Tartan Flags

In practice the terms overlap. A tartan flag is a rectangle of the sett itself, readable as a family pattern. A clan banner usually adds the crest, motto or name to the cloth, which makes it identifiable to people who would not recognise the tartan alone. Banners work better at gatherings for that reason.

More than for anything else, because a flag lives in direct sunlight. A printed flag fades on the sun facing side within a season and reads blank on the reverse. Woven tartan carries the sett through the cloth, so both faces show the pattern and there is far more colour to lose before it shows.

There is no rule against it and nobody will challenge you. Flying a clan banner with a crest is a different matter, since a crest badge does carry a specific meaning about clan allegiance. If you are unconnected to a clan, a district, regional or national tartan is the more natural choice.

Depends entirely on viewing distance. A flag for a garden pole or a house wall works at a smaller size than one meant to be found across a games field, where anything under a metre gets lost. Sizes are listed on each product page. When in doubt outdoors, take the larger option.

Check the fixings on the product page before ordering, since a flag for a pole needs eyelets along one edge and a flag for a wall is better with a sleeve or corner ties. Bring it in during heavy weather rather than leaving it out permanently, which is what shortens the life of any flag. For indoor display in the same sett, see tartan wall art.

Premium acrylic woven to the sett with reinforced edges. Acrylic holds colour under sunlight considerably better than natural fibres do outdoors, which is the main reason it is used for flags. Wash cool and hang to dry, and never bleach, which strips colour from the weave permanently. Societies marching together should also see tartan rosettes.