Europe · Nordic cross
How to draw the flag of Finland
The flag of Finland is an off-centre cross with the upright shifted toward the hoist in white and blue. It flies at a ratio of 11:18.
Step by step
- Start with the right shape. Finland flies at 11:18 — for every 18 units of width the flag is 11 tall. Sketch that rectangle first; a flag drawn too square is the fastest way to lose layout points.
- Block in the background. Fill the whole flag with white first, then build the rest on top of it. Working from the largest area to the smallest keeps the proportions honest.
- Add the blue. An off-centre cross with the upright shifted toward the hoist. Place these shapes by eye against the edges of the flag, not against each other.
- Finish with the off-centre cross. Detail is the last ten percent of the score, so leave it until the colour blocks are down. Size and position count for more than drawing every line of it.
Finland flag colours
The colour codes below are the ones to reach for if you are recreating the flag digitally.
| Colour | Hex | RGB |
|---|---|---|
| White | #FFFFFF | rgb(255, 255, 255) |
| Blue | #002F6C | rgb(0, 47, 108) |
What the flag means
A blue cross for the country’s thousands of lakes and its skies, on the white of winter snow.
Common mistakes
- Making the blue too light. Finland uses a deep blue cross, not a sky blue one.
- Watch out for Sweden and Iceland — they are close enough to Finland that people draw the wrong one from memory.
- The proportions are unusual: 11:18 is slightly squarer than the usual 2:3 rectangle.
A trick for remembering it
White field, blue cross, no third colour.
Flags that look like this one
Side-by-side breakdowns of the pairs people mix up:
Questions about the Finland flag
What colours are on the flag of Finland?
Finland uses 2 colours: white (#FFFFFF), blue (#002F6C).
What are the proportions of the Finland flag?
It flies at 11:18 (height to width). Drawing it at the wrong shape is one of the quickest ways to lose layout marks in the game.
What does the Finland flag mean?
A blue cross for the country’s thousands of lakes and its skies, on the white of winter snow.
Which flags look like the Finland flag?
Sweden, Iceland. The proportions are unusual: 11:18 is slightly squarer than the usual 2:3 rectangle.
How hard is the Finland flag to draw from memory?
PlayVexle rates it 2 out of 5. Flat colour blocks and no fine detail, so most players score in the eighties or nineties.
