Flag of Belgium

Country

Flag of Belgium uses vertical tricolour. Ratio 13:15 and current adoption January 23, 1831.

Hoist Ratio 13:15 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Belgium
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Kingdom of Belgium
Identifier	BE / BEL
Region	Western Europe

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	January 23, 1831
First Documented Use	1831
Proportion	13:15
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Black, Yellow, Red
Construction	Vertical tricolour

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Black	#000000	0, 0, 0	0, 0, 0, 100
Yellow	#FAE042	250, 224, 66	0, 10, 74, 2
Red	#ED2939	237, 41, 57	0, 83, 76, 7

Design and Symbolism

Black	the shield of the Duchy of Brabant.
Yellow	the lion of Brabant.
Red	the lion’s claws and tongue.
Colours of Brabant	Taken from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant — a golden lion with red claws on a black field.
Unusual proportions	At 13:15, one of the few national flags that is nearly square.

Proportions

Ratio	13:15
Hoist	13 units
Fly	15 units

About the Flag of Belgium

Vertical tricolour The recorded proportion is 13:15. Within this library it is grouped with vertical tricolour designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Belgium is Black (#000000), Yellow (#FAE042) and Red (#ED2939). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Colours of Brabant: Taken from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant — a golden lion with red claws on a black field; Unusual proportions: At 13:15, one of the few national flags that is nearly square.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1831. The adoption field for the present record is January 23, 1831.

Additional flag context

The vertical arrangement was adopted deliberately in 1831 in imitation of the French tricolour, replacing an earlier horizontal version used during the revolution the year before.

The official 13:15 ratio is nearly square and is rarely manufactured; most Belgian flags sold and flown are 2:3.

The colours come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant — a gold lion with red claws and tongue on a black field.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Vertical tricolour, a 13:15 proportion and the visible colours of Brabant. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Belgium — Specialist vexillological reference

Other vertical tricolour flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Belgium

Belgium is recorded as vertical tricolour.
The reference proportion for the flag of Belgium is 13:15.
The stored palette for Belgium contains Black, Yellow and Red.
The adoption field for this country flag record is January 23, 1831.
The design record traces first use to 1831.
Its construction is grouped with the vertical tricolour design family in this library.
Colours of Brabant: Taken from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant — a golden lion with red claws on a black field.
Unusual proportions: At 13:15, one of the few national flags that is nearly square.
The vertical arrangement was adopted deliberately in 1831 in imitation of the French tricolour, replacing an earlier horizontal version used during the revolution the year before.
The official 13:15 ratio is nearly square and is rarely manufactured; most Belgian flags sold and flown are 2:3.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Belgium

What does the flag of Belgium look like?

Vertical tricolour, with a recorded proportion of 13:15.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Belgium?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 13:15.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Belgium?

The reference palette lists Black #000000, Yellow #FAE042 and Red #ED2939.

What do the symbols on the flag of Belgium represent?

Colours of Brabant — Taken from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant — a golden lion with red claws on a black field. Unusual proportions — At 13:15, one of the few national flags that is nearly square.

When was the present flag record for Belgium adopted?

The adoption field in this record is January 23, 1831.

Which design family does the flag of Belgium belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with vertical tricolour designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Belgium?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.