Flag size calculator for Mexico: size, stripes and coat of arms
Published Written by Flagpole Guides
This page is an English translation of the Spanish original. Where the two versions differ, the Spanish text is the original.
Which flag goes with an 8 metre flagpole? How wide is each stripe, and what diameter does the coat of arms have? The calculator answers from the height of the pole, using the official reference of the monumental flags, the standard sizes of a Mexican maker and the rules of article 3 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem.
Calculator
How it works
The calculator shows three figures:
- Nearest standard size: the outdoor size in the catalogue of the maker Banderas México whose length is closest to half the height of the pole. Between two sizes equally close, it shows the smaller one. Below it is the width that length would have at the legal proportion of 4 to 7, as some commercial sizes depart slightly from it.
- Vertical stripes: the length of the flag divided by three, because under article 3 the green, white and red stripes are of identical size.
- National coat of arms: three quarters of the width of the white stripe, in its centre, as the same article provides.
The half-the-pole reference
Mexico has no official table relating the flag to the height of a private flagpole. The only official relationship is in the decree published on 1 July 1999 on monumental flagpoles and flags: according to its recitals, monumental flagpoles are at least 50 metres high and their flags at least 25 by 14.3 metres, a length equal to half the height. The calculator applies that proportion to flagpoles of 5 to 40 metres.
Applied to small flagpoles, that proportion gives large flags, like those seen at public buildings and squares. A maker may suggest a smaller flag depending on the local wind, the strength of the pole and the use; the guide to flagpole heights covers those factors.
Examples
| Height of the pole | Reference length | Nearest standard size | Each stripe | Coat of arms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 m | 3 m | 1.70 × 3.00 m | 1.00 m | 75 cm |
| 8 m | 4 m | 2.50 × 4.20 m | 1.40 m | 1.05 m |
| 10 m | 5 m | 3.00 × 5.00 m | 1.67 m | 1.25 m |
| 20 m | 10 m | 6.00 × 10.00 m | 3.33 m | 2.50 m |
The colour-guard flag
The colour-guard flag, with which schools and institutions render honours, does not depend on a fixed pole: makers offer it in the regulation size of 0.90 × 1.58 metres, with a hand-held staff of about 2.20 metres. On it, each stripe measures about 53 centimetres and the coat of arms about 40. The guide to flag sizes brings together all the sizes, and the guide to flag types explains their uses.
Frequently asked questions
What size of flag goes with a 6 metre flagpole?
The law does not set it. With the reference of the monumental flags, a length equal to half the pole, a 6 metre flagpole corresponds to a length of 3 metres, and the nearest standard size from the maker Banderas México is 1.70 × 3.00 metres. The local wind and the strength of the pole can call for a smaller flag.
Where does the half-the-pole reference come from?
From the 1999 decree on monumental flagpoles and flags: according to its recitals, monumental flagpoles are at least 50 metres high and their flags at least 25 by 14.3 metres, a length equal to half the height. It is the only official relationship between pole and flag in Mexico.
How is the size of the coat of arms calculated?
Under article 3 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem, the three stripes are of identical size and the coat of arms has a diameter of three quarters of the width of the white stripe. On a flag 4.20 metres long, each stripe measures 1.40 metres and the arms 1.05 metres.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Spanish:
- Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno Nacionales (artículo 3) – Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión
- Decreto por el que se establece que la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional será responsable del programa de astas banderas y banderas monumentales – Diario Oficial de la Federación
- Banderas, bases, astas y nichos – Banderas México
Related guides
- Flag sizesThe sizes of Mexico’s national flag: the 4 to 7 proportion, stripes and arms under the law, the colour-guard flag, outdoor and monumental sizes.
- Flagpole heightsThe height of a flagpole in Mexico: usual sizes, monumental poles of 50 to 125 metres, the relationship with the flag, foundations and wind by region.
- Flag typesThe types of flags in Mexico: the national flag, the colour-guard flag, monumental flags, state flags such as Jalisco’s and Colima’s, and other insignia.
- Price of a flagWhat determines the price of a Mexican flag: size, fabric, printed, embroidered or painted arms, finishing, the rules on sale and consumer rights.