FORTISVEX Texas State Flag 12x18 Feet Polyester - Made in USA Lone Star Flag with Rope and Thimbles

A 12x18 foot flag is a major installation. Two hundred and sixteen square feet is the size flown at large civic sites, memorial grounds and highway locations where the flag is meant to be seen from a long way off.

This is the Texas state flag at 12x18 Feet in polyester, made in the United States, finished with rope and thimbles.

Built to the Texas flag specification

The Texas flag is set out in Texas Government Code Chapter 3100, at a two to three proportion, with the statute giving precise star geometry. It is a blue vertical hoist stripe one third the length carrying a white five-pointed star, with white over red horizontal stripes.

This was the 1839 national flag of the Republic of Texas, drawn by Peter Krag and approved by President Lamar 25 January 1839; it became the state flag at annexation in 1845 and was re-adopted 31 August 1933 after a period with no active flag statute.

We reproduce it to that specification rather than to an approximation of it. If you are going to fly a state’s colors, they should be the state’s colors.

What is on it and what it means

The lone star stands for Texas unity, one for God, State and Country. Chapter 3100 assigns the colors directly: blue is loyalty, white is purity, red is bravery.

What most listings get wrong

For most of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Texas had no flag statute in force. The 1933 act put the Lone Star Flag back into law.

With Hawaii, it is one of only two state flags that previously served as the flag of a sovereign nation.

The fly end is where every flag fails

Six rows of lock stitching on the fly end and zig zag stitched corners. Everything about the construction at this size exists to manage a load that would destroy a house flag in an afternoon.

Lock stitching means each stitch is knotted into the next, so a broken thread stops where it broke. A chain stitch, which is faster and cheaper to sew, unzips along the whole seam from one break. Row count is the other half of it: 6 rows does not mean 6 times the strength, it means 5 backups.

The part that takes all the load

A nylon rope sewn the full length of the heading with two plated steel thimbles, spreading the load across the entire hoist.

Two-ply polyester, for the hard sites

Two-ply spun polyester is the heavy cloth. It is the choice for open, exposed, consistently windy sites and for coastal installations, because it takes sustained punishment better than nylon does. The trade off is honest: it is heavier, so it needs more wind to fly properly, and it costs more. On a sheltered suburban flagpole nylon will look better more of the time. On a ridge, a coastline or an open commercial lot, polyester lasts longer.

A design that reproduces cleanly

Three colors and one star. It is among the cheapest state flags to build properly and among the longest lived, because there is no fine detail to fail.

For what it is worth, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed 72 state, provincial and territorial flags in 2001 and rated them from zero to ten. The Texas flag placed 2, at 8.13 out of 10.

Will it fit my flagpole?

It suits an in-ground flagpole of sixty to eighty feet with hardware rated accordingly.

This size is a commitment

A flag this large is a scheduled maintenance item rather than something you put up and forget. It wants a rotation, it wants the hardware checked, and it wants taking down in severe weather. Flown properly it lasts. Flown carelessly it does not last a season.

Specifications

• Size: 12x18 Feet
• Area: 216 square feet
• Material: 100 percent two-ply spun polyester
• Fly end: 6 rows of lock stitching
• Heading: heavy duty white, reinforced, 2 inch
• Finish: Rope and Thimbles
• Ink: UV resistant, field tested
• Made in the United States by FORTISVEX

Which size do I need?

The rule behind both tables below is that a flag’s length should run about a quarter to a third of the flagpole’s height. Where two sizes both fit, the smaller one flies more often and lasts longer, and the larger one reads from further away.

If you know your flagpole height, start here.

• 6 Feet house bracket: 2x3 Feet or 3x5 Feet
• 15 to 20 Feet flagpole: 3x5 Feet or 4x6 Feet
• 20 to 25 Feet flagpole: 4x6 Feet or 5x8 Feet
• 25 to 35 Feet flagpole: 5x8 Feet or 6x10 Feet
• 35 to 45 Feet flagpole: 6x10 Feet or 8x12 Feet
• 45 to 60 Feet flagpole: 8x12 Feet or 10x15 Feet
• 60 to 80 Feet flagpole: 10x15 Feet or 12x18 Feet
• 80 Feet and above: 15x25 Feet and larger, engineered to the flagpole

If you know your flag size, start here.

• 2x3 Feet: 4 to 8 Feet bracket or garden flagpole
• 3x5 Feet: 6 Feet bracket, or 15 to 20 Feet in-ground flagpole
• 4x6 Feet: 18 to 25 Feet in-ground flagpole
• 5x8 Feet: 25 to 35 Feet flagpole
• 6x10 Feet: 30 to 40 Feet flagpole
• 8x12 Feet: 40 to 50 Feet flagpole
• 10x15 Feet: 50 to 60 Feet flagpole
• 12x18 Feet: 60 to 80 Feet flagpole
• 15x25 Feet: 80 Feet and above
• 20x30 Feet, 20x38 Feet, 30x50 Feet, 30x60 Feet and 50x80 Feet are available to order

We carry the full range whether or not every size appears on this website. If the size you need is not listed, we can still supply it.

About the back of the flag

A printed flag reads correctly from the front and reversed from the back. That is normal and it is true of almost every flag flown in the country. A flag that reads correctly from both sides is a double sided flag, built as two flags sewn together with a liner between them, and it costs roughly twice as much and weighs roughly twice as much. Unless the statute for a particular state requires it, single sided is the standard and the right choice.

Flying it with the United States flag

The United States Flag Code, Title 4, Section 7, governs this. No other flag goes above the United States flag, or to its right when on the same level, which is the viewer’s left. On two flagpoles of the same height the United States flag takes the viewer’s left and both flags should be the same size. If the flagpoles differ in height, the United States flag goes on the taller one. On a single flagpole carrying two flags the United States flag goes at the top. The Flag Code is advisory for civilians and carries no penalty, but it is the standard every institution follows.

Buy two and they both last longer

Fly one for a month, then swap. Two flags rotated monthly will outlast three flags flown to destruction, because cloth recovers when it rests and the fly end stops taking the same abuse in the same place. Take it down in severe weather; a flag left up through a real windstorm can take more damage in one night than in six normal months. And watch the fly end rather than the middle, because a few minutes with a needle when the fraying starts buys another season.

For cities, counties, schools and agencies

We supply state flags to municipalities, school districts, fire and police departments, courthouses and state agencies. Tax exempt accounts are handled through the tax exempt page. For quantities, replacement schedules or sizes not listed, use the contact page.

Why buy it from us

We are a small American company and we stock what we sell. Every flag here is made in the United States, printed in UV resistant ink, and finished to the construction described above rather than to a price point. We would rather sell you one flag that lasts than three that do not. Free shipping on orders over twenty five dollars.