Flag of Netherlands

Country

Flag of Netherlands uses horizontal tricolour. Ratio 2:3 and current adoption February 19, 1937.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Netherlands
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Identifier	NL / NLD
Region	Western Europe

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	February 19, 1937
First Documented Use	1572
Proportion	2:3
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Red, White, Blue
Construction	Horizontal tricolour
Common Name	De Driekleur

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Red	#AE1C28	174, 28, 40	0, 84, 77, 32
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Blue	#21468B	33, 70, 139	76, 50, 0, 45

Design and Symbolism

Red	originally orange, for William of Orange.
White	the middle band.
Blue	the lower band.
Prinsenvlag	The original flag was orange, white and blue; the orange faded and was replaced by red, formally fixed in 1937.
Oldest tricolour	Generally regarded as the oldest tricolour still in national use.

Proportions

Ratio	2:3
Hoist	2 units
Fly	3 units

About the Flag of Netherlands

Horizontal tricolour The recorded proportion is 2:3. Within this library it is grouped with horizontal tricolour designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Netherlands is Red (#AE1C28), White (#FFFFFF) and Blue (#21468B). 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

Prinsenvlag: The original flag was orange, white and blue; the orange faded and was replaced by red, formally fixed in 1937; Oldest tricolour: Generally regarded as the oldest tricolour still in national use.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1572. The adoption field for the present record is February 19, 1937.

Additional flag context

The original Prinsenvlag of the 1570s was orange, white and blue. Orange gradually gave way to red during the seventeenth century, probably because the dye faded and red was more stable.

A royal decree of 1937 formally settled the question in favour of red, ending centuries of ambiguity.

An orange pennant is flown above the flag on royal birthdays, which is the surviving trace of the original colour.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Horizontal tricolour, a 2:3 proportion and the visible prinsenvlag. 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 — Netherlands — Specialist vexillological reference

Other horizontal tricolour flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Netherlands

Netherlands is recorded as horizontal tricolour.
The reference proportion for the flag of Netherlands is 2:3.
The stored palette for Netherlands contains Red, White and Blue.
The adoption field for this country flag record is February 19, 1937.
The design record traces first use to 1572.
Its construction is grouped with the horizontal tricolour design family in this library.
Prinsenvlag: The original flag was orange, white and blue; the orange faded and was replaced by red, formally fixed in 1937.
Oldest tricolour: Generally regarded as the oldest tricolour still in national use.
The original Prinsenvlag of the 1570s was orange, white and blue. Orange gradually gave way to red during the seventeenth century, probably because the dye faded and red was more stable.
A royal decree of 1937 formally settled the question in favour of red, ending centuries of ambiguity.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Netherlands

What does the flag of Netherlands look like?

Horizontal tricolour, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Netherlands?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Netherlands?

The reference palette lists Red #AE1C28, White #FFFFFF and Blue #21468B.

What do the symbols on the flag of Netherlands represent?

Prinsenvlag — The original flag was orange, white and blue; the orange faded and was replaced by red, formally fixed in 1937. Oldest tricolour — Generally regarded as the oldest tricolour still in national use.

When was the present flag record for Netherlands adopted?

The adoption field in this record is February 19, 1937.

Which design family does the flag of Netherlands 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 Netherlands?

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.