FAQs

FAQ – Flagpoles and Flags

Let us answer the commonly asked questions regarding flagpoles, their installation and maintenance. Get in touch with us today if you need additional information or advice.

The price of a flagpole depends on many factors that need to be determined when selecting the correct type for your application. This could range from just over £200 for a basic but good quality 6 metre tapered fibreglass flagpole to over £600 for a 12 metre flagpole – and the price keeps going up the bigger the flagpole. Note that prices are indicative and exclude carriage and VAT.

So, the price of a flagpole depends mainly on these factors:
  • type of flagpole (fibreglass, aluminium or timber)
  • grade of flagpole (standard, heavy duty, extra heavy duty, etc.)
  • height
  • halyard system (external or internal)
  • installation fittings (ground mounting, wall mounting etc.)

Our job is to guide you through this process so you get exactly the right flagpole for your application.

Contact us to get a quote.

Your Flagpole Company Team

For flagpoles that are up to and including 6 metres in length then we mainly use a national carrier to deliver throughout the United Kingdom mainland. For lengths greater than 6 metres and for destinations outside of the UK mainland we use various dedicated and specialist delivery services. Contact us to get a quote for your flagpole.

Your Flagpole Company Team

Now and again we are challenged with a request that will not work with a standard product. In these circumstances we can usually offer a custom made solution. But remember: standard usually comes quick; custom made can take a lot longer!

Contact us if you have specific requirements.

Your Flagpole Company Team

The rules regarding permissions were, for the flying of national flags, relaxed in 2012 but there are still rules which are too complex to detail here in this short brief. Our advice is to always ask your local council and inform them of exactly what you intend to do.

We suggest you read this article first and then look at the actual legislation in the link below.

This link will take you to the actual legislation amendment document.
 
Contact us for expert advice.
 
Your Flagpole Company Team

This depends on what is required. If you want a basic flagpole for your premises, say a flagpole of 6 meters height with a ground mounting kit, then we usually deliver within 5 working days. Most flagpoles up to and including 6 metres are delivered within this short time.

Flagpoles over 6 metres in length need dedicated transport and so can often take a little longer depending on the carrier used and the routes they take around the country.
 
For some applications you may require a flagpole of greater strength and often these need to be made specially which can significantly increase the delivery time to several weeks.
 
Every quotation we provide will detail the expected delivery time. Contact us to find out how long it will take for your flagpole. 
 
Your Flagpole Team

As a rule the size of flag is approximately proportional to the height of the flagpole. In the Imperial past when flagpoles were measured in feet a flagpole of 20 feet height would fly a flag of size 6ft x 3ft – known as a 2 yard flag.

A flagpole of 25 feet height would fly a flag of 7ft 6ins x 3ft 9ins, a 2 ½ yard flag; a flagpole of 30 feet height would fly a flag of 9ft x 4ft 6ins, a 3 yard flag.
 
Now we use metric measurements for flagpoles but still mainly refer to flag sizes in feet and inches. So that being the case a 6 metre flagpole, being approximately 20ft, would fly a 6ft x 3ft flag.
 
There are always exceptions: not all flags have a proportion ratio of 2:1 and not all flagpoles are designed to fly the flag size you might like. Our advice is to always ask the flagpole supplier or manufacturer what size of flag should be flown on the flagpole they have supplied. Together with weather conditions (see also question ‘Can a flag be flown in all weather conditions?’) the correct size of flag is a critical safety aspect.
 
Also have a look at our ‘Flagpoles and Flag sizes’ for a table that we created to see the correct flag size for your flagpole.
 
Your Flagpole Company Team

No! Please pay attention to the following safety critical advice: All flags should be taken down, only if it is safe to do so, when wind conditions reach the upper limits of Beaufort Scale force 6. This equates to about 30 mph. No attempt should be made to hoist or fly a flag when conditions exceed Beaufort Scale force 6.

In general terms most flagpoles are designed to fly flags of a particular size in moderate weather conditions. Leaving your flag up in a storm is likely to irreparable damage it and possibly break or weaken your flagpole. A flagpole subjected to undue strain should be considered a health and safety risk and we recommend that you incorporate this matter into your building management risk assessment.

We can replace your flag and repair your flagpole. Contact us for a quote.

Your Flagpole Company Team

Almost all flagpoles will be supplied with a halyard system. A halyard is a length of rope or thick cord for the purpose of raising and lowering a flag.

In the UK we mostly use a simple system of attaching the flag to the halyard with a toggle.
 
With an external halyard system the rope has two ends. The rope runs up the outside of the flagpole and is threaded through the finial at the top and it comes out the other side of the finial and down the flagpole. This end of the rope needs forming into a secure loop – to take the toggle without it falling out. The other end of the rope will be at the bottom of the flagpole doing nothing. Your flag should be fitted to its left hand side with a heading, line and toggle. The toggle usually denotes the top of the flag and there should be a short length of line or rope coming out of the bottom of the flag heading. The idea now is to create an endless length of halyard. Push the toggle through the loop in the halyard. Make sure it is secure. Remember the end of rope doing nothing? This needs to be tied to the short length of rope coming out of the bottom of the flag. Almost done…
Now you can pull on the halyard and hoist the flag to the top of the flagpole. There is a cleat on the side of the flagpole for tying off the excess rope. Make sure everything is tight and secure and that the flag is right at the top.
 
With an internal halyard system the procedure is similar BUT you only have one end of halyard. This end, that you connect to the flag, will come out of the finial at the top of the flagpole. The other end of the halyard is inside the flagpole – fixed to the bottom and you can’t see it. The toggle fitted to the flag is attached to the loop in the end of the halyard – just like it is done in the previous example. The difference here is that the short length of line coming out the bottom of the flag is attached to a weight. There are various styles of weight but mostly they take the form of a sling that wraps around the flagpole. So, securely attach the short length of line from the flag to the weight. You can now hoist the flag using the internal halyard system.
 
Note: when not flying a flag we suggest you attach the halyard end to the weight and pull it up the flagpole out of reach from vandals. If you pull the halyard up to the top without the weight you are unlikely to get the end of the halyard down to the bottom again.
 
Your Flagpole Company Team
external halyard flagpoles

Regular maintenance by our flagpole engineer will help to prevent this problem as it can be time consuming and therefore expensive to fix. If you wish to tackle fitting a new halyard yourself then we can supply the correct rope but if not we can come and fit it for you.

For an external halyard system the flagpole needs to be lowered to the ground. The new piece of rope can easily be threaded through the finial and cut to the correct length. You need to finish the ends with good ropemanship skills.
 
For an internal halyard system things are not so easy. The flagpole will need to be lowered to the ground. The halyard is secured at the bottom of the flagpole, possibly to a winch (depending on type of internal halyard system) and needs some expertise in threading the new piece of rope along the flagpole and back out of the top. Flagpoles are constructed differently by each manufacturer and we suggest that this work is undertaken by our flagpole engineer who has many years experience in overcoming the snags you may encounter. 
 
Contact us for a quote.
 
The Flagpole Company Team

Firstly, before you try to free or untangle a flag assess the risk to the person who will be performing the task. If in doubt leave it to an expert.

Sometimes a few gentle tugs on the halyard, or an untwisting of the halyard, may be enough to free the flag. Be aware that sometimes things can be made worse by too much tugging. If you are able to safely lower the flagpole under controlled risk assessed conditions then you stand a good chance of resolving the matter. If not its time to call in an expert.

Our flagpole engineer will be able to assess the risks and determine the safest method of getting things working again. Using our flagpole maintenance service will help determine the cause of the problem and from there a recommendation can be given to prevent it happening again.

Contact us if you need help with it.

Your Flagpole Company Team

Yes – in fact we recommend using our annual flagpole maintenance inspection service to help keep on top of problems so your flag is always flying. We can of course come to you only when a problem arises but many of our clients have come to realise that annual maintenance can be a cost effective solution to expensive one time emergencies.

There is no specific written legislation about the maintenance of flagpoles but The Health and Safety at Work Act and its related pieces of legislation place upon building owners and management responsibility for a duty of care to both employees and the public – anybody who may be affected by your activities.

Flags and flagpoles are in constant movement, subjected to forces beyond your control and are therefore vulnerable due to the possibility of failure. Therefore it is important that flagpoles are checked at least once each year and at any time of concern in-between.

Contact us for our maintenance service.

Your Flagpole Company Team

flagpole maintenance

Refer to the question above: ‘Do you offer maintenance of flagpoles?’

To help keep things safe and free from expensive failures we recommend having an annual maintenance inspection. There may be times, for example after a violent storm or high winds, where the flagpole becomes loose or damaged through over flexing.

An annual maintenance inspection will reveal most common problems that if left can result in major health and safety issues. Our engineer can often carry out basic remedial work at the inspection but there may be times when it needs special equipment and a return visit.

Contact us to schedule your next maintenance.

Your Flagpole Company Team

Most ground mounted flagpoles are secured to the ground with a base plate and threaded studding anchors. If the flagpole is being installed in an area of soft compacted soil then a hole is dug and filled with concrete. Straight after pouring, before the concrete is set, the threaded studding is set into the concrete with the lower base plate and levelled. Once the concrete is fully cured then the flagpole, together with its upper base plate, can be installed onto the lower base plate. This is of course a simplified account and we always recommend a competent builder or ground works person be employed for installations of this type.

You may have an existing concrete foundation that has been considered fit for a mounting location. In this case you will need to drill your concrete foundation very accurately and install the threaded studding with chemical resin.
As with all other aspects of flagpoles and flagpole installation we are here to give advise about the products you intend to buy from us. Contact us if you have any questions.
 
Your Flagpole Company Team

There are a number of factors that need to be considered when selecting a suitable flagpole. Once it has been established where the flagpole is to be mounted (on a building, in the ground, etc) there are two main factors to consider: i) the length or height of the flagpole; ii) the grade of flagpole.

The optimum height of a flagpole is mainly an aesthetic consideration. What looks right in terms of scale and proportion to the immediate surroundings. If you have the help of an architect then they will usually scale this otherwise we can provide general advice once we have details of your location.

The grade of flagpole is also a critical consideration as local weather patterns vary throughout the UK and a flagpole being used inland might not need to be as strong as one used in coastal areas. This is also a critical consideration when considering flag size. Clients often wish to fly very large flags and the load imposed by them, especially during periods of inclement weather, can be considerable – a potential health and safety issue if you get the wrong flagpole.

So, to ensure you get the right flagpole we will ask you a few questions and tailor our quotation to suit. Contact us to get the right flagpole.

choosing a flagpole

Your Flagpole Company Team