Eco friendly, standard and discontinued flag fabrics

UK Ministry of Defence certified woven polyester base 'stock' fabric ('ground' for stitched flags)

There is a limited choice of stock flag base fabric colours available in the manufacture of sewn flags. We source our MOD spec (Ministry of Defence specification) woven polyester in the UK and it is among the most durable and vibrant of woven flag fabrics available on the world market.The weight of this fabric is 155gsm.

We DO NOT source these fabrics from overseas, so you can be sure that these fabrics are color-run-resistant and fit for purpose.

The appearance and texture of the woven polyester is not dissimilar to linen - the range of blues below give a good representation of the texture of the fabric.

Please note that the Y02 'cream' listed on the chart is what we prefer to call 'buttermilk' as it is actually more yellow than the off-white cream linen we use as a substitute.

Flag fabric fire retardant certification for woven polyester Flag Studio

Exclusive colours

We also exclusively have a limited quantity of MOD spec woven polyester fabric colours as shown below.

Custom flag showing brown MOD spec woven polyester fabric by Flag Studio

Stitched client flag showing brown MOD spec woven polyester (limited quantity available, discontinued)

Pink MOD spec woven polyester fabric by Flag Studio

Sherbert pink MOD spec woven polyester (limited quantity available, discontinued)

Duck egg / sage green MOD spec woven polyester fabric (positioned next to pale grey fabric to show contrast) (limited quantity available, discontinued)

British Rail red MOD spec woven polyester fabric by Flag Studio

British Rail 'red' MOD spec woven polyester fabric produced for a special commission in the 1980s (limited quantity available, discontinued).

Linen substitute for the MOD spec woven polyester

More and more often we're being asked to make flags using natural fibres - whether from an ecological or aesthetic standpoint and we use a strong woven linen as a substitute for the MOD spec woven polyester. Linen has a fantastic drape and is perfect for adding detail or being used as a ground / back ground / base for a display flag or banner (internal use only recommended). We frequently use an ivory cream linen (see below) for vintage style flags which require an alternative to the bright optic white MOD spec woven polyester.

There are many colours to choose from, from creams through to darkest reds, blues, greens and greys. We're happy to supply samples of these and all fabrics before you decide on the format of your flag.

Linen fabric used in the manufacture of flags by Flag Studio

Knit polyester fabric (PRINTED FLAGS)

There are lots of varying quality of printed flags and fabrics available. We source our MOD spec (Ministry of Defence specification) fabric in the UK and ONLY print to quality knit polyester NOT economy (cheap) sheet nylon or thin short-life polyester. The fabric we use in all our printed flags is eco friendly and Oeko-Tex certified.

Polyester fabric certificate Flag Studio

We print your design to sublimation paper and then transfer the image at very high temperatures to fabric through a series of rollers on a calender press. The weight of this fabric is 117gsm.

Printed flags are usually single layer, print through with mirror image on the reverse and the show through on the back of the flag is usually at around 95% of the front of the flag. The fabric is lightweight and fairly transparent. Designs are clearly visible when the flag is flying.

If you require your flag to have two 'left to right' facing images or text, then we offer a bagging service, which involves printing two flags and sewing them back to back with a lightweight polycotton 'jam' layer between. We don't recommend this format for flags as the two layers tend to pillow out and put strain on the pole. A single layer print through with mirror image on reverse is the correct and standard format. For further information on this, please check in the footer of this website for the section on flag format.

Plain cotton (for applique element)

Cotton drill (clothing weight)

Cotton drill clothing quality used for gonfalon and display flags by Flag Studio

White cotton drill for stitched flags and banners at Flag Studio

Printed cotton drill fabric

Printed badges to applique to flags, cotton poplin by Flag Studio

Taffeta

To give depth and texture to coats of arms and gonfalon, we use taffeta (two tone and one colour) - available in rainbow of colours too lengthy to include here. We always try and source as close a colour as possible to your requirements as its not possible to print a specific pantone to order.

Satin

To give depth and texture to coats of arms and gonfalon, we use satin - available in rainbow of colours too lengthy to include here. We always try and source as close a colour as possible to your requirements as its not possible to print a specific pantone to order.