Germany’s federal flag is a 3:5 horizontal tricolor of three equal bands: black above red above gold.
Specification
The federal flag order defines three equally wide horizontal stripes, black above red above gold, in a height-to-length ratio of 3:5. The plain tricolor is distinct from federal service flags that add an emblem.
Display colors
HEX #000000 / asset screen valueHEX #DD0000 / asset screen valueHEX #FFCE00 / asset screen valueConstruction notes
Start with a 3-by-5 rectangle and divide its height into thirds. The order is invariant: black at the upper edge, red through the center, and gold at the lower edge. The law names colors rather than hexadecimal values, so the screen values above describe this reference asset rather than a statutory digital palette.
Historical record
Black, red, and gold became associated with German unity and constitutional government in the nineteenth century. The Parliamentary Council restored them as the federal colors in Article 22 of the Basic Law on 23 May 1949. Reunified Germany continued the tricolor in 1990; the current federal flag order dates from 1996.
Source trail
Federal Ministry of Justice: Order concerning the German flags ↗