Flag sizes in Mexico: the 4 to 7 proportion and standard sizes
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.
Mexican law does not set a size for the national flag, but it does set its proportion, the width of its stripes and the size of its coat of arms. From there, makers offer a range of standard sizes, from the desk flag to the monumental flags of the Ministry of National Defence. This guide brings together the rules and the usual sizes.
What the law sets
Article 3 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem sets three rules on size:
- Proportion: the proportion of width to length is four to seven. A flag 1.20 metres wide is 2.10 metres long.
- Stripes: the three vertical stripes, green, white and red, are of identical size, each a third of the length.
- Coat of arms: the national coat of arms sits in the centre of the white stripe, with a diameter of three quarters of the width of the stripe.
Flags intended for sale follow these features (article 33), and those of public buildings have the size appropriate to their use and dignity (article 17). For private persons, article 32 provides that the flag may be of any size. In Mexico, sizes are usually written as width × length: 0.90 × 1.58 metres means 90 centimetres wide, along the pole, and 1.58 metres long.
Standard sizes
The Mexican maker Banderas México offers these sizes, all close to the legal proportion:
| Use | Size (width × length) |
|---|---|
| Desk | 0.14 × 0.27 m |
| Pre-school | 0.60 × 1.05 m and 0.70 × 1.23 m |
| Colour guard, «regulation» | 0.90 × 1.58 m |
| Outdoor | 0.90 × 1.58 m; 1.20 × 2.10 m; 1.40 × 2.45 m; 1.50 × 2.60 m; 1.70 × 3.00 m; 2.00 × 3.50 m |
| Large outdoor | 2.50 × 4.20 m; 3.00 × 5.00 m; 4.00 × 7.00 m; 5.20 × 9.00 m; 6.00 × 10.00 m |
| Monumental | 7.00 × 12.00 m up to 17 × 30 m |
The 0.90 × 1.58 metre colour-guard flag is the size makers call the regulation flag: schools and institutions render honours with it. For corporate and monumental flags, the maker works to the size the customer requests.
Monumental flags
The 1999 decree on monumental flagpoles and flags considers flagpoles of at least 50 metres and flags of at least 25 by 14.3 metres to be monumental, again in the 4 to 7 proportion. According to information from the Ministry of National Defence to Forbes México, its clothing factory makes flags 25 metres long by 14 wide for poles of up to 50 metres, and also monumental flags 50 metres long by 28 wide. The workshop BHC México mentions monumental sizes from 11 × 20 metres to 29 × 50 metres.
Choosing a size
The law does not relate the size of the flag to the height of the pole. The only official reference is that of the monumental flags: a length equal to half the height of the pole. Makers also take into account the local wind and the strength of the pole; a very large flag on a short pole can touch obstacles or overload the structure. The flag size calculator shows the standard size closest to that reference for each height, and the guide to flagpole heights covers the relationship between pole, flag and wind.
Frequently asked questions
What is the proportion of the Mexican flag?
Four to seven. Article 3 of the Law on the National Arms, Flag and Anthem sets that proportion of width to length: a flag 4 units wide is 7 long, such as the 1.20 × 2.10 metre flag.
How big is the regulation flag?
The flag makers call the regulation flag, the colour-guard flag of schools and institutions, measures 0.90 × 1.58 metres, in the 4 to 7 proportion. The law does not set a single size: under article 32, a private person’s flag may be of any size.
How big is the coat of arms on the flag?
Under article 3 of the law, the national coat of arms sits in the centre of the white stripe, with a diameter of three quarters of the width of that stripe. The three vertical stripes are of identical size, so on a flag 2.10 metres long each stripe measures 70 centimetres and the arms 52.5 centimetres.
How big is a monumental flag?
Under the 1999 decree, at least 25 by 14.3 metres, on flagpoles of at least 50 metres. According to the Ministry of National Defence, its factory makes flags 25 metres long by 14 wide for poles of up to 50 metres, and also flags 50 metres long by 28 wide.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Spanish:
- Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno Nacionales (artículos 3, 17, 32 y 33) – 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
- Banderas monumentales de grandes dimensiones – BHC México
- Banderas todo el año: así es la fábrica del Ejército que las confecciona – Forbes México
Related guides
- Flag size calculatorFlag size calculator for Mexico: the standard size for the height of the flagpole, the width of the stripes and the diameter of the coat of arms under the law.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.