The American flag flying over your front porch may have been made in China. Or Bangladesh. Or Vietnam.
Millions of American flags sold in the United States each year are imported from overseas — assembled in factories thousands of miles from the country they represent. It’s one of the more ironic facts about modern American manufacturing: even the symbol of American industry is mostly produced somewhere else.
But not all of them. A handful of American-made flag manufacturers — most family-owned, most dating back more than a century — still cut, sew, embroider, and finish their flags in U.S. mills. They’ve never moved production offshore. And on Flag Day this June 14, they’re worth knowing about.
The Numbers Behind Imported Flags
The U.S. Census Bureau tracks flag imports every year, and the totals are striking. The country imports tens of millions of dollars worth of American flags annually — the overwhelming majority coming from China. The exact number of flags is hard to pin down because they’re imported under multiple product codes that include other textile goods.
What we do know: the share of American flags sold in the United States that are manufactured domestically has shrunk steadily over the past three decades. Cheap imports flood big-box retailers and online marketplaces. A nylon flag stitched in a Chinese factory can sell for half the price of one made in Pennsylvania.
For shoppers who don’t know to look, the result is predictable. Most pick up the cheaper option, hang it on the porch, and never realize the stars and stripes were sewn by someone who’s never set foot in the United States.
The FMAA — Certified Made in USA
The Flag Manufacturers Association of America (FMAA) was founded in 2007 specifically to solve this problem. Their certification mark — a small “100% Made in USA” emblem on flag packaging — guarantees that every fiber, every stitch, and every component was produced and assembled in the United States.
Look for the FMAA seal when buying a flag. It’s the simplest way to know you’re getting a genuinely American-made product instead of an imported one with American imagery on the label.
The certification covers everything: the polyester or nylon fabric, the embroidered stars, the sewn stripes, the canvas headers, the brass grommets, even the finishing thread. If any single component comes from overseas, the flag doesn’t qualify.
The Companies Still Sewing Stars and Stripes
Annin Flagmakers — Roseland, NJ — Founded 1847
Annin Flagmakers is the oldest flag maker in the United States. Founded in 1847, the company has been sewing American flags continuously for nearly 180 years. Their work has been part of some of the most important moments in American history.
Annin sewed the ceremonial flags for Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession. The company produced the flags planted on the moon during the Apollo missions. Every modern presidential inauguration uses Annin flags. When Old Glory needs to fly at a moment of national consequence, it’s almost always an Annin.
The company operates manufacturing facilities in Roseland, New Jersey and South Boston, Virginia. Every flag is FMAA-certified, and every product line — from their SolarGuard NYL-Glo nylon outdoor flags to their heavy-duty Tough-Tex polyester flags — is made entirely in the United States.
Valley Forge Flag — Pennsylvania — Since 1882
Valley Forge Flag has been in operation for five generations. Founded in 1882, the company is now one of the largest American-made flag manufacturers in the country.
Their flagship product, the Koralex II, is a 2-ply spun polyester flag with sewn stripes and embroidered stars. It’s the flag flying over thousands of U.S. government buildings, public schools, and post offices nationwide. The Department of Veterans Affairs, the General Services Administration, and countless state and municipal governments specify Valley Forge flags in their purchasing contracts.
Their Pennsylvania mill produces flags in every standard size, from desktop flags to the massive ceremonial flags that fly over stadiums and federal buildings on national holidays.
Star Spangled Flags
Star Spangled Flags makes 100% American-made flags with embroidered stars and sewn stripes. They use heavy-duty nylon designed for outdoor use, with reinforced canvas headers and brass grommets that resist weathering and corrosion.
Every flag carries the FMAA certification. The company emphasizes craftsmanship — each star is individually embroidered, each stripe individually sewn — rather than mass production. The result is a flag that holds up to years of weather exposure without fading or fraying.
Rushmore Rose USA
Rushmore Rose USA makes spun polyester American flags built for heavy outdoor use. Their flags are 100 percent made in the USA, including the polyester fabric, the sewn stripes, and all hardware.
The company markets itself directly on durability — “indestructible heavy duty” is in the product name of their bestselling flag. It’s the kind of flag that gets bought by veterans organizations, ranches, fire stations, and homeowners who want a flag that will outlast multiple seasons of wind and weather.
KEYCA, Fine Line Flag, and Other FMAA-Certified Makers
KEYCA produces nylon American flags with embroidered stars and sewn stripes. The company specializes in 3×5 foot residential and commercial flags, with all manufacturing done in the United States. Like the larger FMAA-certified makers, KEYCA uses American-sourced materials from start to finish — the nylon fabric, the embroidery thread, the brass grommets, the canvas heading.
Fine Line Flag is another FMAA-certified maker, producing 210D heavy-duty nylon American flags and service-honor flags — Thin Red Line for firefighters, Thin Blue Line for law enforcement — all manufactured to the same standards. Their flagship 3×5 ft American flag uses reinforced stitching designed to survive sustained wind exposure.
Why It Matters Beyond Flag Day
There’s a simple economic case for buying an American-made flag: every flag stitched in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Virginia keeps a sewing-machine operator employed. The U.S. textile sector has been hit harder than almost any other American manufacturing industry over the past forty years. The companies still making flags here are some of the last holdouts in domestic textile production.
But there’s also a symbolic case. The American flag represents American workers — the men and women who built the country, who maintain it, who keep it running. Flying a flag manufactured overseas inverts the meaning. Flying a flag made in the United States, by Americans, in American mills, reinforces it.
This is what FMAA certification is really about. Not just the fabric. The integrity of the symbol itself.
This Flag Day, Fly American
Flag Day falls on Sunday, June 14, 2026. It’s not a federal holiday, but it’s the most direct opportunity on the calendar to think about what the flag represents — and who actually makes it.
If you’re looking for a Made-in-USA flag this Flag Day, we’ve put together a guide featuring the companies above plus additional patriotic items from American manufacturers like Buck Knives, Lodge Cast Iron, Zippo, BenShot, and Pure Country Weavers. Every product is verified American-made, with vendor links that ship in time for delivery by June 14.
Visit the Flag Day collection here: American-Made Flags for Flag Day
Order by June 7 to ensure delivery in time for Flag Day on June 14, 2026.
Whenever possible, choose Made in USA.
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