Europe · Nordic cross
How to draw the flag of Norway
The flag of Norway is an off-centre cross with the upright shifted toward the hoist in red, white and blue. It flies at a ratio of 8:11.
Step by step
- Start with the right shape. Norway flies at 8:11 — for every 11 units of width the flag is 8 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 red first, then build the rest on top of it. Working from the largest area to the smallest keeps the proportions honest.
- Add the white and 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.
Norway flag colours
The colour codes below are the ones to reach for if you are recreating the flag digitally.
| Colour | Hex | RGB |
|---|---|---|
| Red | #BA0C2F | rgb(186, 12, 47) |
| White | #FFFFFF | rgb(255, 255, 255) |
| Blue | #00205B | rgb(0, 32, 91) |
What the flag means
Denmark’s red-and-white cross with a blue cross laid inside it, adding the colours of liberty.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the blue, which turns it into Denmark, or centring the cross.
- Watch out for Iceland and Denmark — they are close enough to Norway that people draw the wrong one from memory.
- The proportions are unusual: 8:11 is slightly squarer than the usual 2:3 rectangle.
A trick for remembering it
Denmark plus a blue cross inside the white one, shifted toward the hoist.
Flags that look like this one
Side-by-side breakdowns of the pairs people mix up:
Questions about the Norway flag
What colours are on the flag of Norway?
Norway uses 3 colours: red (#BA0C2F), white (#FFFFFF), blue (#00205B).
What are the proportions of the Norway flag?
It flies at 8:11 (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 Norway flag mean?
Denmark’s red-and-white cross with a blue cross laid inside it, adding the colours of liberty.
Which flags look like the Norway flag?
Iceland, Denmark. The proportions are unusual: 8:11 is slightly squarer than the usual 2:3 rectangle.
How hard is the Norway 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.
