Flagpole Rope Selection Guide

Choosing Flagpole Rope

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Flags come in many different shapes and sizes and if you want to put them on your flagpole it's important to make sure you're using the right rope. Ravenox produces some the highest grade rope specifically designed for keeping your flag raised high.

The best option for flag halyard is a rope made from polyester. Polyester rope is superior to nylon rope for flagpole use with better resistance to abrasion, greater strength and better UV resistance. Polyester won’t rot or mildew and won’t fade or turn yellow in sunlight, thus keeping its bright white color when flying your flag. Polyester rope also has less elongation than nylon rope keeping your rope tight and flag hanging high.

Ravenox makes its flag pole halyards from polyester with a galvanized steel aircraft cable core. This is a low stretch, tamper proof rope often employed as flag halyard in stadiums, municipal buildings and residences. It stands up to extreme wind conditions and the wire cable core won’t break saving money on stranded flags with internal halyards that typically require a boom truck to pull down the flag.

Choosing Your Length and Width

Determine Your Pole Height

When choosing your length get twice the above ground length of your flagpole. If your cleat is mounted at eye level, you will have extra for rope making knots and wrapping the halyard off around the cleat. For small flags such as those you might mount at home, your pole should be on the shorter side. For example, a flag that measures 3 feet by 5 feet needs at least a 15-foot pole. A 4 x 6 flag should be on a pole that is 20 to 25 feet tall and flags measuring 10 x 15 feet will be on a 75 to 100 foot pole. We offer rope by the foot in 50 Feet, 100 Feet, 500 Feet and 1,000 Feet lengths to suit every flagpole height.

Most flagpoles use 3/16-in,1/4 inch, 5/16 inch and 3/8 inch ropes. Make sure you measure the rope thickness you currently have or the pulley thickness to order the correct size rope.

Suggestion: If you need to cut the halyard, seal the ends by melting it with a lighter or heat source. This will seal the fibers and prevent any fraying.

External vs. Internal Halyards

An External Halyard System is the most common flagpole application and places the rope halyard on the outside of the flagpole and is tied off around a cleat. Using a halyard with a wire core prevents individuals from cutting down your flag.

An Internal Halyard System encloses either rope or wire halyard inside the flagpole behind the security of a lockable access door and typically uses a winch to raise and lower the flag. A cord with a wire core is even more beneficial for internal halyard systems as the rope will not break. Even if the polyester cover were to wear the wire core will keep the flag hanging high and allow for it to be lowered. Without the wire core a boom truck is needed to lower the flag.