FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS 1 
First Edition  
2011-mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS 1: 2011 
© UNBS 2011  
  
National flag of Uganda — Specification  
 FDUS 1: 2011  
ii © UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 20 11  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permissio n from UNBS.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: 256 41 4 505 995  
Fax: 256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 
 FDUS 1:2011 
© UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda.  UNBS is mandated to co -ordinate th e 
elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agreements of the World Tra de Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, acade micians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft  standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
Committee membership  
The following organisations were represented under the Textiles and apparel  standards Technical Committee, 
UNBS/TC 7, during the development  of this  standard:  
 Consumer Education Trust  
 Government Analytical laboratories  
 Kyambogo University  
 Makerere University  
 Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs  
 Ministry of Public Service  
 Parliament of Uganda  
 Phenix Logistics  
 Uganda Industrial Resear ch Institute  
 Uganda Museum  
 Uganda National Bureau of Standards  FDUS 1: 2011  
iv © UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  
 Introduction  
The national flag symbolizes national integrity, unity and sovereignty. It also characterizes patriotism of a 
nation and it has been the grass root of political freedom.  
For the c ase of Uganda, the National and Armorial Ensigns Act of 1962 (Cap. 254) specifies the basic 
requirements of the Uganda flag in terms of colour, band width and location of a crested crane. It does not 
specify the performance of the flag in terms of dimensio nal requirements, quality of material and hues .   
Over a time various types of flags have also been produced like the internal flag, external flag, hand -held flag 
and desk flag, but the Act does  not take into account these various types of flags and as suc h all are classified 
as one entity though their performance requirements may be different depending on the conditions of use.  
This Uganda standard seeks to support the national legislation  on the flag  to ensure that the Uganda flag is 
fully standardized in  terms of performance and quality of material. This will lead to ease of production and 
interchangeability between different suppliers . 
 FINAL DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  FDUS 914 -1: 201 1 
 
© UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved                 1 
 National flag of Uganda — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Final Draft Uganda Standard  prescribes requirement s for the mater ials, design and make of two types  
(internal and external) of the National Flag of the Republic of Uganda.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edit ion cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies.  
ISO 105 - X16, Colour fastness of textiles to rubbing ( Rotary method)   
ISO 105 - B02, Textiles – Colourfastness to artificial light – Xenon arc fading lamp test  
ISO 7211 -2, Textiles – Woven fabrics – Construction – Methods of analysis – Part 2:  Determination of number 
of threads per unit length.  
ISO 13934 -1, Textiles – Tensile properties of fabrics – Part 1: Determination of maximum fo rce and elongation 
at maximum force using the strip method  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply . 
3.1 
base  
pedestal for the pole of a desk  flag 
3.2 
finial  
ornamental termination at the to p of a flag  pole 
3.3 
internal flag  (desk flag ) 
flag that is intended for display inside a  building , complete with pole, finial, and base  
3.4 
external flag  
flag that is intended  for flying on a flag pole  
3.5 
height  
dimension of the flag parallel to the flag  pole FDUS 1: 2011  
ii © UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  
 3.6 
width  
dimension of the flag perpendicular to the flag pole  
3.7 
heading/sleeve  
sleeve attached to or formed at the pole end of  a flag  
3.8 
hoist cord  
length of cord that is sewn into the heading/sleeve of  a flag 
3.9 
toggle  
pin forming a cross -piece  through an eye at the top of  the hoist cord  
4 General requirements  
4.1 Types, proportions and design  
4.1.1  General  
This specification provides for two types of flag as follows:  
a) internal flag (desk flag) ; and  
b) external  flag. 
4.1.2 Colour  fastness  
The colour  fastness to water and to weathering  shall not be lower than  4. In addition, the colourfastness to 
rubbing, determined in accordance with  ISO 105 - X16 shall be not lower than 4 in  the case of dry rubbing and 
not lower than 3 in the case of wet rubbing.  
4.1.3 Design  
4.1.3.1 The external flag and the internal flag shall be made  in such way that the ratio  of the height to the 
width is 2 to 3.  
4.1.3.2 There shall be of six horizontal stripes of equal width coloured from top to bottom black, yellow, 
red, black,  yellow and red, with a crested crane on a white circle in the centre.  
4.1.3.3 The crested crane shall adorn the centre of the flag and stands on one leg facing the flag pole  
4.1.4 Pole, base and finial  
In the case of desk flags , the  pole, base and finial  shall each be of a wood that is free from defects  and 
essentially straight grained, or of an acceptable metal, plastics, or  other suitable material. All materials shall 
have an acceptable finish.  
4.2 Workmanship  
A flag shall be cut and made with first -class workmanship throughout and shall be free from defects that affect 
its appearance or might affect its serviceability (or both).  FDUS 1:2011 
© UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  iii 
 All seams shall be smooth and all stitching uniform. Seams and stitching shall be free from twists, pleats, 
shrinkage and puc kers, and shall be sufficiently extensible to obviate seam cracking and undue shrinkage in 
use.  
All ends of sewing shall have been trimmed and loose threads removed and all ends of sewing that are not 
secured in seams or in other stitching shall be adequa tely back tacked. The flags shall be of uniform and 
acceptable make, colours, woven and finish.  
5 Specific requirements for external flags   
5.1 Materials  
5.1.1 Flag material  
The material shall comply with the requirements in Table 1 .  
Table 1 — Fabric requ irements  
Property  Requirement  Test  method  
Composition, % ( polyester ) 100 - 
Construction  plain weave  - 
Mass per area (free from non -fibrous material), g/m2, 
min 145  
Breaking strength, N, min  
 Warp  
 Weft  
130 
115 ISO 7211 -2 
Breaking strength, N, min  
 Warp  
 Weft  
800 
650 ISO 13934 -1 
Colour fastness to:  
 Washing, rating, min.  
- Change in colour  
- Staining  
 Rubbing, rating, min.  
- Dry  
- Wet  
 Light fastness, rating, min   
4 
4 
 
 
4 
3 
5  
 
 
ISO 105 - X16 
 
5.1.2 Toggles  
Each toggle shall have been made from a piece of  hardwood or shall be of a  plastics material, and shall be  
free from defects. The surfaces shall be  smooth and wooden toggles shall be free from splinters.  
5.1.3 Hoist cords  
The hoist cord for a flag shall be round braid made from nylon or  other synthetic  fibre. The cord shall have a 
nominal circumference  of 15 m m  FDUS 1: 2011  
iv © UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  
 5.1.4 Fastening pins  
The fastening pins shall be of a corrosion resistant metal,  shall have a  smooth finish,  and shall be so designed 
as to permit  the hoisting and  lowering of the flag.  
6 Markin g 
The following information shall be clearly, legibly and indelibly marked on each packaging or on the label 
attached to the packaging:  
a) the manufacturer's name or trade mark or both;  
b) the size of the flag;  
c) the fibre composition of the bunting fabric;  
d) the year of manufacture ; and  
e) instructions for care of the flag . 
 
 
 
Figure 1 – Design, proportions and colours of the national f lag 2 
3 FDUS 1:2011 
© UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  v 
 
 FDUS 1: 2011  
vi © UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  
 
 FDUS 1:2011 
© UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved  vii 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standar ds 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated  by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system  of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and co nditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 FDUS 1: 2011   
 
ICS nn.nnn.nn  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS 2011 – All rights reserved