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How to hang a flag with eyelets

Updated: 20 October 2026

You already have an East Germany flag with eyelets, cords or rings, and the easy mistakes are flying it upside down, letting the halyard run away, or leaving light polyester up in a strong wind. How to hang a flag with eyelets starts with the hoist edge and the black stripe, then the knot, then the moment you take it down. The [DDR flag comparison](/hub/flags/ddr-flag) is where the formats and prices sit. This page is the hanging, not a ranking. Products Compared used the listings in that set and public UK hoisting notes, updated 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase through an amazon.co.uk link can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have an East Germany flag with eyelets, cords or rings, and the easy mistakes are flying it upside down, letting the halyard run away, or leaving light polyester up in a strong wind.

Our top picks

The Flag Company The Flag Company East Germany flag 5 ft by 3 ft

Best overall

The Flag Company The Flag Company East Germany flag 5 ft by 3 ft
9.4/10about £8.85
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AZ FLAG AZ FLAG East Germany flag 45 cm by 30 cm

Best value

AZ FLAG AZ FLAG East Germany flag 45 cm by 30 cm
8.6/10about £6.84
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AZ FLAG AZ FLAG East Germany boat flag 45 cm by 30 cm

Alternative

AZ FLAG AZ FLAG East Germany boat flag 45 cm by 30 cm
8.2/10about £5.81
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On this page
  1. 1.Find the hoist and the top
  2. 2.Tie the eyelets and hoist
  3. 3.Cords, rings, and a table base are different jobs
  4. 4.Wind, wash, and when to stop

Find the hoist and the top

The hoist is the edge that meets the pole. On the large flags in this set that edge has the eyelets or the brass grommets: the Flag Company and Flagtex 5 ft flags, the AZ FLAG 90 cm flag, and each flag in the two-pack. The fly is the free end. If you tie the plain edge and leave the eyelets flapping, the flag will not sit square. Black goes at the top, then red, then gold at the bottom. Gold at the top means the flag is upside down. In ordinary flag practice an inverted flag is treated as a distress signal. That is a custom of the craft, not a sentence in a UK statute. Once black is at the top, the hammer, compass and grain wreath should read the right way up. Which cloth you should have bought, if the sheet feels too light, is on the East Germany flag buying guide.

Tie the eyelets and hoist

Flag Consultancy’s eyelet sheet is the plain version: pass the rope through the eyelet and tie it, hoist, and secure the spare rope on the cleat. Do not fly the flag in a storm or a gale. Knot the halyard to the top eyelet and to the bottom eyelet, hoist while holding both ends, and finish with a figure of eight on the cleat. If you let go of the free end halfway up, the rope can run through the pulley. The Flag Company sheet is listed at 150 g and the Flagtex sheet at 99.8 g, so you are not hauling a heavy sewn flag, and you still want a real cleat. If the pole has Inglefield clips, use those fittings and still keep black at the top. The large flag on the best East Germany flag page does not include the pole.
The Flag Company The Flag Company East Germany flag 5 ft by 3 ft

Testsieger

The Flag Company The Flag Company East Germany flag 5 ft by 3 ft
9.4/10about £8.85
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Cords, rings, and a table base are different jobs

The 45 cm by 30 cm AZ FLAG banner at about £6.84 has two cords, and the mounting type is rope mount. Tie those cords to a short stick or a light hook. They are not brass eyelets on a house halyard, and the cloth is about 15 g. The mesh boat flag at about £5.81 has two plastic rings and is described for a boat or a garden. It is not the courtesy flag for Germany today. That flag is the plain tricolour. The East Germany flag size page separates that banner, the boat flag and a 5 ft sheet. Leave the halyard method for the flags that have eyelets.

Wind, wash, and when to stop

Lower a normal flag around Beaufort force 6. Flag Consultancy puts that at about 30 mph, and says to remove flags above about force 8, about 45 mph. A 100D flag stated for light wind reaches that limit sooner than a heavier knitted flag. If the sheet is cracking like a whip, or the pole is bending, bring it in. Wash only as the label says. AZ FLAG’s care line in this set is 30 degrees C. The Flag Company and Flagtex large flags do not state a care line in the display fields, so follow the label in the parcel. Put the flag away dry. Stop when the pole is tall, hinged, or fixed to a building, when the halyard is jammed at the top, or when a shop front may need planning consent.

Common questions

Which stripe goes at the top?
Black at the top, red in the middle, gold at the bottom. Gold at the top means the flag is upside down. Flag practice treats an inverted flag as a distress signal. That is not a UK criminal statute about this design. It is still the wrong way up.
How do you tie two eyelets?
Pass the halyard through the top eyelet and tie it, then through the bottom eyelet and tie it. Hoist while you hold both ends of the rope, and finish with a figure of eight on the cleat. Keep hold of the free end so the rope cannot run through the pulley.
What if you only have cords?
The 45 cm AZ FLAG banner is made that way. Tie the two cords to a short stick or a light hook. They are not a substitute for brass eyelets on a full-size halyard. A table flag has a base instead of cords. Use the fixing that was supplied.
Can you wash it, and at what temperature?
Where AZ FLAG states a care line in this set, it is 30 degrees C. Follow that label. Do not raise the temperature because a different maker’s cloth allows 40 degrees C. If the large Flag Company or Flagtex parcel has no label, wash cool and dry the flag fully before you store it.
When should you stop and get help with the pole?
Stop when the pole is tall, hinged or mounted on a building, when the halyard is stuck at the truck, or when you would need a ladder in a wind that is already rising. A shop front can also be a planning question in England. A garden pole you can reach, with a free halyard and a cleat, is the job these steps are for.

Related pages

Flagpole

DDR flag

The best East Germany flag to fly from a wall or pole

East Germany flag buying guide: cloth and the fixing

East Germany flag size: a desk, wall or a 5 ft pole

East Germany flag vs Germany flag: check the emblem

Sources

Public sources for this comparison, checked on 19 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK flying flags guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Class H, advertisements regulations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Public Order Act 1986, section 4A (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Bundestag, flag of Germany (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Deutschland.de, the German flag (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Royal Museums Greenwich, GDR flag (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Flagmakers, flag fabric (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. The Flag Shop, East Germany flag (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  9. Flying Colours, East Germany state flag (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  10. Flag Consultancy, flag flying procedures (retrieved 19 October 2026)