Industrial & Conglomerates
3M Color Codes
3M runs on a single bright red, hex #FF0000, against black or white. The 3M color codes in Hex, RGB and CMYK can be found below. The company started in 1902 as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, chasing a corundum deposit that turned out to be low grade; sandpaper, then Scotch tape and the Post-it note, came out of the pivot. Its nearest peer on this site is General Electric.
Primary colors
What are 3M Primary Colors?
3M's primary color is #FF0000. Every value on this page is derived from it.
3M publishes brand assets; the CMYK shown is a conversion of the red.
3M Red
| Hex | #FF0000 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 255, 0, 0 |
| HSL | hsl(0, 100%, 50%) |
| CMYK | 0%, 100%, 100%, 0%converted · approximate |
| Pantone | PMS 172 Cnearest match · not published by the brand |
3M Hex Color Codes
3M hex color codes are #FF0000 for red.
| Color | Hex |
|---|---|
| Red | #FF0000 |
3M RGB Color Codes
3M RGB color codes are 255, 0, 0 for red. Reach for RGB when a tool wants channel numbers or a CSS alpha value.
| Color | RGB |
|---|---|
| Red | rgb(255, 0, 0) |
3M HSL Color Codes
3M HSL color codes are 0, 100%, 50% for red. Change the third value for a lighter or darker version without moving the hue.
| Color | HSL |
|---|---|
| Red | hsl(0, 100%, 50%) |
3M CMYK Color Code
3M CMYK color codes are conversions from the hex, because the brand publishes none. Check a printed proof before a full run.
| Color | CMYK |
|---|---|
| Red | 0%, 100%, 100%, 0% |
3M Pantone Color Codes
3M Pantone color codes are nearest matches by color distance, not brand specs. The table shows the closest swatch for every color.
| Color | Nearest Pantone |
|---|---|
| Red | PMS 172 C |
Logo
3M Logo Colors
3M logo colors are one red on white, or the mark reversed to white.
3M Logo Colors Palette
What the 3M Logo Colors Mean?
The 3M logo color is red and nothing else, which is the point. Siegel & Gale cut the old script down to two fat letters in 1978 so the mark would still read at the size of a screw head or a shipping carton, and a single saturated red does that job in any light.
3M Logo Color History
3M logo color history is short because the 1978 mark has barely moved. Before it the company cycled through a diamond, a globe and a cursive wordmark; since it, the change has been limited to the exact red and the letter spacing.
3M Logo Fonts
3M logo fonts are a custom pair of heavy square-cornered letters, not a released typeface. Helvetica Black set tight is the usual stand-in.
3M Logo JPG
3M logo in JPG. No transparency, so it is flattened onto white. Safe for documents and slide decks.
3M Logo PNG
3M logo in PNG, with a transparent background. Use it over a colored surface.
3M Logo WebP
3M logo in WebP. Same transparency as the PNG at about a third of the file size.
3M Color Code Shades
3M color code shades step evenly from the primary toward black, for hover states, borders and shadows.
These are interface steps, not 3M paint or trim names.
In code
Using the 3M palette
CSS custom properties
:root {
--3m-red: #FF0000;
}Contrast against white
| Red | 4.00:1AA × |
|---|
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.