The official Pittsburgh Pirates colors are black, gold and white. The primary color is black (#27251F), paired with gold (#FDB827) and white (#FFFFFF). These colors appear across the team’s logo, uniforms and merchandise, and have been in use since the 1948 season, when the club dropped red and blue.
Pirates Color Codes: HEX, RGB, CMYK, Pantone
| Color | Swatch | HEX | RGB | CMYK | Pantone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | #27251F | 39, 37, 31 | 0, 0, 0, 100 | Process Black | |
| Gold | #FDB827 | 253, 184, 39 | 0, 31, 95, 0 | PMS 123 C | |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 | None published |
A note on accuracy: the Pantone values above are the ones the club and its licensees actually use (Process Black and PMS 123 C). The CMYK numbers float around a bit depending on which vendor sheet you’re reading. Some list gold as 0/24/94/0. Close enough for screen work, but if you’re printing merch, ask for the current brand sheet rather than trusting any color-code site, including this one.
Each Color, Broken Down
Black in the Pirates Palette
The black the Pirates use isn’t pure black. #27251F is a warm, slightly brownish near-black, the same softened tone most MLB clubs moved to so that photography and broadcast wouldn’t crush the jersey details into a flat void. It’s the cap crown color, the road alternate jersey color, and the outline on almost every piece of lettering the team owns.
Fun detail most people miss: on a calibrated screen, the Pirates’ black reads closer to a very dark charcoal than to #000000. Plenty of fan sites still publish #000000. It’s wrong, but nobody’s losing sleep over it.
Gold in the Pirates Palette
#FDB827 is the loudest gold in Pittsburgh. Brighter and more yellow than the Steelers’ #FFB612 and considerably more yellow than the Penguins’ Vegas-tinted gold. Three teams, one city, one color name, three different values. This trips up designers constantly.
Gold fills the cap “P,” the jersey outlines, the sleeve trim, and the entire body of the throwback jerseys the club rolls out for Sunday games. In 1970, moving into Three Rivers Stadium, the team went to a darker, more mustard-leaning gold on the cap crown, then swung back to the brighter shade in 1977. If you’re recreating a 1971 uniform, don’t use #FDB827. That era’s cap read more like a deep mustard yellow.
White in the Pirates Palette
White does the boring, necessary job. It’s the home jersey base, the separation layer between black and gold (which are legible together, but only barely at small sizes), and the negative space inside the primary logo. Officially listed as a team color, not just a background.
Pirates Uniform Colors: Home, Away, Alternate
Home: white jersey and pants, “Pirates” across the chest in black block lettering trimmed in gold, black cap with a gold P.
Away: gray, with a script “Pittsburgh” that returned to the road set in 2020.
Alternates: a black jersey (introduced in 2009) and a gold jersey, both worn with the black cap. The 1970s pillbox throwback, yellow crown with black stripes and a black bill, is the fan favorite and shows up often. The team also debuted City Connect uniforms on June 27, 2023, a softball-style set built around Pittsburgh references.
History: How the Pirates Became Black and Gold
They weren’t always. For most of their early history the Pirates wore red, white and blue, with blue caps and a red or white P. In 1947 they dropped red and ran a blue-and-white set for exactly one season. Then came 1948.
On April 19, 1948, the Pirates took the field in black and gold for the first time, in Cincinnati, and lost 4-1. They became the first MLB club to permanently abandon its original colors. The new palette came straight off the flag of Pittsburgh, whose colors trace back to the coat of arms of William Pitt, the city’s namesake.
Some other markers worth knowing. The 1948 uniforms included gold-striped socks that lasted a single season. In 1976 the club wore pillbox caps for the National League centennial and was the only team that kept them. From 1977 to 1984 the Pirates mixed and matched an all-black set, an all-gold set and a pinstriped white set, and wore four different combinations during the 1979 World Series alone. Red crept back into the branding from 1997 to 2008 before being removed again.
The Steelers had been wearing the same two colors since 1933. The Penguins joined in 1980. Pittsburgh is the only American city where every major pro franchise runs the same primary scheme.
Using the Colors in Your Own Work
Web and screen: use the HEX or RGB values. Print: use CMYK, or better, the Pantone references. Gold at #FDB827 on a white background fails most contrast checks for body text, so keep it for accents, fills and large display type. Black on gold works. Gold on black works. Gold on white does not.
:root {
--pirates-black: #27251F;
--pirates-gold: #FDB827;
--pirates-white: #FFFFFF;
}
One thing I always do before shipping anything in these two colors: proof the gold on an actual screen that isn’t mine. It shifts hard toward orange on warm displays.
Related Reading
- The full baseball team color codes hub, with every MLB club’s values in one place.
- Division and rivalry neighbors: St. Louis Cardinals colors, Cincinnati Reds colors, Chicago Cubs colors, Milwaukee Brewers colors, and the in-state rival, Philadelphia Phillies colors.
- The Pirates were one of the first clubs to wear a third jersey, following the lead of Oakland. Their palette is here: Oakland Athletics colors.
- Building something around this scheme? Start with these gold color palettes.
FAQ on The Pittsburgh Pirates Colors
What are the Pittsburgh Pirates colors?
The Pittsburgh Pirates colors are black, gold and white. Black (#27251F) leads the palette, gold (#FDB827) carries the cap logo and trim, and white anchors the home uniform. All three come from the flag of Pittsburgh.
What are the Pittsburgh Pirates color codes in HEX and RGB?
Black: HEX #27251F, RGB (39, 37, 31). Gold: HEX #FDB827, RGB (253, 184, 39). White: HEX #FFFFFF, RGB (255, 255, 255).
Those are the values used across MLB team colors listings and merchandise licensing.
What is the Pittsburgh Pirates Pantone color?
Two Pantone references cover the palette: Process Black for the black, and PMS 123 C for the gold. White has no assigned PMS number. Use these for print, embroidery and any physical fan gear production.
When did the Pirates adopt black and gold?
April 19, 1948. The Bucs wore black and gold in a season opener at Cincinnati and lost 4-1.
They became the first MLB club to permanently replace their original colors, dropping red and blue for good.
What is the primary color of the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Black is the primary color. It dominates the cap crown, the black alternate jersey, and every logo outline, including the P insignia and the Jolly Roger mark.
Gold functions as the secondary, and it does most of the visual work.
Are the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins the same shade of gold?
No. The Pirates run the brightest, most yellow-leaning gold at #FDB827. The Steelers sit at #FFB612. The Penguins use a Vegas gold that skews orange. Same color name, three different values.
Why are all Pittsburgh teams black and gold?
Both colors appear on the city flag, adopted in 1899, which drew from the coat of arms of William Pitt. The Steelers wore them from 1933, the Pirates from 1948, the Penguins from 1980.
What colors did the Pirates wear before 1948?
Red, white and blue for most of their early history, with blue caps and a red or white P. In 1947 they briefly ran a blue-and-white scheme, dropping red entirely. That set lasted one season.
What are the Pittsburgh Pirates jersey colors?
Home whites, road grays with a script “Pittsburgh,” plus black and gold alternates. The 1970s pillbox cap throwback pairs a yellow crown with black stripes.
City Connect uniforms debuted on June 27, 2023.
Do any other MLB teams use black and gold?
Not as a primary scheme. The closest confusion is with black-and-orange clubs like the Baltimore Orioles colors or the San Francisco Giants colors. Pittsburgh’s gold reads distinctly warmer and brighter than either.
Conclusion
The Pittsburgh Pirates colors come down to three values you can copy in seconds: #27251F, #FDB827, #FFFFFF. Everything else is context.
Grab the Pantone references before any print run, and remember the gold shifts warm on cheap displays.
The Atlanta Braves colors tell a different story. This one starts with a city flag and ends at PNC Park.
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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