Jamaica’s national flag has a gold diagonal cross, green triangles above and below, and black triangles at the hoist and fly. It is twice as long as it is high and came into use at independence on 6 August 1962.
Specification
The Office of the Prime Minister identifies this as the national flag currently in use. Its description places four triangular fields around a gold saltire, without lettering or an added emblem. Jamaica Information Service (JIS) gives the hoist-to-fly proportion as 1:2.
Ministry Paper No. 28 (1962), paragraph 3, records the recommendation to replace an earlier striped proposal with the saltire arrangement. This is a parliamentary ministry paper, not a construction statute or a separate proclamation. No independently verified proclamation date is assigned here.
Colors and specimen values
The official color names are gold, green, and black. The National Library cites the historical green reference Emerald T8 17, British Admiralty Bunting Pattern. The following values are read from the SVG; they are display approximations, not a conversion of that textile reference or certified physical color standards. JIS links color specifications, but a complete current physical specification was not verified for this record.
HEX #FFB81C / specimen screen valueHEX #007749 / specimen screen valueHEX #2D2926 / specimen screen valueConstruction notes
Published width discrepancy. Ministry Paper No. 28, paragraph 3(b), specifies a cross width of one-sixth of the fly. JIS and the National Library repeat this wording. The Southern Regional Health Authority’s October 2016 newsletter, page 9, instead specifies one-sixth of the flag’s width, illustrating a six-foot fly and three-foot hoist with a six-inch cross. These instructions yield different band widths on a 1:2 flag.
The displayed specimen follows that explicitly illustrated hoist-based instruction: a 12-by-6 viewBox, diagonals meeting at (6, 3), and a gold stroke one unit wide, measured perpendicular to each diagonal. The SVG clips the strokes at the rectangular boundary and leaves green above and below, black at either side. These are inspected asset coordinates, not additional official dimensions. The fly-based wording would give a two-unit band on the same grid. No verified amendment resolving this discrepancy was found; the specimen is not presented as a definitive manufacturing master.
Symbols and usage
The Prime Minister’s Office associates black with the people’s strength and creativity, gold with sunlight and natural wealth, and green with hope and agricultural resources. Its flag code calls for respectful handling, including keeping the flag off the ground and observing its precedence when displayed with other flags. Consult the linked code for the full display rules.
JIS provides for display on government and municipal buildings and government-aided schools, as well as private use on national and state occasions. Its code also addresses Jamaican-registered merchant ships. This record describes the national flag; it does not treat separate service ensigns as interchangeable specimens.
Historical record
The National Library traces the design process to a public competition in 1961 and subsequent work by a bipartisan parliamentary committee. A striped proposal was replaced before independence. The Prime Minister’s Office dates the first raising to Independence Day, 6 August 1962; JIS describes the midnight transition from 5 to 6 August. These accounts refer to the same independence ceremony.
The National Library records a February 1996 review that replaced the earlier association of black with hardship with a positive interpretation emphasizing the people. This was a change in official symbolism, not a replacement flag design.
Source trail
Sources checked 6 September 2026.
Office of the Prime Minister: National Flag ↗ — current identity, first raising, design, symbolism, and usage code.
Jamaica Information Service: Jamaican Flag ↗ — proportions, fly-based width wording, independence ceremony, and display guidance.
National Library archive: Ministry Paper No. 28 (1962) ↗ — paragraph 3, proposed saltire and color arrangement.
National Library: The Story of the Jamaican National Flag ↗ — selection history, historical green reference, and 1996 interpretation review.
Southern Regional Health Authority: The Southern Pulse, October 2016, page 9 ↗ — ratio and explicit hoist-based cross-width example used for the specimen.
Flag terms explained
A saltire is a diagonal cross. The hoist is the edge nearest the flagpole; the fly is the opposite edge. In the recorded hoist:fly ratio of 1:2, the flag is twice as long as it is high. The specimen’s 12-by-6 grid therefore represents a length of 12 units and a height of 6 units.
| Evidence | Recorded wording or geometry | Width on a 12-by-6 grid | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry Paper No. 28 (1962), paragraph 3(b) | Cross width of one-sixth of the fly. | 12 ÷ 6 = 2 units. | Explanatory calculation from the ministry paper’s fly-based wording. The paper records a recommendation, not a separate proclamation or construction statute. |
| Southern Regional Health Authority, The Southern Pulse, October 2016, page 9 | One-sixth of the flag’s width; the example gives a six-foot fly, three-foot hoist and six-inch cross. | 6 ÷ 6 = 1 unit. | Explanatory calculation from the explicitly illustrated hoist-based example. This differs from the ministry paper’s wording and does not establish a universal manufacturing practice. |
| Displayed SVG specimen: asset_312c1159d9809bcb06a17da1 | 12-by-6 viewBox with a gold stroke one unit wide, measured perpendicular to each diagonal. | 1 unit, or one-sixth of the 6-unit hoist. | Inspected geometry documented in the existing asset provenance. It matches the newsletter’s example but does not resolve the published discrepancy. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Jamaica replace its flag design in February 1996?
No. The National Library documents a February 1996 review of symbolism, replacing the earlier association of black with hardship with a positive interpretation emphasizing the people. The recorded change concerned symbolism, not a replacement flag design.
Are the displayed HEX values official textile specifications?
No. Gold #FFB81C, green #007749 and black #2D2926 describe the displayed SVG’s screen colors. They are not certified textile specifications or a conversion of the historical green reference Emerald T8 17, British Admiralty Bunting Pattern, cited by the National Library. A complete current physical color specification was not verified for this record. The existing asset register documents the specimen’s source, rights and geometry.