A flag starts to fray and the question is always the same: is this fixable, or is it time? Flag repair is most of what our sewing room does, so here is how we decide.
There is a straightforward test, and most people are surprised by the answer. A flag that looks finished is often repairable, and a flag that looks fine can be past saving. Here is how to tell, what repair actually involves, and what to do with a flag that is genuinely done.
The test
First, what these thresholds cover
Everything in this section is about nylon United States flags. That is what comes through the shop most, and it is the only material and pattern these numbers were worked out against. A cotton flag, a hand-finished applique or embroidered flag, a state or agency flag carrying a seal, or another country’s flag is a different conversation and we judge those one at a time. Send a photo and we will tell you.
The fold test for flag repair
The fast check needs no tape measure. Fold the flag in half, bringing the fly edge back to meet the hoist edge, and look at the star field. If the folded stripes still reach past the far edge of the star field, there is enough sound fabric to cut back to and flag repair is worth doing. If the stripes stop short of that edge, the flag is done.
That works at any size, because it is a proportion rather than a measurement. The flag checks itself.
The measurement
Look at the stripes and look at the star field.
If the flag is otherwise intact, and the untattered stripes are still longer than or equal to the length of the star field, it can be fully repaired.
That is the line. A flag frays from the fly end inward, so repair means cutting back the damaged fly end and re-hemming it. The flag comes back shorter and correctly proportioned enough to keep flying. Once the good fabric is shorter than the union, there is nothing left to cut back to.
Where that line comes from
We did not invent it, and it is not in the Flag Code. Three sources set it between them.
The Flag Code says when, not how. Section 8(k) of Title 4 says a flag that is no longer a fitting emblem for display should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. It gives no dimensions and no test, and it carries no penalty. The Code is etiquette, not enforcement.
Repair itself is explicitly allowed. The American Legion is plain about it: there are no provisions of the Flag Code which prohibit the sewing or repairing of the flag. Flag repair itself is not the problem.
Cutting is where the limit comes from. The Legion adds the caveat that matters here, that if material is removed during repairs the flag may no longer conform to the size proportions specified in Executive Order 10834. That order, signed August 21, 1959, fixes the official proportions.
Take the hoist as 1.0 and the flag is 1.9 long, with a union 0.5385 tall and 0.76 long.
So on a flag in good order the stripe field runs 1.14 against a union of 0.76, a ratio of one and a half to one. Trim the fly until those two are equal and the flag has lost a fifth of its length. That is the last point at which it still reads as a United States flag instead of a square.
The fold test and the measurement are the same threshold, which is the part we find satisfying. Folding in half fails at exactly the length where the ratio reaches one to one. Use whichever one you have hands for.
Two things that end a flag regardless
Sun rot. The fabric has gone chalky and tears under light finger pressure.
Damage in the union itself. Neither can be hemmed away.
What flag repair actually involves
People picture a patch. Flag repair is closer to tailoring. The common repairs we do:
- Fly end cutting and hemming. The damaged end is cut back square and re-hemmed with lock stitching. This is the workhorse repair.
- Fly end reinforcement. Additional rows of stitching added at the fly end to slow the next round of fraying.
- Corner reinforcement. Extra fabric and stitching at the fly end corners, which take the worst of the whipping motion.
- Re-heading. A new header, grommets, or a roped heading with thimbles when the attachment has pulled or torn away.
- Pole hem conversion. Adding or replacing a sleeve when a flag needs to move from a halyard to an indoor or parade pole.
- Patching. Localized damage, including tears from a non-tangle rod or a bracket.
- Seal transfer. On a flag that carries an appliqued seal, a state flag, an agency flag, an organizational flag, the seal is usually the most valuable part of the flag and the last part to fail. A sound seal can be lifted off a worn field and set onto a new one. This one does not apply to US flags, which carry no seal.
See the full list on our Repair & Disposal page. If the terminology in that list is unfamiliar, our post on the anatomy of a flag defines every part.
When repair makes sense, and when it does not
Flag repair usually worth doing
Large flags, sewn flags, custom flags, and anything with meaning attached to it. A 20 FT x 38 FT flag or a hand-finished appliqué flag represents real work, and re-hemming it is a fraction of replacing it.
Usually not worth repairing
Small stock flags, or a flag that is one of a set that is aging together. If your 3 FT x 5 FT nylon flag has been flying for two years in an exposed spot, it has done its job.
Size is the other half of the flag repair decision
Our working line is 8 FT x 12 FT. At that size and above, flag repair is almost always the sensible call on a flag that passes the test. Below it, a stock nylon flag that has already given you its service life is usually better replaced than repaired.
That is a guideline about size and not a quote. Tell us the dimensions and what has gone wrong and we will tell you which way it goes.
Fix the cause first
The honest signal: if the flag is going to fray again in three months because the underlying problem is the installation, repair the installation first. A flag brushing a gutter or a tree limb will keep destroying itself. We cover the causes in how long a flag lasts.
Retiring a flag with dignity
Section 8(k) of the US Flag Code is the source of the retirement tradition: when a flag is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Two things worth being precise about.
“Preferably” is the operative word
Burning is the preferred and traditional method, not a legal requirement. Nothing in the Code makes any other dignified method improper.
The Code was written for cotton
When Congress codified this in 1942, nearly every American flag was cotton. Most are now nylon or polyester. Burning synthetic fabric produces toxic fumes, and the American Legion itself warns about this and steers people toward controlled disposal rather than an open fire.
A dignified burning ceremony is appropriate for a 100 percent cotton flag. For a nylon or polyester flag, it is not.
Three ways to retire a synthetic flag
Bring it to a VFW or American Legion post
Most posts collect worn flags year-round and conduct formal retirement ceremonies, traditionally on Flag Day. Find a VFW post or an American Legion post near you.
Bring it to us
We accept flags for dignified disposal at our shop in Alexandria. Details on the Repair & Disposal page.
Retire a cotton flag at home, properly
If the flag is 100 percent cotton and you want to do it yourself, do it in a solemn setting with a fire large enough to burn it completely, fold the flag first, and bury the ashes. It should feel like a ceremony, because it is one.
One thing we would steer you away from: burying a synthetic flag. Nylon and polyester do not biodegrade, and the American Legion discourages it for that reason.
Casket flags and memorial flags
A common question, and a common myth. A burial flag is not retired by having covered a casket. The American Legion addresses this directly: it may be displayed afterward for any proper purpose.
Most burial flags are cotton, which means they are not built for outdoor weather. The usual and best home for one is a display case. Veterans’ families can apply for a burial flag through the VA using Form 27-2008, at no cost.
What to do this week
- Look at your flag in daylight. Find the fly end and check it against the star field.
- If it passes, decide whether repair or replacement is the better use of your money.
- If it fails, take it to a post or bring it to us. Do not put it in the trash, and do not burn a synthetic flag.
- Fix whatever caused the wear before you hang the next one.
Common questions
Related reading
Sources
- 4 U.S.C. 8(k), Respect for the flag · Office of the Law Revision Counsel · uscode.house.gov
- Executive Order 10834, Flag of the United States, proportions table, 24 F.R. 6865, August 21, 1959 · crwflags.com
- U.S. Flag Myths, FAQs & Terminology, on repair and on removed material breaking EO 10834 proportions · The American Legion · legion.org
- 4 U.S.C. § 8, Respect for the flag · Office of the Law Revision Counsel · uscode.house.gov
- Unserviceable Flags Ceremony · The American Legion · legion.org
- U.S. Flag Myths, FAQs & Terminology · The American Legion · legion.org
- Burial Flags to Honor Veterans and Reservists · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs · va.gov
- Find a VFW Post · Veterans of Foreign Wars · vfw.org
- Find an American Legion Post · The American Legion · mylegion.org
