Amsterdam’s 2:3 flag has equal red, black, and red horizontal bands. Three upright white saltires—St. Andrew’s crosses—run across the center of the black band.
Design structure
The flag translates the city’s shield into a horizontal rectangle. Its black center band carries three evenly spaced white saltires, while equal red bands fill the upper and lower thirds.
Display colors
HEX #EC0000 / asset screen valueHEX #000000 / RGB 0, 0, 0HEX #FFFFFF / RGB 255, 255, 255Construction notes
Divide a 2:3 rectangle into three equal horizontal bands. Place three identical white diagonal crosses at equal intervals along the black band. The crosses belong to the city’s heraldic tradition and should not be replaced with letterforms or copied from the separately protected municipal corporate logo.
Historical record
The three crosses long predate the modern municipal flag and appear in Amsterdam’s arms. The flag was already used before the council formally adopted it on 5 February 1975. The city describes the shield and its general cross motif as belonging to the city as a whole, distinct from its protected corporate identity.
Source trail
City of Amsterdam: city arms, crosses, and usage rights ↗