Flag Fabric Guide: 68D, 100D, 110gsm Knitted and 300D Polyester Compared

What fabric are custom flags actually made from?

Nearly all printed flags are polyester. The differences buyers care about come down to three variables: yarn denier (68D, 100D, 150D, 300D), finished weight in gsm, and whether the base is woven or knitted.

Denier describes the thickness of the yarn. A higher denier means a thicker, heavier, more opaque fabric. Knitted polyester has a slight stretch and an open structure that lets sublimation ink strike through to the reverse side, which is why a single-sided print on knitted polyester is still readable from behind — a mirrored, lighter version of the front.

Woven polyester is denser and blocks more light. For a genuinely double-sided flag with two different designs, the construction changes: two printed layers with an opaque blockout liner sewn between them.

Flag fabric comparison table

How do you choose between 68D, 100D and 110 gsm knitted polyester?

Start from where the flag will hang and how much wind it will see.

68D is the lightest option in regular production. It flies in almost no wind, which makes it the right base for handheld flags, car window flags and indoor national flags. It is also the cheapest per square metre. The trade-off is opacity: a single-sided print shows through clearly, and the fabric will not take heavy outdoor exposure for months on end.

100D at 70–80 gsm is the middle of the range and the default for most general outdoor flags and printed banners. It has enough body to hold shape on a pole and enough weight to survive a normal outdoor season.

110 gsm knitted polyester is the fabric we specify most often for feather, teardrop and beach flags. The knitted structure takes heat sublimation cleanly, produces saturated colour, and still moves in light wind — which matters because a beach flag that does not move does not do its job. It is also the fabric covered by the third-party test reports we hold on file, so it is the easiest option when a customer needs supporting documentation.

Printed on 110 gsm knitted polyesterWholesale Feather FlagsWholesale feather flags manufactured to order for distributors, sign shops, promotional product suppliers and event companies. Each set includes the printed flag, a sectional pole and…View specifications →

When should you specify 300D polyester or mesh?

Specify 300D at 140 gsm when the flag or banner is going up and staying up. Municipal installations, permanent gate banners and anything on a fixed frame benefit from the extra weight. Do not use it for a swooper flag on a beach base — it is too heavy to fly properly at low wind speeds.

Specify mesh at 125 gsm when wind load is the governing constraint. Mesh has perforations that let air pass through, which reduces the force on the fixing points. On a large fence banner or scaffold wrap this is the difference between a banner that survives a storm and one that tears out its eyelets. The cost is print vibrancy: mesh prints look softer because part of the surface is open.

What about satin, felt, PVC and oxford?

These are product-specific rather than general flag fabrics.

• Satin is used for pennants, football fan scarves and club exchange flags, where sheen matters more than wind performance. Exchange pennants are typically built as three layers: two printed satin faces with a liner between them.
• Felt at 120 or 180 gsm is the traditional base for triangle pennant flags. Edges are heat-cut on three sides with a felt binding or streamer on the hoist side.
• PVC at 240 gsm is a banner material, not a flag material. It does not fly; it is stretched flat on a frame or fence.
• 210D Oxford is used for patio umbrella canopies, where the fabric has to hold a shape under tension and take repeated opening and closing.

How does fabric choice affect MOQ, sampling and lead time?

Less than most buyers expect. Fabric affects unit price and print route, but the schedule is driven by quantity and finishing complexity.

• MOQ: 50–100 pieces depending on the product. Flags, banners and beach umbrellas typically start at 50; national flags, car flags, fan scarves and promotional umbrellas typically start at 100.
• Sampling: 3–7 working days once artwork is confirmed. Felt pennants and multi-layer constructions sit at the longer end.
• Bulk production: 15–20 days after sample approval.

Where fabric does move the schedule is when a specification changes mid-project. Switching from woven to knitted polyester after a sample has been approved means re-proofing the colour, because the same file prints differently on the two bases.

Five things to put in your fabric RFQ

1. Where the flag will be used — indoor, outdoor seasonal, outdoor permanent, coastal. This single line eliminates most of the table above.
2. Single- or double-sided — and if double-sided, whether the two faces carry different artwork. This determines whether a blockout liner is needed.
3. Finished size and quantity — fabric width affects yield, and yield affects price at some sizes more than others.
4. Artwork type — photographic images and gradients push toward sublimation; flat spot colours in high volume may be cheaper screen printed.
5. Any documentation you need — colour fastness, restricted-substance or flammability reports have to be planned before production, not requested after shipment.

Fabric weights and constructions in this guide are taken from the current Senior Flags production catalogue at our Lu’an facility. Exact specifications are confirmed per project at the quotation stage — send your artwork, size and quantity and we will confirm the fabric in writing.