🇪🇪 The colours of Estonia

Estonia’s flag features blue, black, and white, each with its own meaning. Blue is linked to the sky, black to the land and people’s connection to it, and white to ideals such as purity and dedication. These colours have become a strong symbol of Estonian identity, especially after periods when their use was banned.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The flag’s blue is officially Pantone 285 C.
• The flag must be flown daily on Tallinn’s Pikk Hermann tower.
• During Soviet rule, using the flag or its colours was illegal.
• The tricolour was first adopted by Estonian students in 1881.
• Each colour has a symbolic meaning rooted in national poetry.

The colours of the flag of Estonia

The Estonian flag is made up of three horizontal stripes: blue, black, and white. Blue is said to reflect the sky over Estonia, a meaning popularised through poetry and song. Black is associated with the land itself and the people's deep connection to it. White is linked to qualities such as purity, diligence, and dedication. These meanings are widely recognised among Estonians, though they are not set out in law. The flag is often referred to by its colours in Estonian: sinimustvalge.

How the colours were chosen of Estonia

The blue, black, and white colours first appeared together in the 1880s, chosen by an Estonian student group at the University of Tartu. Each colour was given a symbolic meaning from the start. Over time, this tricolour became a sign of Estonian national feeling and was adopted as the state flag after independence in 1918. The flag was banned during Soviet rule, and even the use of its colours was forbidden. Despite this, Estonians abroad and in exile continued to use it until it was restored as the national flag in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Official shades and rules of Estonia

Estonia’s flag law sets the blue as Pantone 285 C, described earlier as 'sky- or cornflower-blue.' The flag’s proportions are 7:11, and the standard size is 105 by 165 centimetres. The law also details when and where the flag should be flown, including daily at sunrise on the Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn. The colours and their order are strictly regulated by parliament.