MSU green
A dark green chosen as the official colour of Michigan State University
MSU green is a deep, dark green officially used by Michigan State University. The colour matches Pantone 567 and was selected to reflect the traditional Spartan green seen on varsity and marching band jackets, replacing a lighter shade used in earlier years.
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- MSU green matches Pantone 567 (PMS 567)
- It is the official colour of Michigan State University
- Chosen to reflect the traditional Spartan green
- Replaced a lighter green used from 1997 to 2010
What colour is MSU green?
MSU green is a very dark shade of green, officially representing Michigan State University. It stands out from lighter greens by its depth and richness, closely matching the colour seen on the university's traditional varsity letter and marching band jackets. This shade is distinct from the lighter green previously used by the university.
Where does MSU green come from?
The name 'MSU green' comes from Michigan State University, which adopted it as its official colour. The university's board of trustees standardised this shade in 2010, moving away from a lighter green (PMS 341) that had been in use since 1997. The chosen colour reflects the original Spartan green associated with the school's history.
How MSU green is defined
MSU green is defined by the Pantone Matching System as ink colour 567 (PMS 567). This means it is a standardised shade used for consistent branding across university materials, uniforms, and merchandise. The colour is specified for use in print and fabric to ensure it matches the university's identity.
Where MSU green is used
MSU green is widely used in Michigan State University's branding, including on varsity letter jackets, marching band uniforms, and other official apparel. It appears in university logos, merchandise, and promotional materials, ensuring a consistent visual identity for the institution.
Green around the world
What the green family means from country to country.
A green kerchief is the sign of the campaign for legal abortion. Huge crowds wore it in 2018, and the movement was called the green wave.
Politics and protestHopeSource: Green scarfGreen and gold have been the official national colours since 1984 and are worn by national sports teams. They echo the leaves and flowers of the golden wattle.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: National colours of AustraliaA Test cricketer is given a dark green cap, the baggy green, on first playing for Australia. Many players wear the same faded cap for a whole career.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: Baggy greenThe green field of the flag stands for the land and its rice fields. Many people also read it as the youth and vigour of the country.
Nature and renewalPolitics and protestHopeSource: Flag of BangladeshThe flag is white, green and red. The green band, which took the place of the blue in the Russian flag, is read as the country's forests and farmland.
Politics and protestNature and renewalSource: Flag of BulgariaThe green field of the flag is commonly said to stand for the forests. It was first the colour of the House of Braganza, the family of the first emperor.
Politics and protestNature and renewalPrideSource: Flag of BrazilShades and relatives of MSU green
A lighter green (PMS 341) was used by Michigan State University from 1997 to 2010 before the adoption of the current MSU green. The official shade is sometimes called Spartan green and should not be confused with other greens used by different institutions.
Colours that go with MSU green
Harmonies are worked out from the value #18453B. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about MSU green
What colour is MSU green?
MSU green is a deep, dark shade of green, officially matching Pantone 567. It is used by Michigan State University as its primary colour.
Where does the name MSU green come from?
The name comes from Michigan State University, which selected this shade as its official colour to reflect its traditional Spartan identity.
When did Michigan State University adopt MSU green?
The university standardised MSU green in 2010, replacing a lighter green (PMS 341) that had been used since 1997.
What is the Pantone code for MSU green?
MSU green is represented by Pantone Matching System ink colour 567, also known as PMS 567.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of green" (the section "MSU green"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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