The Institute of Heraldry (TIOH) is a US Army organization that is responsible for providing heraldic services for all branches of the federal government to include designing and/or producing official renderings of seals and emblems for the USAF and USSF. TIOH is also responsible for establishing the standards for USAF and USSF insignia, to include patches, worn on official uniforms.

USAF Palette

The USAF color palette consists of 40 colors. These are not the only colors used by TIOH as others are used for medals and ribbons. When TIOH completes an emblem package, it includes: 1) an official rendering, 2) an emblem description and a 3) manufacturing drawing (also referred to as a “cartoon”). The cartoon is used by approved insignia manufacturers to produce an embroidered patch and includes specifications such as the colors and type of yarn (also referred to as “thread” or “cable”) to be used, dimensions and other manufacturing instructions (e.g. – the type of border to be used). Emblems rendered and patches produced using this palette are know as “Full Color”. 

In addition to the 40-color palette, the USAF has also adopted several subdued palettes in order 

USSF Palette

The newest military service, the USSF, elected to deviate from the standard 40-color palette and in 2020 TIOH introduced a new 16-color palette specific to USSF emblems (Reference 6). The USSF has also developed a “Blue Subdued” palette for subduing emblems for wear on the OCP uniform.

REFERENCES

1. TIOH color palette.
2. Headquarters, Air Force Manpower and Personnel Center Consolidated Base Personnel Office Letter (CBPOL) 79-002, dated 10 January 1979.
3. Controlled Multiple Address Letter (CMAL) 95-32 (1 November 1995).
4. CMAL 01-02 (30 March 2001).
5. CMAL 18-01 (20 September 2018).
6. USSF Visual Style Guidelines (7 August 2020)

Information on the Palette Tables

The palette tables provide the name of the color; yarn (Thread/Cable) number; the Pantone Matching System (PMS) color number; hex code; Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) numbers; and for the USAF palettes, the Federal Standard number. PMS is a proprietary numbering system for colors used in graphic design developed by Pantone, LLC. By using the PMS number, you can use ensure you use the correct color. For the tables below, the PMS number was converted to a Hex Value in order to be displayed. PMS “Coated” (the color as printed on “coated” paper resulting in glossy finish as found in magazines) is used for the color swatches. The Federal Standard number is used to obtain military standard paint for application on signs, aircraft, etc.