Argentina’s current national flag has three equal horizontal bands, sky blue, white, and sky blue, with a golden Sun of May at the center. The sun has a face and 32 rays, alternating straight and wavy. The standardized hoist-to-fly ratio is 5:8.
Specification
Article 2 of Decree 10,302/1944 names the sun-bearing flag the Bandera Oficial de la Nación. It specifies equal horizontal bands in celeste and white, with a gold-yellow sun centered in the white band. The sun follows the device on Argentina’s first gold and silver coinage authorized in 1813.
Decree 1650/2010, published on 23 November 2010, incorporates IRAM–DEF D 7679:2002, 7677:2002, 7675:2003, and 7674:2004 for ceremonial and hoisting flags, including fabric, colors, manufacture, and accessories. It gave public bodies until 9 July 2016 to regularize flags flown on masts.
Colors and symbols
Celeste means sky blue; the legal description specifies white and gold yellow alongside it. The coin-derived sun is the prescribed national device. This record does not assign a separate symbolic meaning to each band or treat popular interpretations as legal specifications.
The specimen uses blue #74ACDF, white #FFFFFF, yellow #F6B40E, and brown details #85340A and #843511. These are inspected SVG values, not certified physical color targets or official RGB equivalents. Use the applicable IRAM color and textile requirements for manufacture.
Construction notes
For hoist H, set the fly to 1.6H and center the sun at (0.8H, 0.5H). The Prefectura Naval’s 2016 provisions, article 4, publish the band and sun proportions shown above in implementing the IRAM standards. Its mast-height and vessel-size rules apply specifically at sea.
The local SVG measures 800 × 500 units. Its white band starts at 166.67 and is 166.67 units high; the sun face is centered at (400, 250), with radius 27.778. Repeated ray pairs produce 16 straight and 16 wavy rays, reaching approximately 69.44 units from the center. These rounded coordinates agree with the principal proportions; strokes add visible thickness. The detailed face and curves remain the source illustrator’s rendering, not a certified tracing of the IRAM drawing.
The Interior Ministry links the full IRAM texts, but those downloads were inaccessible during review. Consequently, exact textile tolerances, accessory dimensions, and detailed sun contours are not certified here. Other manufactured proportions should not be substituted for this standardized specimen.
Historical record and use
The Interior Ministry’s historical account credits Manuel Belgrano with first raising the flag at Rosario on 27 February 1812. Congress adopted the sky-blue and white colors on 20 July 1816, then incorporated the sun on 25 February 1818. These events do not establish that the modern technical drawing existed in 1812.
Law 23,208, passed on 25 July 1985 and promulgated on 16 August, extended the right to use the official flag to private individuals as well as government. The sun-bearing flag is therefore not reserved to state use. Earlier sunless usage is not presented here as interchangeable with the current official flag.
Source trail
Reviewed 6 September 2026. The linked consolidated 1944 decree establishes identity and design; the 2010 decree establishes the technical framework; the 2016 maritime provisions publish measurable geometry; the 1985 law establishes private use. The Interior Ministry supplies the historical chronology and links to the IRAM standards.
Wikimedia Commons: specimen, contributor history, and public-domain declaration ↗ · Local asset provenance and inspection ↗
National flag category → · Related South American record: Brazil →
Frequently Asked Questions
Which adoption date applies to Argentina’s flag?
The dates mark different events: Manuel Belgrano first raised the flag at Rosario on 27 February 1812; Congress adopted the sky-blue and white colors on 20 July 1816; and the sun was incorporated on 25 February 1818. This record therefore dates the sun-bearing design to 1818, with later standardization. Decree 1650/2010 established the later technical framework incorporating IRAM standards. The 1812 first raising does not establish that the modern technical drawing existed then.
May private individuals use the sun-bearing flag?
Yes. As documented in this record, Law 23,208, passed on 25 July 1985 and promulgated on 16 August 1985, extended the right to use the official flag to private individuals as well as government. The sun-bearing flag is therefore not reserved to state use. Earlier sunless usage is not treated here as interchangeable with the current official flag.
Sources and their roles
- Decree 10,302/1944, consolidated text, article 2 — identity and design of the official sun-bearing national flag.
- Decree 1650/2010 — technical framework incorporating IRAM standards for ceremonial and hoisting flags.
- Prefectura Naval’s 2016 provisions, article 4 — published flag geometry implementing IRAM standards; mast-height and vessel-size rules apply specifically at sea.
- Interior Ministry’s historical account — first raising in 1812, adoption of colors in 1816, incorporation of the sun in 1818, and links to IRAM standards.
- Law 23,208 (1985) — extension of the right to use the official flag to private individuals.
- Wikimedia Commons, Flag of Argentina.svg — specimen artwork, contributor history and rights declarations; artwork provenance rather than a certified manufacturing specification.