Flag of Germany

Country

Flag of Germany uses horizontal tricolour. Ratio 3:5 and current adoption May 23, 1949.

Hoist Ratio 3:5 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Germany
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Federal Republic of Germany
Identifier	DE / DEU
Region	Western Europe

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	May 23, 1949
First Documented Use	1848
Proportion	3:5
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Black, Red, Gold
Construction	Horizontal tricolour
Common Name	Schwarz-Rot-Gold

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Black	#000000	0, 0, 0	0, 0, 0, 100
Red	#DD0000	221, 0, 0	0, 100, 100, 13
Gold	#FFCE00	255, 206, 0	0, 19, 100, 0

Design and Symbolism

Black	the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps.
Red	their red facings.
Gold	their brass buttons.
Origin	The colours of the volunteer corps who fought Napoleon, later the colours of German unity and democracy.

Proportions

Ratio	3:5
Hoist	3 units
Fly	5 units

About the Flag of Germany

Horizontal tricolour The recorded proportion is 3:5. Within this library it is grouped with horizontal tricolour designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Germany is Black (#000000), Red (#DD0000) and Gold (#FFCE00). 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

Origin: The colours of the volunteer corps who fought Napoleon, later the colours of German unity and democracy.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1848. The adoption field for the present record is May 23, 1949.

Additional flag context

The black, red and gold date to the 1848 revolutions and were revived in 1919 and again in 1949, each time as a deliberate statement of liberal and democratic continuity.

The colours are usually traced to the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps of 1813 — black coats with red facings and brass buttons.

East Germany used the same tricolour with a state emblem added in 1959; the plain version was West German and became the flag of the reunified country.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Horizontal tricolour, a 3:5 proportion and the visible origin. 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 — Germany — Specialist vexillological reference

Other horizontal tricolour flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Germany

Germany is recorded as horizontal tricolour.
The reference proportion for the flag of Germany is 3:5.
The stored palette for Germany contains Black, Red and Gold.
The adoption field for this country flag record is May 23, 1949.
The design record traces first use to 1848.
Its construction is grouped with the horizontal tricolour design family in this library.
Origin: The colours of the volunteer corps who fought Napoleon, later the colours of German unity and democracy.
The black, red and gold date to the 1848 revolutions and were revived in 1919 and again in 1949, each time as a deliberate statement of liberal and democratic continuity.
The colours are usually traced to the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps of 1813 — black coats with red facings and brass buttons.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Germany

What does the flag of Germany look like?

Horizontal tricolour, with a recorded proportion of 3:5.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Germany?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 3:5.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Germany?

The reference palette lists Black #000000, Red #DD0000 and Gold #FFCE00.

What do the symbols on the flag of Germany represent?

Origin — The colours of the volunteer corps who fought Napoleon, later the colours of German unity and democracy.

When was the present flag record for Germany adopted?

The adoption field in this record is May 23, 1949.

Which design family does the flag of Germany belong to?

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

Where can I verify information about the flag of Germany?

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.