A crimson saltire on a square white field, recalling the Confederate Battle Flag without the stars.
The design
The Flag of Alabama is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 1:1, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses crimson, white, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Crimson | crimson | A nationally significant colour for this flag — see the symbolism section below for the country-specific meaning. |
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The crimson cross of St Andrew on white, mandated to be at least six inches wide along its arms when displayed at official scale.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Alabama — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1895. It is credited to John W. A. Sanford Jr.. Earlier banners flown by Flag of Alabama reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Alabama should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Flag of Alabama | — |
| Continent | North America | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1895 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 1:1 | height : length |
| Colours | crimson, white | — |
| Designer | John W. A. Sanford Jr. | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
Alabama and Mississippi are the only US states whose flag is officially square (1:1) by statute.
