Europe · Horizontal tricolour
How to draw the flag of Germany
The flag of Germany is three equal horizontal bands — black, red and gold from top to bottom. It flies at a ratio of 3:5.
Step by step
- Start with the right shape. Germany flies at 3:5 — for every 5 units of width the flag is 3 tall. Sketch that rectangle first; a flag drawn too square is the fastest way to lose layout points.
- Divide the height into three. Mark two guide lines before you fill anything in. Even bands matter more than neat edges — the scorer cares where the colour blocks sit.
- Band 1: black. Fill the first band from the top with black. Use the fill tool rather than shading — flat blocks score better than sketchy strokes.
- Band 2: red. Fill the second band from the top with red. Use the fill tool rather than shading — flat blocks score better than sketchy strokes.
- Band 3: gold. Fill the third band from the top with gold. Use the fill tool rather than shading — flat blocks score better than sketchy strokes.
Germany flag colours
The colour codes below are the ones to reach for if you are recreating the flag digitally.
| Colour | Hex | RGB |
|---|---|---|
| Black | #000000 | rgb(0, 0, 0) |
| Red | #DD0000 | rgb(221, 0, 0) |
| Gold | #FFCE00 | rgb(255, 206, 0) |
What the flag means
The black-red-gold band goes back to the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps in the Napoleonic wars and became the colours of the 1848 democratic movement.
Common mistakes
- Drawing the bottom stripe as plain yellow. It is gold, and it sits at the bottom — Belgium uses the same three colours turned vertical, and Lithuania uses yellow-green-red.
- Watch out for Belgium and Lithuania — they are close enough to Germany that people draw the wrong one from memory.
- The proportions are unusual: 3:5 is slightly squarer than the usual 2:3 rectangle.
A trick for remembering it
Top to bottom, the colours get lighter: black, red, gold.
Flags that look like this one
Side-by-side breakdowns of the pairs people mix up:
Questions about the Germany flag
What colours are on the flag of Germany?
Germany uses 3 colours: black (#000000), red (#DD0000), gold (#FFCE00).
What order are the stripes on the Germany flag?
Black, then Red, then Gold — from the top down.
What are the proportions of the Germany flag?
It flies at 3:5 (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 Germany flag mean?
The black-red-gold band goes back to the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps in the Napoleonic wars and became the colours of the 1848 democratic movement.
Which flags look like the Germany flag?
Belgium, Lithuania. The proportions are unusual: 3:5 is slightly squarer than the usual 2:3 rectangle.
How hard is the Germany flag to draw from memory?
PlayVexle rates it 1 out of 5. Flat colour blocks and no fine detail, so most players score in the eighties or nineties.
