Flag types in France: pole flags, façade staffs, banners

The tricolour comes in several forms in France, depending on whether it is raised on a pole, fixed to a façade, carried at a ceremony or flown at sea. Beside the tricolour fly the European flag, regional flags, association flags and advertising flags. This guide presents the common types and how they are used.

By fixing

• Pole flag (pavillon): the flag is attached to the pole’s halyard with snap hooks, rings or eyelets and then raised. According to the flag maker Doublet, it can generally be raised to a height of up to 12 metres. This is the form used on free-standing poles in front of prefectures, war memorials and businesses, and in gardens.
• Flag on a staff: the flag is stapled or nailed to a rigid wooden staff that slides into a bracket or behind a façade shield. According to Doublet, the staffs of public buildings (town halls, schools) are often covered in blue and topped with a gilt point; gold fringes can edge the flag. This is the most common form on town halls and schools, often in a cluster with the European flag.
• Vertical banner (kakémono): a vertical flag hung from the arm of a pole. A pole with one arm holds it taut at the top, with a counterweight at the bottom; a pole with two arms keeps it taut at all times, even without wind.
• Feather and beach flags: long advertising flags or sails on a flexible pole, for shops and events.

Ceremonial flags

Ceremonial and parade flags are made of a finer and heavier fabric, often edged with gold fringes and sometimes embroidered. They are not designed to fly in the wind, but to be carried or displayed. The flags and standards of the armed forces, the flags of veterans’ associations and those of fire brigades are among them. Decree no. 89-655 of 13 September 1989 provides that the flags and standards of the armed forces go into mourning on the death of the President of the Republic.

For indoors, there are indoor flags on a varnished staff with a base, and small table flags for receptions and conferences.

The naval ensign

At sea, the tricolour is an ensign. According to a ministerial answer published in the Senate’s Official Journal in 2002, the navy has kept bands of different widths: blue 30%, white 33%, red 37% for the ensign, and 20%, 20% and 60% for the pennant, under a table from 1836 still in force. Seen from a distance, when the ensign flies, the three bands thus look equal. The flag size calculator shows the band widths for each size.

Regional and overseas flags

The Constitution knows only one national emblem, the tricolour. Many regional flags are nonetheless flown in France, such as the Breton flag (Gwenn-ha-Du) or the Corsican flag with the Moor’s head. According to the Ministry of the Interior’s guide, these regional or departmental emblems can have a place on public buildings at local cultural or folk events, provided this is temporary and the national flag always keeps the place of honour.

Some overseas collectivities have identity symbols recognised by their status. In New Caledonia, according to a 2011 Senate report, the Congress expressed the wish on 13 July 2010 that the tricolour and the FLNKS flag fly side by side, and the two flags had since flown on most public buildings in the territory.

By fabric

According to the flag maker Doublet, two polyester fabrics dominate for pole flags: a 110 g/m² knitted fabric, with an average outdoor lifespan of 3 to 6 months, and a 150 g/m² high-strength fabric (known as “spun marine”), designed for windy areas and the seaside, with an average lifespan of 6 to 15 months. More on this is in the guides on flag sizes and the price of a flag.