Editing Flag of the United States (section)

===Colors===

Federal Specification DDD-F-416F specifies the exact red, white, and blue colors to be used for physical flags procured by federal agencies with reference to the [[Standard Color Reference of America]], 10th edition, a set of dyed silk fabric samples produced by [[The Color Association of the United States]]. The colors are "White", No. 70001; "Old Glory Red", No. 70180; and "Old Glory Blue", No. 70075.

[[CIE 1931 color space|CIE coordinates]] for the colors of the 9th edition of the Standard Color Reference were carefully measured and cross-checked by color scientists from the [[National Bureau of Standards]] in 1946, with the resulting coordinates adopted as a formal specification.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reimann |first1=Genevieve |last2=Judd |first2=Deane B. |author2-link=Deane B. Judd |last3=Keegan |first3=Harry J. |year=1946 |title=Spectrophotometric and Colorimetric Determination of the Colors of the TCCA Standard Color Cards |journal=Journal of the Optical Society of America |volume=36 |number=3 |pages=128–159 |doi=10.1364/JOSA.36.000128 |pmid=21023091 |bibcode=1946JOSA...36..128R }}</ref> These colors form the standard for cloth, and there is no perfect way to convert them to [[RGB]] for display on screen or [[CMYK]] for printing. The "relative" coordinates in the following table were found by scaling the luminous reflectance relative to the flag's white.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right"
|+ Federal Specification DDD-F-416F cloth color specifications<ref>In the 9th edition of the Standard Color Card of America, "White", "Old Glory Red", and "Old Glory Blue" were, respectively, Cable No. 70001, Cable No. 70180, and Cable No. 70075. The Munsell renotation coordinates for these were taken directly from the Reimann ''et al.'' paper, the CIELAB ''D''<sub>65</sub> coordinates were found by converting the xyY values in that paper to be relative to CIE Illuminant ''D''<sub>65</sub> from Illuminant ''C'' using the CAT02 chromatic adaptation transform, and relative to a perfect diffuse reflector as white. The "relative" values in the table were found by taking Cable No. 70001's luminosity to be that of the white point and were converted to ''D''<sub>65</sub> or ''D''<sub>50</sub> also using the CAT02 transformation. The values for CMYK were found by converting from the CIELAB ''D''<sub>50</sub> values using the Adobe CMM and the GRACoL 2006 ICC profile in Adobe Photoshop.</ref>
|-
! rowspan="3" style="text-align:center; padding-left:.7em; padding-right:.7em"| Name
! style="text-align:center" colspan="6"| Absolute
! style="text-align:center" colspan="11"| '''''Relative'''''
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:3em; min-width:3em" |
! style="text-align:center" colspan="3"| [[CIELAB]] ''D''<sub>65</sub>
! style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| [[Munsell color system|Munsell]]
! rowspan="2" style="width:3em; min-width:3em" |
! style="text-align:center" colspan="4"| [[sRGB]]
! style="text-align:center" colspan="4"| [[CMYK|GRACoL 2006]]
|-
! style="text-align:center"| ''L''* !! style="text-align:center"| ''a''* !! style="text-align:center"| ''b''*
! style="text-align:center"| ''H'' !! style="text-align:center"| ''V''/''C''
! style="text-align:center"| ''R'' !! style="text-align:center"| ''G'' !! style="text-align:center"| ''B'' !! style="text-align:center"| 8-bit hex
! style="text-align:center"| ''C'' !! style="text-align:center"| ''M'' !! style="text-align:center"| ''Y'' !! style="text-align:center"| ''K''
|-
| style="text-align:left"| {{nobr|White}}
| style="background:#e3ded4" title="#E3DED4"|
| 88.7 || −0.2 || 5.4
| style="text-align:left"| 2.5Y || style="text-align:left"| 8.8/0.7
| style="background:#fff" title="#FFFFFF"|
| 1.000 || 1.000 || 1.000 || {{code|#FFFFFF}}
| .000 || .000 || .000 || .000
|-
| style="text-align:left"| {{nobr|Old Glory Red}}
| style="background:#9b1c2c" title="#9B1C2C"|
| 33.9 || 51.2 || 24.7
| style="text-align:left"| 5.5R || style="text-align:left"| 3.3/11.1
| style="background:#b22234" title="#B22234"|
| .698 || .132 || .203 || {{code|#B22234}}
| .196 || 1.000 || .757 || .118
|-
| style="text-align:left"| {{nobr|Old Glory Blue}}
| style="background:#33335f" title="#33335F"|
| 23.2 || 13.1 || −26.4
| style="text-align:left"| 8.2PB || style="text-align:left"| 2.3/6.1
| style="background:#3c3b6e" title="#3C3B6E"|
| .234 || .233 || .430 || {{code|#3C3B6E}}
| .886 || .851 || .243 || .122
|}

{{gallery
| mode=nolines
| height=100
| width=210
| align=center
| Flag of the United States (DDD-F-416F specifications - absolute).svg|DDD-F-416F Absolute 
| Flag of the United States (DDD-F-416F specifications - relative).svg|DDD-F-416F Relative
}}
As with the design, the official colors are only officially required for flags produced for the U.S. federal government, and other colors are often used for mass-market flags, printed reproductions, and other products intended to evoke flag colors. The practice of using [[colorfulness|more saturated]] colors than the official cloth is not new. As Taylor, Knoche, and Granville wrote in 1950: "The color of the official wool bunting [of the blue field] is a very dark blue, but printed reproductions of the flag, as well as merchandise supposed to match the flag, present the color as a deep blue much brighter than the official wool."<ref>Helen Taylor, Lucille Knoche, and Walter Granville, eds. (1950), ''[[Descriptive Color Names Dictionary]]''. Container Corporation of America.</ref>

Sometimes, [[Pantone Matching System]] (PMS) alternatives to the dyed fabric colors are recommended by US government agencies for use in websites or printed documents. One set was given on the website of the [[U.S. Embassy, London|U.S. embassy in London]] as early as 1996; the website of the U.S. embassy in [[Stockholm]] claimed in 2001 that those had been suggested by Pantone, and that the [[United States Government Printing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]] preferred a different set. A third red was suggested by a [[California Military Department]] document in 2002.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/19971014170401/http://www.usembassy.org.uk/rcflags.html In 1996, "U.S. Flag Facts"]}} at the website of the U.S. embassy in London listed the colors red PMS 193 and blue PMS 282 (presumably PMS solid coated colors). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20021016055710/http://www.usembassy.org.uk/rcflags.html By October 2002]}}, these had changed to red PMS 193 and blue PMS 281. These latter PMS equivalents are listed on many websites including various other U.S. Government organizations, such as the [[Millennium Challenge Corporation]]'s [http://www.mcc.gov/mcc/press/branding/branding-mcc/index.shtml website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522114622/http://www.mcc.gov/mcc/press/branding/branding-mcc/index.shtml |date=May 22, 2010 }}. See also [https://www.fotw.info/flags/us.html "United States of America"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713191619/http://www.fotw.us/flags/us.html |date=July 13, 2010 }}, ''[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]''.<br />The website of the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm instead lists PMS 186 and PMS 288 as the colors specified by the U.S. Government Printing Office: [https://web.archive.org/web/20041021021046/http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/usflag/colors.html "Colors of the U.S. Flag"]. United States Embassy Stockholm. November 2001.<br />The [[California Military Department|Military Department]] of the [[California|State of California]] suggested PMS 200 for red in a 2002 document, [http://www.militarymuseum.org/Flags_Over_Ca.pdf "Flags over California, a history and guide"].</ref> In 2001, the Texas legislature specified that the colors of the Texas flag should be "(1) the same colors used in the United States flag; and (2) defined as numbers 193 (red) and 281 (dark blue) of the Pantone Matching System."<ref>[http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.3100.htm#3100.002 The Government Code; Title 11. State Symbols and Honors; Subtitle A; Chapter 3100]. Statutes.legis.state.tx.us. Retrieved May 27, 2011.</ref> The current internal style guide of the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] [[Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs]] specifies PMS 282C blue and PMS 193C red, and gives RGB and CMYK conversions generated by [[Adobe InDesign]].<ref name="eca flag standards">
{{cite report |access-date=January 21, 2023 |date=January 2017 |title=ECA Design Guidelines |url=https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/eca_design_guide.pdf |publisher=[[Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs]] Office of Public Affairs and Strategic Communications }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right"
|+ Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs style guidelines<ref name="eca flag standards" />
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | Pantone Identifier
! rowspan="2" style="width:3em; min-width:3em" |
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | RGB
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | CMYK
|-
! style="text-align:center" | ''R'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''G'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''B'' !! style="text-align:center" | 8-bit hex
! style="text-align:center" | ''C'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''M'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''Y'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''K''
|-
| style="text-align:left" | {{nobr|White}}
| style="background:#fff" title="#FFFFFF" |
| 1.00 || 1.00 || 1.00 || {{code|#FFFFFF}}
| 0.00 || 0.00 || 0.00 || 0.00
|-
| style="text-align:left" | PMS 193C 
| style="background:#b31942" title="#B31942" |
| 0.72 || 0.10 || 0.26 || {{code|#B31942}}
| 0.00 || 1.00 || 0.66 || 0.13
|-
| style="text-align:left" | PMS 282C
| style="background:#0a3161" title="#0A3161" |
| 0.04 || 0.19 || 0.38 || {{code|#0A3161}}
| 1.00 || 0.68 || 0.00 || 0.54
|}
{{gallery
| mode=nolines
| height=100
| width=210
| align=center
| Flag of the United States (DoS ECA Color Standard).svg|DoS ECA color standard
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right"
|+Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs standard with correct Pantone color data to display on the screen
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center" | Pantone Identifier
! rowspan="2" style="width:3em; min-width:3em" |
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | RGB
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | CMYK
|-
! style="text-align:center" | ''R'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''G'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''B'' !! style="text-align:center" | [[Web colors|Web color]]<ref name=":3" />
! style="text-align:center" | ''C'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''M'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''Y'' !! style="text-align:center" | ''K''
|-
| style="text-align:left" | {{nobr|White}}
| style="background:#fff" title="#FFFFFF" |
| 1.00 || 1.00 || 1.00 || {{code|#FFFFFF}}
| 0.00 || 0.00 || 0.00 || 0.00
|-
| style="text-align:left" | PMS 193C<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2022 |title=PANTONE® USA {{!}} PANTONE® 193 C - Find a Pantone Color {{!}} Quick Online Color Tool |url=https://www.pantone.com/connect/193-C |access-date=February 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801163342/https://www.pantone.com/connect/193-C |archive-date=August 1, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pantone / PMS 193 C / #bf0d3e Hex Color Code |url=https://encycolorpedia.com/bf0d3e |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=encycolorpedia.com |language=en}}</ref>
| style="background:#BF0D3E" title="#BF0D3E" |
| 191 || 13 || 62 || {{code|#BF0D3E}}
| 0.00 || 0.932 || 0.675 || 0.251
|-
| style="text-align:left" | PMS 282C<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2022 |title=PANTONE® USA {{!}} PANTONE® 282 C - Find a Pantone Color {{!}} Quick Online Color Tool |url=https://www.pantone.com/connect/282-C |access-date=February 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928124440/https://www.pantone.com/connect/282-C |archive-date=September 28, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pantone / PMS 282 C / #041e42 Hex Color Code |url=https://encycolorpedia.com/041e42 |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=encycolorpedia.com |language=en}}</ref>
| style="background:#041E42" title="#041E42" |
| 4 || 30 || 66 || {{code|#041E42}}
| 0.939 || 0.545 || 0.00 || 0.741
|}
{{gallery
| mode=nolines
| height=100
| width=210
| align=center
| Flag of the United States (DoS ECA Color Standard) (Pantone).svg|DoS ECA color standard with correct Pantone color data to display on the screen
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Texas statute color standard<ref name="flaglaw">{{Cite web|url=http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.3100.htm#3100.002|title=Government Code: Chapter 3100. State Flag |access-date=October 21, 2007 |date=September 1, 2001 |publisher=State of Texas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013074003/http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/GV/content/htm/gv.011.00.003100.00.htm|archive-date = October 13, 2007}}</ref>
|-
! Color
! [[Cable colors|Cable color]]
! [[Pantone]]<ref>The [[Pantone]] color equivalents for ''Old Glory'' Blue and Red are listed on [http://london.usembassy.gov/rcflags.html U.S. Flag Facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223231044/http://london.usembassy.gov/rcflags.html |date=February 23, 2009 }} at the U.S. Embassy's London site.</ref>
! [[Web colors|Web color]]<ref name=":3">The RGB color values are taken from the [http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx Pantone Color Finder] at [http://www.pantone.com/ Pantone.com].</ref>
! RGB Values
|-
| {{Color box|#BF0D3E}} Red
| 70180
| 193 C
| <code>#BF0D3E</code>
| (191,13,62)
|-
| {{Color box|#FFFFFf}} White
| 70000
| Safe
| <code>#FFFFFF</code>
| (255,255,255)
|-
| {{Color box|#00205B}} Dark Blue
| 70075
| 281 C
| <code>#00205B</code>
| (0,32,91)
|}
{{gallery
| mode=nolines
| height=100
| width=210
| align=center
| Flag of the United States (Texas Color Standard).svg|Texas Color Standard
}}