University of Washington School Colors
University of Washington's school colors are Husky Purple (#32006E) and Husky Gold (#B7A57A). Washington's brand standards define 13 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 Washington colors
The University of Washington says its purple and gold were chosen by students in the 1890s. HistoryLink.org, Washington State's online encyclopedia, citing a university chronology, says the choice came out of a debate over school colors in an English class. A teacher named Louise Frazyer settled the debate by reading from Lord Byron's 'The Destruction of Sennacherib', whose opening lines describe cohorts 'gleaming in purple and gold.' Today's brand guide links Husky Purple to Mount Rainier and Husky Gold to the patina of the state's heartland in autumn.
Sources: washington.edu · historylink.org
Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: ECTran71, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Washington primary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Husky Purple | #32006E | 50, 0, 110 | 93, 100, 18, 21 | PMS 2685 | |
| Spirit Purple | #4B2E83 | — | 84, 100, 0, 0 | PMS 266 | |
| Husky Gold | #B7A57A | — | 0, 13, 43, 13 | PMS 7502 | |
| Husky Gold (web only) | #E8E3D3 | — | — | — | |
| Heritage Gold | #85754D | — | 30, 35, 60, 0 | PMS 871 | |
| Spirit Gold | #FFC700 | 255, 199, 0 | 7, 21, 100, 0 | PMS 7408 |
Husky Gold for print and apparel
The University of Washington's brand page also lists a much lighter web-only version of Husky Gold (#E8E3D3). For printing and apparel, use Husky Gold #B7A57A (PMS 7502). The brand page's RGB numbers for Husky Gold, Spirit Purple and Heritage Gold don't match their hex values, so this page lists the hex values only for those colors.
Washington secondary colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | #000000 | — | — | — | |
| White | #FFFFFF | — | — | — |
Additional Washington palette colors
| Color | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accent Green | #AADB1E | 170, 219, 30 | 40, 0, 100, 0 | PMS 2290 | |
| Accent Teal | #2AD2C9 | 42, 210, 201 | 68, 0, 36, 8 | PMS 3252 | |
| Accent Pink | #E93CAC | 233, 60, 172 | 0, 87, 0, 0 | PMS 232 | |
| Accent Lavender | #C5B4E3 | 197, 180, 227 | 13, 19, 0, 11 | PMS 2635 | |
| Metallic Gold | — | — | — | PMS 10120 |
Matching Washington colors on clothing
Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Washington'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 Washington's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 58 styles close to Husky Purple, 408 styles close to Husky Gold.
Clothing in Husky Purple #32006E
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Husky Purple, measured from the garment itself. 58 matching styles in stock.
Clothing in Husky Gold #B7A57A
Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to Husky Gold, measured from the garment itself. 408 matching styles in stock.
Washington colors: frequently asked questions
What are Washington school colors?
University of Washington's school colors are Husky Purple (#32006E) and Husky Gold (#B7A57A). The official brand palette also includes Spirit Purple, Husky Gold (web only), Heritage Gold and Spirit Gold as primary colors, plus 7 more secondary and supporting colors.
What is the hex code for Husky Purple?
Husky Purple is #32006E (RGB 50, 0, 110, CMYK 93, 100, 18, 21).
What is the hex code for Husky Gold?
Husky Gold is #B7A57A (CMYK 0, 13, 43, 13).
What Pantone color is Husky Purple?
Husky Purple is PMS 2685.
What Pantone color is Husky Gold?
Husky Gold is PMS 7502.
Why are Washington's colors Husky Purple and Husky Gold?
The University of Washington says its purple and gold were chosen by students in the 1890s. HistoryLink.org, Washington State's online encyclopedia, citing a university chronology, says the choice came out of a debate over school colors in an English class.
Color values are taken from the official University of Washington brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Washington. 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.