Malta’s national flag has two equal vertical halves: white next to the staff and red at the fly. A red-edged George Cross occupies the upper hoist corner. The current design dates to independence in 1964 and has a 2:3 hoist-to-fly ratio.
Specification
Article 3 establishes the equal white and red stripes and the red-edged representation of the George Cross awarded in 1942. It gives neither numeric colors nor a dimensioned cross. The original constitutional text is preserved in the 1964 Independence Order ↗; the government’s current national-symbols page ↗ confirms the arrangement and 2:3 format.
Government color guidance
The 2008 OPM guide ↗ lists white, black and red; for red it gives Pantone 186c, CMYK 0/91/76/6, RGB 207/20/43 (#CF142B), and a separate web-safe #CC0000. These are process-specific guidance, not interchangeable physical matches.
Contracts Circular 03/2024, Annex 1 ↗ explicitly requires a silver-grey cross background with black details and red edging, and uses Pantone 186C for the red textile. Its procurement term ended on 25 January 2026: it documents government manufacture, not a claim about the current supplier. No precise grey screen code is supplied.
Specimen screen colors
#FFFFFF / SVG fill#C8102E / SVG fill#CCCCCC / SVG fillThe retrieved artwork also uses #96877D, #D0D0D0 and black for details. Its red differs from the OPM’s stated RGB value; its grey and shaded details are a reference rendering, not a certified match to the procurement colors. Screen values do not replace textile specifications.
Construction notes
The OPM schedule uses A for hoist and B for fly. Its diagram is expressly for reference, not reproduction.
| Label | 2008 schedule |
|---|---|
| A : B | 2 : 3 |
| C | 5A/18 |
| D | 2A/27 |
| E | A/27 |
| F / red perimeter | D/16 |
| G | B/8 |
| H / inner diameter | D |
| I / outer diameter | Diagonal of D |
These dimensions do not resolve into an unambiguous master. The Commons construction analysis ↗ identifies incompatible cross length, edge clearance and center placement; its replacement drawing is explicitly unofficial. The 2024 procurement figure additionally prints G=B/18, rather than B/8, and permits 15% variation for C, D, E and G. This entry preserves the discrepancy rather than silently correcting either source.
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The inspected SVG has a 900 × 600 viewBox, a red full-field path and a white 450 × 600 half. Its cross’s red outer bounds are approximately x=22.222–188.888 and y=22.223–188.890. Its central rings are centered at (105.555, 105.557), with radii 31.822 and 24.245. Three internal references rotate a small detail group through 90°, 180° and 270°. These are measurements of this vector only.
The specimen matches the constitutional field arrangement, canton device and government ratio. Its roughly 166.667-unit outer cross span includes edging, so it must not be mistaken for the guide’s nominal C=166.667 cross measurement before edging. The rounded paths and simplified medal details do not certify the full dimension schedule. For manufacture, obtain an approved model and resolve the conflicting dimensions with the commissioning authority. Asset provenance and geometry audit →
Symbols and usage
The George Cross commemorates the bravery of Malta’s people during the Second World War. Heritage Malta ↗ documents George VI’s award dated 15 April 1942. The medal is distinct from the eight-pointed Maltese cross. No separate moral meaning is assigned here to the white and red halves.
The government’s display guidance calls for respectful handling, sunrise-to-sunset outdoor display, and equal flag sizes and staff heights when flown with other national flags. FOTW ↗ records civilian, official and armed-forces vessel use. Malta’s merchant flag is a separate design; this national specimen is not a merchant-ensign substitute.
Historical record
The Independence Order was made on 2 September 1964 and brought the Constitution into effect on 21 September. FOTW independently identifies 21 September 1964 as the current flag’s adoption date. The 1942 award date is therefore not the adoption date of this design.
FOTW describes a predecessor with the George Cross on a blue canton and dates its introduction to 28 December 1943. Independence removed that blue background and retained the cross with red edging. Earlier specimens are not interchangeable with the present flag. The same reference treats the Count Roger origin story for white and red as unverified tradition; no medieval adoption date or designer is assigned here.
Source trail
Reviewed 14 September 2026. The English-path OPM PDF timed out; the alternate official PDF linked below was retrieved. The legislation portal confirmed in-force status and commencement metadata; Article 3 was checked in the original Order and against current government guidance.
- Legislation Malta: Constitution ↗ — legal record and commencement.
- Malta Independence Order 1964, §§2–4 and scheduled Constitution Article 3 ↗ — establishment and original legal description.
- Government of Malta: Flags, Symbols and their uses ↗ — present description, ratio and protocol.
- Office of the Prime Minister: Graphical Specifications, February 2008 ↗ — geometry and color processes.
- Department of Contracts: Circular 03/2024, Annex 1 ↗ — dated procurement requirements, grey cross and differing G dimension.
- Heritage Malta: George Cross commemoration ↗ — award and meaning.
- Flags of the World: Malta ↗ — adoption, predecessor and usage distinctions.
- Local asset register → — vector source, rights history, checksum and limitations.