NFL Team Color Ice Dye: Unique Game Day Apparel for Every Fanbase

NFL team color ice dye is one of the most requested categories in my studio, and I understand why. You can buy a mass-produced team hoodie at any sporting goods store, but it will look exactly like the one on the guy three rows ahead of you at the stadium. Ice dye gives you something different: a one-of-a-kind piece hand-dyed in your team's actual color palette, where the ice melt creates patterns that can never be duplicated. Same team pride, completely unique execution.

I have been dyeing team color apparel at my York, PA studio since I started Floorboard Findings, and living right between Steelers territory and Eagles territory means I understand the intensity of NFL fandom firsthand. Every team color ice dye piece I produce uses fiber-reactive Procion MX dyes matched to the team's official palette, applied over ice on premium Comfort Colors blanks, and left to set for a full 24 hours. The result is a piece of wearable art that represents your team in a way no screen-printed jersey or mass-produced tee ever could.

Here is a look at some of the NFL palettes that translate best into ice dye, and what makes each one special from a color chemistry perspective.

What Makes NFL Team Color Ice Dye Different from Regular Fan Gear

Before diving into specific teams, it helps to understand why ice dye produces results that no other printing or dyeing method can match. Unlike mass-produced tie dye (which uses liquid dye squeezed from bottles in predictable patterns) or printed fan apparel (where a machine stamps the same design onto thousands of shirts), ice dye relies on the slow, uncontrollable melt of ice to carry powdered dye through fabric.

When I sprinkle Procion MX dye powder over ice-covered fabric, I am setting up conditions for chemistry to create art. As the ice melts over 24 hours, it carries dye particles into the cotton fibers along unpredictable pathways. Colors split into their component pigments — a single "red" dye might fracture into crimson, magenta, and rose. A "navy" might reveal hidden indigo, charcoal, and steel blue undertones. This pigment-splitting effect is what gives ice-dyed apparel its signature watercolor aesthetic, and it means that even when I dye 50 pieces in the same team colorway, every single one develops its own unique pattern.

For NFL fans, this matters. Your team color ice dye piece is not a reproduction. It is an original. Nobody at the tailgate, in the stadium, or at the watch party will have the same piece you are wearing. That is the kind of exclusivity you cannot buy at a chain store.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Black and Gold That Glows

Steelers ice dye holds a special place in my studio since I am based right here in Pennsylvania. The black and gold palette (Steelers Gold #FFB612 and Steelers Black #101820) is bold, classic, and looks absolutely stunning in ice dye.

The gold Procion MX is a bright, saturated yellow-gold that commands attention. Under ice, it splits into warm components ranging from pale butter yellow at the edges to deep marigold in concentrated areas. Black provides the perfect counterweight, creating dramatic shadows and depth. What most people do not expect is that Procion MX black reveals unexpected warm brown and dark navy undertones during the ice process, which pairs beautifully with the gold.

The transition zones between gold and black are where Steelers pieces really come alive. Rich amber, bronze, and dark honey tones that feel like a Pittsburgh sunset over the Allegheny River. I typically use a crumple technique with heavy gold application and strategic black placement. The goal is a piece where the gold dominates, bright and proud, with black providing depth and contrast in the creases.

Steelers colorway is consistently among my most-ordered team palettes. The black-and-gold energy translates perfectly into the ice dye medium, and as a fellow Pennsylvanian, I put extra care into every Steelers piece that leaves my studio.

Philadelphia Eagles: Midnight Green Magic

Eagles ice dye is one of my most popular and most distinctive team colorways, and for good reason. Midnight green (#004C54) is absolutely spectacular in ice dye. This is a color that no other NFL team uses, and it behaves unlike any other color in my dye cabinet.

Midnight green is a deep teal that contains both blue and green pigments, and under ice, those components separate in ways that are breathtaking. You will see dark forest green, deep teal, bright emerald, and even hints of turquoise all emerging from a single dye application. The silver (#A5ACAF) element is created through controlled negative space, allowing the natural gray of a Comfort Colors blank to serve as the metallic accent. Where the midnight green dye is lightest, you get a natural gradient from deep green through seafoam to silver-gray that looks planned even though the ice created it spontaneously.

Black (#000000) provides depth in the deepest folds and creases, preventing the piece from becoming too bright or one-dimensional. I use a tight crumple technique that creates lots of small texture variations, allowing the midnight green to display its full range of tones. As a Pennsylvania dyer, Eagles colorway is personal, and I make sure every piece captures the energy of Broad Street. These are among my best sellers, especially during playoff season.

Kansas City Chiefs: Pure Fire on Fabric

Chiefs ice dye is pure fire on fabric. Red (#E31837) and gold (#FFB81C) together create an entirely warm-spectrum palette, and in ice dye, warm colors tend to be the most dramatic splitters.

The red Procion MX fractures into crimson, magenta, and rose components, creating a rich tapestry of red tones that glow with intensity. Under ice, red dye migrates aggressively, filling every crease and channel in the fabric. The gold Procion MX is equally dynamic, splitting into bright yellow and warm amber tones, creating a sunlit counterpart to the fiery red.

Where red and gold meet, the transition is smooth and beautiful: burnt orange, rich coral, and deep amber tones emerge in the overlap zones, creating a gradient that looks like a Kansas City sunset during tailgate season. For Chiefs pieces, I let the red lead with heavy red application across a tight crumple, with gold concentrated in specific areas for contrast and brightness. The ice melt produces natural flame-like patterns as the red bleeds through the fabric. These are high-energy, attention-grabbing pieces that match the intensity of the Chiefs Kingdom fan experience.

Dallas Cowboys: Blue, Silver, and Precision

Cowboys ice dye requires a subtle, sophisticated approach. The royal blue (#003594) Procion MX is a true, clean blue. Not navy, not powder blue, but a rich medium blue that splits into cobalt, cerulean, and steel blue under ice. It creates a regal foundation with excellent tonal variation across the fabric.

The silver (#869397) is achieved through careful negative space and light dye application. I use a very dilute gray-blue wash in certain areas, then let the ice create natural gradients between the saturated blue sections and the barely-tinted fabric. The result is a genuine silver-blue effect that reads as the iconic Cowboys color without looking flat or dull. The white (#FFFFFF) areas come from the blank itself, preserved through strategic dye placement.

For Cowboys pieces, precision matters. I use a fold-and-crumple technique that creates clean sections of blue alongside silver-gray and white areas. The interplay of blue, silver, and white creates that unmistakable Cowboys palette. These pieces are popular year-round. Cowboys blue is a lifestyle color as much as a team color.

Buffalo Bills: Bold Primary Contrast

Bills ice dye brings together a bold royal blue (#00338D) and a vivid red (#C60C30), two primary colors that create striking contrast on fabric. When I work with Procion MX dyes in this palette, the blue tends to be the anchor. It saturates deep into cotton fibers during the ice melt, pooling in the folds and creating rich navy-to-cobalt gradients that mirror Lake Erie on a winter morning.

The red is where the real magic happens. Procion MX reds are notorious for splitting. A single "red" dye can fracture into coral, magenta, and true crimson as the ice melts at different rates across the fabric. On a Bills piece, you will see rivers of red bleeding alongside channels of blue, with unexpected purple transitions where the two colors meet and overlap.

I typically crumple the blank rather than fold it for Bills colorways. The crumple technique creates the organic, chaotic patterns that look best with high-contrast two-color palettes. The result is a piece that reads unmistakably Bills from across the room, bold blue and red with that watercolor depth you can only get from ice dye.

San Francisco 49ers: Gold Rush Warmth

49ers ice dye has a warmth and richness that sets it apart from other red-and-gold teams in the league. The 49ers red (#AA0000) is a darker, more blood-red tone. Not as bright as the Chiefs and not as wine-toned as the Cardinals. Under ice, this Procion MX red splits into true crimson, dark rose, and garnet tones that have an intensity and depth that lighter reds cannot match.

The 49ers gold (#B3995D) is unique in the NFL. It is a muted, metallic-toned gold that sits between bright yellow-gold and antique gold. In Procion MX, I achieve this with a warm amber dye that splits into honey, tan, and warm brown tones. The result has a real metallic quality that evokes actual gold ore rather than bright gold paint.

Where these two colors meet on ice-dyed fabric, the transitions are stunning: deep amber, burnt sienna, and rich copper tones that feel like California in autumn. I use a balanced application with red slightly dominant, letting the muted gold serve as a warm, sophisticated accent. The result is one of my most wearable team colorways: warm, rich, and timeless.

More NFL Palettes Worth Exploring

The six teams above are among my most-requested, but they are far from the only palettes that produce extraordinary ice dye results. A few others that deserve mention:

Seattle Seahawks. The combination of deep College Navy (#002244) and neon Action Green (#69BE28) creates the most visually electric palette I work with. The contrast between dark navy and bright lime-chartreuse is extreme, and where they meet you get stunning teal and forest green transitions. Wolf Gray (#A5ACAF) appears naturally in lighter areas. It practically glows.

Miami Dolphins. Aqua (#008E97) and orange (#FC4C02) is one of my absolute favorites because of how the colors interact with ice. Aqua splits into teal, seafoam, and turquoise. Orange fractures into golden yellow and coral. Where they meet, unexpected warm greens and amber tones emerge that perfectly capture the tropical Miami vibe.

Las Vegas Raiders. Black and silver (technically black and strategic negative space) creates pieces with extraordinary depth and sophistication. It is the most requested dark colorway in my collection, and the monochromatic approach produces dramatic results that work with everything.

Every NFL team is available as a team color ice dye piece. You can explore the full collection on our team colors hub page, where each team has its own page with color details, dye technique notes, and ordering information.

How Team Color Ice Dye Pieces Are Made

Every team color piece follows the same artisan process that defines all of my ice dye work. The blank (typically a Comfort Colors 1566 crewneck or Gildan 18000 sweatshirt) is soaked in a soda ash solution for 20 to 30 minutes. This raises the pH of the cotton fibers, which is essential for the Procion MX dye to form permanent covalent bonds with the cellulose. Without this step, the color washes out.

After the soak, I manipulate the fabric by hand. For most team colorways, I use a crumple technique, scrunching the blank into a textured mound on an elevated dye rack. Ice goes on top, sometimes two or three layers deep. Then I carefully apply the powdered dyes in the team's colors, placing each color strategically to create the right balance and interaction.

The piece sits for a full 24 hours while the ice melts. Temperature matters. My studio is temperature-controlled for consistent, slow melting, because rushing this step by dyeing in a warm room produces flat, washed-out results. After 24 hours, each piece goes through multiple rinse cycles in my industrial washers until the water runs completely clear. The result is colorfast apparel that holds up to years of machine washing without fading.

What You Are Getting (and What You Are Not)

I want to be clear about what team color ice dye is and is not. These are artisan-made, one-of-a-kind pieces hand-dyed in your team's official color palette. They are not licensed NFL merchandise. You will not find a team logo, wordmark, or any trademarked imagery on these pieces. What you will find is a hand-dyed garment in the exact colors that represent your team, created with an artistry and attention to detail that mass-produced fan gear cannot match.

That is by design. My focus is on the craft of color, translating a team's palette into wearable art through ice dye technique. The color story tells the team story. When someone sees a black-and-gold ice dye hoodie, they know it is Pittsburgh. When they see midnight green with silver undertones, they know it is Philadelphia. The colors speak for themselves.

How to Order Team Color Ice Dye

Every team in the NFL has a dedicated page on our site with full color details, dye technique notes, and the option to order custom pieces in that team's palette. You can browse all 32 teams on the team colors hub page or go directly to your team's page.

Individual pieces are available through our tie dye preorders collection. Since every piece is hand-dyed to order, typical turnaround is 2 to 3 weeks from order confirmation. You choose the blank style (crewneck, hoodie, tee), the size, and the team colorway. I handle the rest: dyeing, rinsing, quality checking, and shipping to your door.

For bulk orders (watch parties, fan groups, tailgate crews), wholesale pricing is available on orders of 12 or more pieces. Same artisan quality, same one-of-a-kind results on every piece, with volume pricing that makes it work for group orders.

Team color ice dye gives you something no sporting goods store shelf can offer: a piece that is yours alone, in the colors that matter to you, made by hand in a small studio in York, Pennsylvania. Browse all 32 teams on the team colors hub page and find your team's palette.