Puerto Rico Flag

Description

The Puerto Rico flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Puerto Rico Flag

The Puerto Rico flag began life not as an official government symbol but as a banner of revolution, designed by exiles rather than by any government. It consists of five horizontal stripes, three red and two white, with a blue triangle at the hoist bearing a single white star. It only became the island’s legally recognised flag more than half a century after it first appeared, once Puerto Rico had become a self-governing commonwealth of the United States.

Colours and Symbolism

The design is modelled closely on the Cuban flag but with the colours reversed – where Cuba uses a red triangle and blue stripes, Puerto Rico uses a blue triangle and red stripes – a deliberate nod to the shared independence movements of the two Spanish Caribbean colonies. The single white star in the triangle represents Puerto Rico itself as a commonwealth. The blue triangle is generally read as standing for the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, as well as for the sky and the coastal waters around the island, while the three red stripes symbolise the blood that nourishes those branches of government and the two white stripes stand for individual liberty and human rights.

History of the Puerto Rico Flag

The Puerto Rico flag was designed in December 1895 by Puerto Rican revolutionaries living in exile in New York, who modelled it on Cuba’s flag as a gesture of solidarity between the two islands’ independence movements. It replaced the earlier Lares flag used in the 1868 uprising against Spain, though for decades it remained an unofficial, even suppressed, symbol rather than a recognised national flag. It was not adopted as Puerto Rico’s official flag until July 1952, following the establishment of commonwealth status. The law establishing the flag never fixed an exact shade of blue, and the shade in common use has shifted over the decades, from a dark navy toward the medium blue more widely used from the 1990s onward.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Puerto Rico flag is flown alongside the flag of the United States on government buildings across the island, reflecting its status as a US commonwealth, and it is flown alone at many private homes, businesses and community events. Because the exact shade of blue has never been fixed by law, flags bought from different manufacturers can look noticeably different from each other, ranging from a deep navy to a lighter sky blue; this is a known quirk of the design rather than a manufacturing error. As with any flag, it should be flown right side up, with the triangle and star at the hoist, and retired once it becomes worn or faded.

Puerto Rico Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Puerto Rico flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Order Lead Times

Almost everything we make is freshly printed and made to order, just for you! So please allow 3–5 working days for us to prepare your order before it heads out the door. We’ll always try to get it to you sooner where we can. Some fast movers, like South African flags, ship quicker as they’re often in stock.

One quick thing to keep in mind: the “next working day” you see on your order confirmation is the courier’s delivery time from the day we dispatch — not from the day you place your order. So it’s really 3–5 days to prepare + next-day delivery.

Good things are worth the wait — we’re excited to get your order into your hands.

Additional information