Flag sizes in Spain: proportion and official types

The dimensions of the flag of Spain are better regulated than in many other countries. The Constitution sets the stripes, a royal decree the proportion and the position of the coat of arms, and the Flag Regulation of 1977 sets five official sizes and which size a public building flies according to its height. For a private flagpole, on the other hand, there is no rule, and makers publish their own tables. This guide covers both.

Width, length and proportion

For flags, Spanish uses anchura or caída (the vertical measurement, next to the pole, known in English as the hoist) and longitud or vuelo (the horizontal one, the fly). The vaina is the fabric sleeve that goes around the staff or the halyard.

Under article 3 of Royal Decree 2964/1981, the normal proportion of the flag of Spain is a length equal to three halves of the width, that is, 2:3. The Flag Regulation repeats that ratio. A flag with a 100 cm hoist is thus 150 cm long.

The stripes

Article 4.1 of the Constitution sets three horizontal stripes, red, yellow and red, with the yellow stripe twice as wide as each red one. Each red stripe therefore takes up a quarter of the width, and the yellow one half. On a 100 × 150 cm flag, the stripes are 25, 50 and 25 cm.

The colours are defined in the CIELAB system by Royal Decree 441/1981: flag red and flag weld yellow (amarillo gualda), with a tolerance of five CIELAB units.

The coat of arms

Under the same article 3 of Royal Decree 2964/1981, the coat of arms of Spain is two fifths of the width of the flag high and appears on both sides, in the centre of the yellow stripe. With the normal proportion, the centre line of the coat of arms is placed at a distance of half the width of the flag from the sleeve. If the length is shorter than normal or the flag is square, the coat of arms goes in the centre.

On a 100 × 150 cm flag, the coat of arms is 40 cm high and its centre line is 50 cm from the sleeve.

The five official types

Rule 20 of the Flag Regulation (Royal Decree 1511/1977) sets these types for flags whose dimensions are not otherwise specified:

For the Navy, Ministerial Order 57/1989 sets slightly different sizes, which the regulation itself includes, with a type 3 of 2370 × 1580 mm.

Size by building

The same rule sets which type military buildings and buildings in the service of the State fly, in proportion to the height of the building:

Military buildings also have a type 4 flag for days of bad weather. In establishments where the flag is raised on a flagpole fixed to the ground, type 3 is used, and the poles, masts and gaffs are of wood in a light walnut colour or metal painted white, with a height in proportion to the flag.

Size by flagpole

For a private or business flagpole there is no rule. Makers apply a general rule: according to ClickBanderas, the flag does not exceed the top third of the flagpole, and its reference table, for moderate wind and 115 g/m² polyester, is this:

In windy areas, the same maker indicates a smaller flag relative to the flagpole. La Tienda de las Banderas gives similar ranges: from 100 × 150 to 150 × 225 cm for a 6-metre flagpole and from 200 × 300 to 300 × 450 cm for flagpoles of 8 to 12 metres. The flag size calculator applies the ClickBanderas table and works out the stripes and the coat of arms for that size.

Balconies and indoors

For balconies, according to La Tienda de las Banderas, the most common sizes are 70 × 100 and 100 × 150 cm, depending on the width of the railing, the height above the street and exposure to wind. Indoor and office flags are usually smaller. The guide to flag types describes the different formats.