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How to fly a German flag

Updated: 20 October 2026

You have the cloth, or it is on the way, and the fitting is two eyelets, four eyelets, or nothing you can tie to a mast. Learning how to fly a German flag on a UK pole starts with the stripe order, then the edge that meets the pole, then the wind that should bring it down. Listings were read on 19 October 2026. We did not hoist every flag. Prices stay on the [Germany flag comparison](/hub/flags/germany-flag). A purchase through a link there can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If you have not chosen the size yet, do that on the [German flag buying guide](/hub/flags/germany-flag/sub/germany-flag-buying-guide) before you clip anything on.

You have the cloth, or it is on the way, and the fitting is two eyelets, four eyelets, or nothing you can tie to a mast.

Our top picks

Runesol Runesol Germany flag 3x5 with 4 grommets

Best overall

Runesol Runesol Germany flag 3x5 with 4 grommets
5.0/10about £5.99
View offer
SHATCHI SHATCHI Germany flag 5 ft x 3 ft

Best value

SHATCHI SHATCHI Germany flag 5 ft x 3 ft
6.8/10about £3.69
View offer
1ABOVE 1ABOVE Germany national flag 5x3 ft

Rank 3

1ABOVE 1ABOVE Germany national flag 5x3 ft
7.5/10about £4.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Black on top, gold at the bottom
  2. 2.Fix the hoist, not the fly
  3. 3.Wind, rain, and night
  4. 4.The pole is a separate job
  5. 5.Before you clip it on

Black on top, gold at the bottom

On a horizontal flag, black is at the top, then red, then gold. The proportion is 3:5. Gold at the top means the flag is upside down, which is easy when the cloth arrives folded. Lay it flat and turn it if black is not the upper band. A pale print is not fixed by hanging the flag the wrong way up. A banner uses upright bands: black at the hoist, on the left as you look at it, then red, then gold. Rotating a horizontal print does not make that banner. A desk flag stays horizontal and never goes on a garden mast.

Fix the hoist, not the fly

The hoist is the edge with the eyelets, next to the pole. The fly is the free end. Clip the upper eyelet first. Four corner eyelets, as on Runesol, suit a wall or a fence. On a pole, tie the spare rings back. If only one eyelet arrived, do not cut a second hole. No garden flag here includes a mast. Hand sticks are the match-day case on the Germany flag for football page.
Runesol Runesol Germany flag 3x5 with 4 grommets

Testsieger

Runesol Runesol Germany flag 3x5 with 4 grommets
5.0/10about £5.99
View offer

Wind, rain, and night

Bring a light polyester flag down before a gale. Flag Consultancy uses about 31 mph. A knitted-polyester seller uses about 13 to 18 mph. Neither figure is a test of these flags. For a 50 g to 80 g print, follow the lower one. The plain SHATCHI is listed at 50 g. Dry a wet flag before you fold it, and do not dry-clean it. At night the usual protocol is sunrise to sunset unless the flag is lit. Do not climb a pole to free a rope.

The pole is a separate job

In England, one garden flagpole up to 4.6 m above ground does not need an application. A taller pole, a conservation area, a listed building, or a rented front can. A plain national flag is the no-consent class only if nothing extra is printed on it. If several nations fly together, use separate poles and the same size of flag. A halyard you cannot lower from the ground is an installer job.

Before you clip it on

Put black at the top, clip the hoist, and tie spare corner rings back. Take a light print down well before a gale, dry it before you fold it, and leave it down after dark unless it is lit. If the only way to free the rope is to climb, stop.

Common questions

Which stripe goes at the top?
Black goes at the top on a horizontal Germany flag, then red, then gold at the bottom. Gold at the top means the flag is upside down. Lay it flat and check before you clip the eyelets, because a folded 5x3 is easy to reverse. The proportion you are aiming at is 3:5. A print will not match a style-guide chip exactly, and turning the flag to chase a paler gold will not fix a weak print.
What changes if you hang it as a vertical banner?
A banner uses upright bands: black at the hoist on the left as you look at it, then red, then gold. That is a different arrangement from rotating a horizontal flag. If your cloth is printed in horizontal stripes, hanging it on its side does not make a correct banner. Check the print on the floor. A desk flag stays horizontal, black at the top, on its own stand.
How do two eyelets attach, and what are four eyelets for?
Two eyelets on the hoist clip to a halyard or a bracket, upper one first. Four eyelets, one in each corner, are for a wall, a fence, or a balcony. Runesol is the four-eyelet flag in this set. On a pole, tie the spare rings back so they do not hammer the cloth. If only one eyelet arrived, do not cut a second hole. That flag does not match a listing that promised grommets you can hang from.
When do you take it down?
Take a light printed flag down well before a gale. Flag Consultancy uses about 31 mph. A knitted-polyester seller uses about 13 to 18 mph. For a 50 g to 80 g amazon print, follow the lower figure. Dry the flag before you fold it, and do not dry-clean it. Also take it down if the fly has split or an eyelet has pulled out. A fade-resistant claim is not a reason to leave it up overnight in a storm.
How do you wash a polyester flag without wrecking it?
Wash only if the listing says you can. AZ FLAG allows 30°C and a delicate iron. 1ABOVE and Runesol say machine wash and do not state a temperature, so use a cool cycle if you wash them at all. The other flags here do not state a wash. Skip the dry-cleaner. Iron on a low heat, or press creases with a damp cloth, and only where heat is allowed. A hot iron can soften the print and the cloth together.

Related pages

Flagpole comparison

Germany flag

Best German flag: top pick and best value, with skips

German flag buying guide: size, cloth and planning

Germany flag football: a 5x3 on the wall or sticks

German flag with eagle: plain stripes or the shield

Sources

Public UK and official sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines used for this comparison.

  1. GOV.UK, Flying flags: a plain English guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Union Flag to be flown on UK government buildings every day (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. College of Arms, Union Flag FAQs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Flag Institute, Flying flags in the United Kingdom (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen (FlaggAnO 1996) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BMI, FAQ on the federal flag (retrieved 19 October 2026)