The official Carolina Hurricanes colors are a bold red, black and white, with silver as an accent. The primary color is red (#CE1126), paired with black (#000000) and white (#FFFFFF). These colors run across the logo, uniforms and merchandise, adopted after the 1997 move from Hartford.
Carolina Hurricanes Color Codes
Here’s the part most people actually came for. HEX for the web, RGB for screens, CMYK for print, plus Pantone reference notes.
| Color | Swatch | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | #CE1126 | 206, 17, 38 | 12, 100, 98, 3 | PMS 186 C | |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 60, 40, 40, 100 | PMS Black 6 C | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | – | |
| Silver / Gray | #A4A9AD | 164, 169, 173 | 37, 28, 27, 0 | PMS 429 C |
One honesty note before you paste these into a brand deck. The Hurricanes and the NHL don’t publish a full official Pantone/CMYK spec on their own sites. The Pantone values above are the ones fan and design references have used for years. They match the printed look well, but treat them as close matches, not gospel from the team’s brand guide.
The Colors, One at a Time
The Red in the Hurricanes Palette
Red (#CE1126) is the anchor. It fills the home sweater, drives the warning-flag logo, and it’s the first thing you register when the team hits the ice. This particular red leans toward a deep crimson rather than a fire-engine tone.
Fun bit of trivia: the black-and-red scheme wasn’t random. When the franchise landed in Raleigh, it borrowed heavily from the NC State Wolfpack, since both teams shared the same building at the time.
The Black in the Hurricanes Palette
Black (#000000) does the heavy lifting on trim, striping and the alternate jersey. It’s the counterweight to all that red. On the third sweater it takes over almost completely, with a diagonal “CANES” wordmark across the chest in white. Clean, stripped-down, kind of my favorite of their looks.
The White in the Hurricanes Palette
White (#FFFFFF) carries the road uniform and shows up as contrast everywhere else. Nothing flashy about it, but you need it. Without white breaking things up, the red and black would smother each other.
And the silver accent
Then there’s the silver (#A4A9AD). It’s the quiet fourth member, more of a supporting player than a headline color. The original 1997 kits had glittering silver accents on the warning-flag tailstripe, and traces of it stuck around in later designs.
Uniform Colors (Home, Away, Alternate)
Home: mostly red, with black and white striping along the sleeves and hem, hurricane flag crest dead center.
Away: white base, red shoulders, subtle black accents. Carolina rolled out fresh road whites for the 2025-26 season, so if you’re referencing the current kit, that’s the one.
Alternate: a near-all-black sweater with minimal red, marked by that diagonal “CANES” wordmark. Different mood entirely from the home red.
History and Rebranding
The franchise started in 1971 as the New England Whalers in the WHA, then joined the NHL in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers. Those Whalers wore green, blue and silver for eighteen seasons.
Everything changed in 1997. Owner Peter Karmanos moved the team south, renamed it the Carolina Hurricanes, and that summer dropped the Whalers’ green-and-blue for the black-and-red we know now. The warning-flag logo, tied to North Carolina’s coastal storm history, debuted with the rebrand and got refined around 1999.
In 2018, working with Adidas on a new third jersey, the team unveiled an updated secondary logo. The designers finally put two red warning flags on the mark (a real storm signal uses two, not one) and tucked the outline of the state of North Carolina into the negative space between them. Small detail, big payoff.
Since 2018 the Hurricanes have also leaned into their roots with green Whalers “Heritage” throwbacks and a grey-based Reverse Retro, grey being the one color both franchises ever shared.
How to Use the Colors
For web and digital work, go with the HEX or RGB values. For anything headed to a printer, use the CMYK or Pantone references above, and always run a test print first because ink and paper shift the result.
Here’s a copy-ready CSS block:
:root {
--hurricanes-red: #CE1126;
--hurricanes-black: #000000;
--hurricanes-white: #FFFFFF;
--hurricanes-silver: #A4A9AD;
}If you’re building fan graphics or a mockup, pairing the red with a lot of black and letting white handle the breathing room gets you closest to the real brand feel. Overusing silver is the usual mistake. Keep it as an accent.
Relevant Resources
Want the full league reference? Start with the complete NHL team color codes hub, which lists every club’s palette in one place.
From there, a few natural neighbors worth a look:
- Their old rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets colors
- The team that beat them in the 2002 Final, the Detroit Red Wings colors
- Their 2006 Cup opponent, the Edmonton Oilers colors
- Division foes like the New Jersey Devils colors
- And out west, the Los Angeles Kings colors
On the color-theory side, if you’re building around this palette, the red color palette guides and a walk through gray palette combinations will help you balance that bold red against the quieter silver accent.
FAQ on The Carolina Hurricanes Colors
What are the Carolina Hurricanes colors?
The Carolina Hurricanes colors are red, black and white, with silver as a supporting accent. Red (#CE1126) leads the palette. These four appear across the logo, jerseys and fan merchandise for the Raleigh-based NHL team.
What are the Hurricanes color codes in HEX and RGB?
Red is #CE1126, RGB 206, 17, 38. Black is #000000, RGB 0, 0, 0. White is #FFFFFF, RGB 255, 255, 255. The silver accent runs #A4A9AD, RGB 164, 169, 173.
What is the Carolina Hurricanes Pantone color?
The widely referenced Pantone team colors are PMS 186 C for red, PMS Black 6 C for black, and PMS 429 C for the gray. These are close matches, since the team doesn’t publish an official spec.
When did the Hurricanes adopt their current colors?
They switched in 1997, right after relocating from Hartford. The franchise dropped the Whalers’ green and blue for a black-and-red scheme, partly to match the NC State Wolfpack, their arena co-tenant at the time.
What is the primary color of the Carolina Hurricanes?
Red (#CE1126) is the primary team color. It dominates the home sweater and fills the swirling hurricane warning-flag logo. Everything else in the palette, black, white and silver, works to support that red.
Are the Hurricanes colors the same as the Chicago Blackhawks?
Not quite. Both lean on red, black and white, but the shades differ. The Chicago Blackhawks palette runs warmer and brighter, while Carolina’s red sits closer to a deep crimson.
What is the Hurricanes silver or gray color code?
The silver accent is #A4A9AD, RGB 164, 169, 173, referenced as PMS 429 C. It first showed up on the glittering 1997 tailstripe and stayed on as a quiet supporting tone in later kits.
What colors are the Hurricanes home and away jerseys?
The home jersey is mostly red with black and white striping. The away kit is white with red shoulders and black accents. Carolina rolled out fresh road whites for the 2025-26 season.
Why are the Hurricanes red and black?
When the team landed in Raleigh, it shared PNC Arena’s predecessor with NC State. Matching the Wolfpack’s red-and-black made sense, and owner Peter Karmanos wanted a fresh identity fully separate from the Hartford Whalers.
Where can I find the full NHL team color list?
Carolina sits in the Metropolitan Division alongside plenty of bold palettes. For every club’s HEX, RGB and Pantone in one place, the league-wide color code hub covers all 32 teams.
Conclusion
The Carolina Hurricanes colors come down to red, black and white, backed by a silver accent that traces all the way to the 1997 tailstripe.
Grab the HEX and RGB values for screen work. Pull the CMYK and PMS references when something’s headed to print.
The palette has stayed remarkably steady since the Hartford rebrand, tying the warning-flag logo to Raleigh and the wider NHL brand identity. That consistency is exactly why it still reads as pure Canes.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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