Delaware State Colors

Colonial Blue and Buff

Adopted on Jul 24, 1913

Adopted on July 24, 1913, the state flag has a background of colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff color in which the coat of arms of the state of Delaware is placed.

Delaware State Colors: Colonial Blue and Buff

The official state colors, colonial blue and buff, are designated by the Textile Color Card Association of the United States, Inc., New York, as "arno blue" Cable No. 10663, and "golden beige" Cable No. 10781 respectively; the color shades having been determined by Colorimetric Specifications of the National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, in Test No. 2, 1/140565, dated November 18, 1954, which is on file with the Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware.

The official Delaware colors - Colonial Blue and Buff - are the fabric colors of the state flag as approved by the State Legislature and entered into Delaware State Code. These colors translate into the following specifications for various print- and web-based colors:

Colonial Blue
Pantone: DS 238-6 U
CMYK: 0, 25, 60, 15
RGB: 118, 161, 160
RGB Hex: #71A1A0

Buff
Pantone: DS 24-4 U
CMYK: 0, 25, 60, 15
RGB: 215, 172, 108
RGB Hex: #D7AC6C

Delaware Law

The law designating colonial blue and buff as the official Delaware state colors is found in the Delaware Code Title 29, General Provisions, Chapter 3, Section 306

TITLE 29
State Government
General Provisions
CHAPTER 3. STATE SEAL, SONG AND SYMBOLS

§ 306 State flag.

The design of the official state flag shall be as follows: A background of colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff in which diamond is placed the correct coat of arms of the State in the colors prescribed by law and in accordance with § 301 of this title, with the words, "December 7, 1787," to be inscribed underneath the diamond.

The official state colors, colonial blue and buff, are designated by the Textile Color Card Association of the United States, Inc., New York, as "arno blue" Cable No. 10663, and "golden beige" Cable No. 10781 respectively; the color shades having been determined by Colorimetric Specifications of the National Bureau of Standards, United States Department of Commerce, in Test No. 2, 1/140565, dated November 18, 1954, which is on file with the Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. The colors of the coat of arms and other elements of the state flag shall be the following: Husbandman, trousers of gray brown, shirt of red, hat and hilling hoe of brown; rifleman, suit of green, binding, bag and leggings of buff, hat of brown, powder flask and feather of gray; shield, frame of shaded yellow, top panel of orange, center panel of blue, lower panel of white, ox of red brown, grass and corn of green, wheat and branches underfoot of yellow, heraldric wreath to be blue and silver (twisted); ship under full sail to have a dark hull and white sails; date, December 7, 1787, to be white; cord and tassels to be blue and gold.