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Spain

Flag size calculator for Spain: size, stripes and arms

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This page is an English translation of the Spanish original. Where the two versions differ, the Spanish text is the original.

What size of flag goes with a flagpole? No Spanish rule sets it for a private flagpole, but makers publish reference tables, and the flag of Spain has well-defined internal dimensions: stripes in a 1:2:1 ratio and a coat of arms whose size and position are set by royal decree. The calculator brings the three together.

Calculator

metres
Nearest standard size
120 × 180 cm
Hoist × fly, table of the Spanish maker ClickBanderas for a 6 m pole
Stripes of the flag of Spain
30 / 60 / 30 cm
120 × 180 cm. Red, yellow and red; the yellow stripe twice as wide as each red one
Coat of arms, if the flag bears it
48 cm high
Centre line 60 cm from the sleeve (normal 2:3 proportion). Two fifths of the hoist (Royal Decree 2964/1981, art. 3)

How it works

  • Nearest standard size: the calculator takes the height of the flagpole, from 4 to 12 metres, and shows the nearest row of the reference table of ClickBanderas, a Spanish maker of flags and flagpoles. Between two rows it shows the lower one. The table is intended for moderate wind and 115 g/m² polyester flags.
  • Stripes: under article 4.1 of the Constitution, the yellow stripe is twice as wide as each red one. The calculator divides the hoist of the flag into a quarter, a half and a quarter.
  • Coat of arms: under article 3 of Royal Decree 2964/1981, the coat of arms is two fifths of the width of the flag high. On a flag of normal proportion (2:3), its centre line is half the width from the sleeve; on a shorter flag, in the centre.

The maker’s table

Height of the flagpoleFlag (hoist × fly)
4 metres80 × 120 cm
5 metres100 × 150 cm
6 metres120 × 180 cm
8 metres150 × 220 cm
10 metres200 × 300 cm
12 metres250 × 375 cm

According to ClickBanderas, the general rule in the trade is that the flag does not exceed the top third of the flagpole, and in windy areas or with heavier fabrics the flag is made smaller relative to the flagpole. For wind zone C, which the same maker places in Galicia, the Cantabrian coast and the Canary Islands, it gives a flag of no more than a quarter of the height of the flagpole. The guide to flagpole heights covers wind in more detail.

The official sizes

For military buildings and buildings in the service of the State, the Flag Regulation (Royal Decree 1511/1977) starts from the building, not the flagpole: type 2 (4110 × 2740 mm) above 25 metres in height, type 3 (3240 × 2160 mm) between 10 and 25 metres and type 4 (1500 × 1000 mm) below 10 metres. On a flagpole fixed to the ground, type 3 is used. These sizes are considerably larger than those in the commercial table. More in the guide to flag sizes.

Other flags

The stripes and coat of arms in the calculator are those of the flag of Spain. The regional flags have their own design, described in their Statute, but are usually made in the same commercial sizes. The guide to flag types presents them.

Frequently asked questions

How does the calculator work out the size of the flag?

It takes the height of the flagpole and shows the nearest standard size in the reference table of the Spanish maker ClickBanderas, from 80 × 120 cm for a 4-metre flagpole to 250 × 375 cm for a 12-metre one. Between two rows of the table it shows the lower one.

Where do the stripe and coat of arms measurements come from?

The stripes follow article 4.1 of the Constitution: the yellow stripe is twice as wide as each red one, so the red stripes take up a quarter of the hoist and the yellow one half. The coat of arms follows article 3 of Royal Decree 2964/1981: two fifths of the hoist high, with its centre line half the hoist from the sleeve on a flag with a 2:3 proportion.

Is there an official rule on flag size by flagpole?

Not for a private flagpole. The Flag Regulation (Royal Decree 1511/1977) only sets the flag types for military and State buildings by the height of the building, and type 3, of 3240 × 2160 mm, for a flagpole fixed to the ground at those establishments.

Why does the 8-metre flag not have a 2:3 proportion?

The ClickBanderas table gives 150 × 220 cm for an 8-metre flagpole, slightly shorter than the normal proportion of 150 × 225 cm. In that case, under Royal Decree 2964/1981, the coat of arms goes in the centre of the flag, and the calculator shows it that way.

Sources

This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Spanish:

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