Automotive
McLaren Color Codes
McLaren's color is papaya orange, hex #FF8000. The McLaren color codes in Hex, RGB and CMYK can be found below. Bruce McLaren founded the racing team in 1963; the road-car company, McLaren Automotive, dates from 2010 and is based at Woking. Its rival on track and in the showroom is Ferrari.
Primary colors
What are McLaren Primary Colors?
McLaren's primary color is papaya orange #FF8000, a heritage racing shade, usually paired with black.
Papaya orange is McLaren's long-standing brand color; the CMYK shown is a conversion.
McLaren Papaya Orange
| Hex | #FF8000 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 255, 128, 0 |
| HSL | hsl(30, 100%, 50%) |
| CMYK | 0%, 50%, 100%, 0%converted · approximate |
| Pantone | PMS 151 Cnearest match · not published by the brand |
McLaren Black
| Hex | #000000 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 0, 0, 0 |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 0%) |
| CMYK | 0%, 0%, 0%, 100%converted · approximate |
| Pantone | PMS 419 Cnearest match · not published by the brand |
McLaren Hex Color Codes
McLaren hex color codes are #FF8000 for papaya orange and #000000 for black.
| Color | Hex |
|---|---|
| Papaya Orange | #FF8000 |
| Black | #000000 |
McLaren RGB Color Codes
McLaren RGB color codes are 255, 128, 0 for papaya orange and 0, 0, 0 for black. Reach for RGB when a tool wants channel numbers or a CSS alpha value.
| Color | RGB |
|---|---|
| Papaya Orange | rgb(255, 128, 0) |
| Black | rgb(0, 0, 0) |
McLaren HSL Color Codes
McLaren HSL color codes are 30, 100%, 50% for papaya orange and 0, 0%, 0% for black. Change the third value for a lighter or darker version without moving the hue.
| Color | HSL |
|---|---|
| Papaya Orange | hsl(30, 100%, 50%) |
| Black | hsl(0, 0%, 0%) |
McLaren CMYK Color Code
McLaren CMYK color codes are conversions from the hex, because the brand publishes none. Check a printed proof before a full run.
| Color | CMYK |
|---|---|
| Papaya Orange | 0%, 50%, 100%, 0% |
| Black | 0%, 0%, 0%, 100% |
McLaren Pantone Color Codes
McLaren Pantone color codes are nearest matches by color distance, not brand specs. The table shows the closest swatch for every color.
| Color | Nearest Pantone |
|---|---|
| Papaya Orange | PMS 151 C |
| Black | PMS 419 C |
Logo
McLaren Logo Colors
McLaren logo colors are papaya orange and black: an orange speedmark, often on black.
McLaren Logo Colors Palette
What the McLaren Logo Colors Mean?
The McLaren logo colors trace to a visibility problem. Bruce McLaren picked a loud orange for the team's Can-Am cars in the late 1960s so they stood out on television, and it became the team's signature. The badge itself, a curved wedge nicknamed the speedmark, was drawn in 1997 to suggest a car's slipstream. Black is the ground.
McLaren Logo Color History
McLaren logo color history has a gap. The orange faded from Formula 1 in the 1980s under sponsor liveries, then came back in full for the 2018 season and now runs across the road cars too. The speedmark has held its shape since 1997.
McLaren Logo Fonts
McLaren logo fonts are a custom sans for the wordmark, not licensed out. A clean geometric sans such as a light Futura is the nearest match.
McLaren Logo JPG
McLaren logo in JPG. No transparency, so it is flattened onto white. Safe for documents and slide decks.
McLaren Logo PNG
McLaren logo in PNG, with a transparent background. Use it over a colored surface.
McLaren Logo WebP
McLaren logo in WebP. Same transparency as the PNG at about a third of the file size.
McLaren Color Code Shades
McLaren color code shades step evenly from the primary toward black, for hover states, borders and shadows.
These are interface steps, not McLaren paint or trim names.
In code
Using the McLaren palette
CSS custom properties
:root {
--mclaren-papaya-orange: #FF8000;
--mclaren-black: #000000;
}Contrast against white
| Papaya Orange | 2.52:1AA × |
|---|---|
| Black | 21.00:1AA ✓ |
Brand colors are chosen for recognition, not for legibility. A failing value here is normal. It means use it as a fill, not as text.