How do I choose the correct size American Flag for my flagpole?

Philip Kauppinen

March 28, 2023

The age old question every flag
flyer has is:

What is the correct size American flag for my flagpole?

In order to figure this out the
first thing you need to consider is the length/height of your flagpole.

If you have a 6′ flagpole mounted to
your home or building at ground level, a 3’x5′
American flag is the perfect
size. This is typical and suggested for most homes or businesses who have a
flagpole mounted at ground level to the side of the structure.

If you have an inground flagpole of 20′
or taller there are a few steps to take.

If
there is an American flag currently flying on the flagpole it may be the
correct size. You can simply measure the flag and get the same size
American Flag. If there is not a flag on the pole or you are unsure about
the current flag being the correct size, then move to step 2.
How
tall is the flagpole? If you don’t know exactly make your best guess by
comparing it to the surrounding buildings or even trees. Once you have an
idea of the height of your flagpole then you can use this formula (or the
chart below) to get the proper size flag. When flying 1 flag on a
single flagpole the length of the flag should be at least one quarter the
height of the pole. For example, a 40-foot pole requires a minimum 6’x10′ American
flag with the maximum size being 8’x12′.

What if I want to fly 2 flags on the same flagpole?

In many cases your
flagpole may be equipped to fly 2 flags.
The danger here is flying flags that are too big which puts a lot of stress on
the flagpole and hardware which could lead to damage.

First you need to know the maximum size flag your flagpole
can fly and then determine the square feet of that size flag. For example, if
your flagpole can fly a maximum size flag of 5’x8’ then multiply 5 times 8 to
get 40 square feet. The maximum square feet of the 2 flags combined should not
exceed 40 square feet. So, in our example, the suggested flag sizes would be 4’x6’
(24 square feet) for the American Flag and 3’x5’ (15 square feet) for the second
flag giving us a total of 39 square feet of flag on the flag pole.

Flagpole Height-	-Suggested Flag Size
6′ mounted pole	3’x5′
15′	3’x5′
20′	3’x5′ or 4’x6′
25′	4’x6′
30′	5’x8′
35′	6’x10′
40′	8’x12′
45′	8’x12′
50′	10’x15′
60′	12’x18′
70′	15’x25′
80′	20’x30′