35, 45, 92, 12 | PMS 871 | |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | — |
Old Gold and Athletics Gold
Wake Forest's Old Gold is specified as PMS 871, a metallic ink. The university also lists Athletics Gold (#CEB888, PMS 7502 C) as the athletics gold, which is the closer reference for team apparel.
Wake Forest secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | #FDC314 | 253, 195, 20 | 0, 16, 89, 0 | PMS 123 | |
| Athletics Gold | #CEB888 | 206, 184, 136 | 6, 14, 39, 8 | PMS 7502 C | |
| Gray | #53565A | 83, 86, 90 | 44, 34, 22, 77 | PMS Cool Gray 11 |
Additional Wake Forest palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web Text Gold | #8C6D2C | 140, 109, 44 | — | — | |
| Web Text Black | #222222 | 34, 34, 34 | — | — |
Matching Wake Forest colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Wake Forest'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 Wake Forest's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 79 styles close to Old Gold, 310 styles close to Athletics Gold.
Clothing in Old Gold #9E7E38
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Old Gold, measured from the garment itself. 79 matching styles in stock.
Clothing in Athletics Gold #CEB888
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Athletics Gold, measured from the garment itself. 310 matching styles in stock.
Wake Forest colors: frequently asked questions
What are Wake Forest school colors?
Wake Forest University's school colors are Old Gold (#9E7E38) and Black (#000000).
What is the hex code for Wake Forest Old Gold?
Wake Forest Old Gold is #9E7E38 (RGB 158, 126, 56, CMYK 35, 45, 92, 12).
What Pantone color is Wake Forest Old Gold?
Wake Forest Old Gold is PMS 871.
Why are Wake Forest's colors Old Gold and Black?
Wake Forest College was already using old gold and black in athletic competition by 1895. That year the college literary magazine, The Wake Forest Student, announced a new college badge designed by student John M.
Color values are taken from the official Wake Forest University brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wake Forest 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.