This page traces every crest Manchester United has worn, from the 1878 railway badge to the one still in use today, with each era’s colors as one-click hex values.
The club began as Newton Heath LYR under a green and gold shield with a steam train, colors that later became the colors of fan protest.
The red devil entered the crest only around 1969, and the change fans still argue about is the loss of the words Football Club in 1998.
Today it runs on red and yellow: #DA291C #FBE122. For RGB, CMYK and Pantone, see the current Manchester United color codes.
Manchester United logo history timeline
Manchester United logo 1878-1902
As Newton Heath LYR F.C., the badge was a yellow-and-green pentagonal shield featuring a steam train, reflecting the club's origins among Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot workers; a later 1891-1902 version showed a football atop the shield with a green-and-yellow striped banner.
Manchester United logo 1902-1960s
After the 1902 renaming to Manchester United, the club adopted a modified version of the Manchester City Council coat of arms: a ship in full sail (trade), three golden bends from the de Grelley family arms, and a globe covered in bees with the motto 'Concilio et Labore'. Used mainly on documents and occasional cup-final shirts, not regular kits.
Why it changed: Adopted to reflect civic identity of Manchester after the club's renaming and rescue from bankruptcy.
Manchester United logo 1960s
A badge closely based on the Manchester coat of arms, adding the 'Manchester United' wordmark, the ship, three stripes, and Lancashire roses in red, white and black; still not regularly used on player shirts.
Manchester United logo 1969-1973
The Lancashire roses were replaced by two footballs and a red devil holding a trident was introduced into the crest for the first time, drawn from the popular 'Red Devils' nickname; initially used on programmes/scarves rather than kits.
Why it changed: Club wanted an identity tied to the popular 'Red Devils' nickname.
Manchester United logo 1973-1998
The devil-and-ship crest was simplified into red and yellow and, from the 1972-73 season, was worn on shirts for the first time; stayed largely unchanged for roughly 25 years.
Manchester United logo 1998-present
Ahead of the 1998-99 treble-winning season, the club dropped the words 'Football Club' from the bottom banner (leaving just 'Manchester United'), refined the devil, trident and ship, and the crest was registered as a trademark, unaltered since.
Why it changed: Modernisation/branding refresh for global marketing; remains the most argued-over change in the badge's history among fans.
Manchester United logo colors by era
| Era | Colors |
|---|---|
| 1878-1902 | Green #028238*Gold/Yellow #FED041* |
| 1902-1960s | Red #CE0803*White #FFFFFFBlack #000000 |
| 1960s | Red #EE1100*White #FFFFFFBlack #000000 |
| 1969-1973 | Red #DF0F21*Yellow #FFEA00* |
| 1973-1998 | Red #EC2D2C*Yellow #F7CF14* |
| 1998-present | Red #DA291CYellow #FBE122 |
Things worth knowing
- Removing 'Football Club' from the crest in 1998-99 remains the most contested change in the badge's history; Ed Woodward later admitted he disliked it but never restored the words as promised.
- The 1878-1902 Newton Heath green-and-gold colours were revived for the 1992-94 third kit and later adopted as the symbolic colours of fan protests against Glazer family ownership from 2010 onward.
- The 2023-24 third kit was the first Manchester United shirt ever to feature only the red devil emblem on the front (without the surrounding shield/badge), inspired by the 1908-09 FA Cup-winning kit; the full club crest still appears on the back collar.
Values marked * were measured from the logo artwork of that period. Brand color standards did not exist for most of these eras, so no official hex value was ever published for them. Treat them as an accurate reading of the artwork rather than as an official brand value. Unmarked values are the club’s own published colors.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_United_F.C.
- https://sportslogohistory.com/manchester-united-fc-primary-logo/
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Logos_of_Manchester_United_FC
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mufc_crest_1902.png
- https://www.unitedkits.com/articles/badge.php
- https://www.footyheadlines.com/2023/07/manchester-united-23-24-third-kit.html
- https://www.livescore.com/en/news/manchester-united-third-kit-2023-24-premier-league-2023080714131292749/
