How Long Do Custom Flags Last? A Guide to Flag Care

One of the most common questions we get is simple: how long will my flag last? The honest answer is that it depends almost entirely on how much sun and wind it takes, but here are some useful benchmarks.

The U.S. government estimates that a nylon flag flown from sunrise to sunset lasts around 90 days. Fly that same flag 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you can expect its life to drop to a half or even a third of that. Wind, sun, and weather are what wear a flag out, so the more exposure it gets, the faster it ages. As a rule of thumb, our flags will give you about a football season of hard use when flown around the clock, and considerably longer if you bring them in when they're not on display.

That last point is the single biggest thing you can do to extend a flag's life: take it down in harsh weather. High winds, storms, and ice are brutal on any flag, and a spirit flag or garden flag isn't built to ride out a thunderstorm. Bringing it inside during rough conditions, and when you simply don't need it up, dramatically slows the wear.

This is exactly why we make pole holders. They let you attach a flag's base to a fence or wall and put your flags up or take them down in seconds, so storing them between games is effortless. The less time your flag spends fighting the elements, the more seasons it'll serve your team.

A few more tips: keep flags clean and dry before storing them, never put them away damp, and inspect the edges now and then, trimming a small fray early can keep it from unraveling further. Treat a good custom flag well and it'll fly proud for a long time.