Buying a flag: price, size and quality

A Union Flag can cost very different amounts, even at the same size. The difference often shows only after some time in the wind: in how quickly the colours fade and how long the edges last. This guide does not list prices, as they vary between makers and retailers and change over time. Instead it explains what affects the price of a flag, what a correctly made Union Flag looks like and what rights apply when buying one.

What affects the price of a flag?

Flag price and size

Size is usually the biggest single factor in the price. The right size depends on the flagpole. As a guide, the Flag Institute gives a flag length of no more than one third of the height of a ground-level flagpole; a pole on top of a building may need a larger flag.

The flag size calculator works out the size for any height, and more tables are in the guide to flag sizes. A flag that is too large catches more wind and loads the pole more.

Fabric, sewing and printing

Most flags for outdoor use today are made of synthetic fabric. Between flags there are still differences in weight, weave and colourfastness. Some things that commonly affect both the price and how long a flag lasts:

• Sewn or printed: a sewn Union Flag is assembled from separate pieces of fabric for the crosses and background; on a printed flag, the colours are printed onto the fabric.
• Reinforced fly: the free end wears most in the wind and is reinforced with extra stitching on some flags.
• Colourfastness: colours that resist UV light fade more slowly.

A flag flown every day wears out faster than one flown only on special days, which affects how often a new flag is needed.

A correctly made Union Flag

It can help to know what a correct Union Flag looks like:

• Proportions: according to the Flag Institute, 3:5 is normal for use on land and 1:2 customary for ensigns at sea.
• Design: three crosses on royal blue, with the broader white diagonal uppermost at the hoist, nearest the pole.
• Colours: the Flag Institute recommends Pantone 280 C for blue and 186 C for red. As the flag has no basis in law, there are no legally defined colours.
• Royal flags: the Royal Standard is flown only while the royal person is on the premises and is not a flag for private use.

More about the design is in the guide to the Union Flag, and about other flags in the guide to flag types.

Planning rules for the flag

In England, the government’s plain English guide lists flags that can be flown from a flagpole without advertisement consent, including any country’s national flag and county flags. Company and club flags can be flown without consent subject to restrictions. Following Brexit, the EU flag is no longer on the list of flags that need no consent in England. More in the guide to flag flying rules.

Your rights when buying

• Cancellation: under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, for goods bought at a distance from a trader, such as online, the cancellation period generally ends 14 days after the goods come into the consumer’s physical possession. The right does not apply to goods made to the consumer’s specifications or clearly personalised, such as a flag with a custom logo.
• Faulty goods: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the short-term right to reject faulty goods generally lasts 30 days. A fault that appears within six months of delivery is taken to have been there on delivery, unless it is shown otherwise.

When the flag is worn out

According to the Flag Institute, national flags are never flown worn, damaged or soiled, and a tattered or faded flag is destroyed in a dignified way, for example by burning, tearing or cutting into strips that no longer resemble the original flag. Those who also need a new pole can find more in the guide to buying a flagpole.