page_title: Flag of the United States
section_title: Folding for storage
hierarchical_section_title: Flag of the United States / Folding for storage
caption_attribution_description: How to fold the flag of the United States of America
context_page_description: The flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, is the national flag of the United States. It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner.
context_section_description: Though not part of the official Flag Code, according to military custom, flags should be folded into a triangular shape when not in use. To properly fold the flag:
  Begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground.
  Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.
  Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.
  Make a rectangular fold then a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open top edge of the flag, starting the fold from the left side over to the right.
  Turn the outer end point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle.
  The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner (usually thirteen triangular folds, as shown at right). On the final fold, any remnant that does not neatly fold into a triangle (or in the case of exactly even folds, the last triangle) is tucked into the previous fold.
  When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.
  There is also no specific meaning for each fold of the flag. However, there are scripts read by non-government organizations and also by the Air Force that are used during the flag folding ceremony. These scripts range from historical timelines of the flag to religious themes.
caption: Folding the U.S. flag