What Does FMAA Certification Mean? How to Read a Made in USA Flag Label

The question shows up in our inbox in a dozen forms, but it always lands in the same place: what does FMAA certification mean, and how do I know the flag I am buying was made here? We understand the suspicion. Plenty of flags sold online carry a "Made in USA" line somewhere in the listing and nowhere on the flag. So we pulled the FMAA's own certification requirements and the federal Made in USA rule, and we wrote this guide around what those two documents say.

TL;DR: FMAA is the Flag Manufacturers Association of America, a trade group of US flag makers. Its certification seal tells you the flag was produced entirely in the United States, from weaving the fabric to packaging the finished flag. The seal must read "Flag 100% Made in the U.S.A." and name the certified manufacturer. Separately, federal law bars any "Made in USA" label unless all or virtually all of the product is made in the US.

What Does FMAA Certification Mean, Exactly?

We read the FMAA Certification Program Requirements end to end (>FMAA Certification Program Requirements, PDF). It is a short PDF. A manufacturer can use the FMAA seal only if it is a member in good standing and it produced the flags "entirely in the United States." The document defines "produced" step by step. To the best knowledge of the maker, all of these happen in the US:

• The yarn is woven into fabric.
• The fabric is dyed, printed or bleached.
• The fabric is cut, assembled, sewn, finished and packaged.
• All processes are completed in US facilities.

The requirements go further than a label claim. Certified flags must meet US Customs and FTC labeling rules. Manufacturers must collect country-of-origin certificates from their raw material suppliers and keep them on file. Any manufacturing member can challenge another member's claims, anonymously the first time. A maker caught deviating has to pull the misleading labels to stay a member, and refusing means expulsion.

The seal wording is fixed. It must read, line by line: "Flag 100% Made in the U.S.A.," "Flag Manufacturers Association of America," the certified manufacturer's name, and "Wayne, PA 19087."

FMAA Certified vs "Made in USA"

The two overlap, and people mix them up all the time. "Made in USA" is a legal claim governed by the Federal Trade Commission. Under the FTC's Made in USA Labeling Rule, a seller may not label a product Made in the United States unless final assembly or processing happens here, all significant processing happens here, and "all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced in the United States" (>16 CFR Part 323, eCFR).

FMAA certification is a private program run by the flag makers themselves, and it spells out the flag-specific steps: weaving, dyeing, cutting, sewing. It adds paperwork and peer challenges on top of the federal rule. The FTC's own guidance describes "all or virtually all" as meaning a product should contain no foreign content, or only negligible foreign content. Imported flags have their own rule: federal customs law generally requires imported goods to be marked with their country of origin. We think of the FTC rule as the floor. The FMAA seal is a flag maker putting its own name on the label, with supplier certificates sitting in a file to back it up.

How We Check a Flag Listing

Here is the check we run on any flag, ours included.

1. Look for a sewn-in label. A real Made in USA flag says so on the flag itself, not just in the product description.
2. Read the seal wording. An FMAA seal names the manufacturer and reads "Flag 100% Made in the U.S.A." Vague lines like "designed in USA" or "American owned" are not the same claim.
3. Check the listing language. "Imported," "assembled in USA," or no origin at all should make you ask questions.
4. Ask the seller. A seller who knows where the flag was made will tell you.

It takes less time than reading the reviews.

Where Rushmore Rose USA Fits

We want to be precise here, because our old version of this post was not. It said our flags were FMAA certified as a blanket statement, and that is not how the program works. Rushmore Rose USA is an FMAA Certified Retailer. FMAA runs its certification for manufacturers and a separate program for retailers, and our status is the retailer one. The manufacturer seal is what certifies an individual flag. Every flag we sell is made in the USA. When you want to know whether a specific flag carries the manufacturer's FMAA seal, look at the sewn-in label on that flag. If the label is not in the product photos, ask us. We would rather answer that question than have you guess.

What we can tell you about our main flags:

• Durable Patriot: 100% nylon, embroidered stars, sewn stripes, made in the USA, sizes from 2x3 to 12x18.
• Everlast American Pride: 100% spun polyester, embroidered stars, sewn stripes, made in the USA, for windy sites.
• Printed polycotton 3x5: 70% polyester and 30% cotton, made in the USA.

You can see the full lineup in our American flags collection. If you are deciding between fabrics, our nylon vs spun polyester guide covers it, and our American flag gift guide for veterans helps if the flag is a gift.

Ask before you buy.

FMAA Certification Questions

What does FMAA stand for?

FMAA stands for the Flag Manufacturers Association of America, a trade association of US flag makers and suppliers based in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It runs the FMAA certification program and its seal, which certified manufacturers sew onto flags they produce entirely in the United States.

What does an FMAA certified flag mean?

It means the manufacturer, a member in good standing, produced that flag entirely in the United States under the FMAA's rules. The yarn is woven into fabric here, the fabric is dyed or printed here, and the flag is cut, sewn, finished and packaged in US facilities. The seal names the manufacturer.

Is FMAA certified the same as Made in USA?

Not exactly. "Made in USA" is a federal claim, and the FTC requires that all or virtually all of the product be made in the US. FMAA certification is a private program for flags that lists each production step and adds supplier paperwork and member challenges. A certified flag should meet both.

How can I tell if an American flag is made in the USA?

Check the flag itself for a sewn-in label. Look for the FMAA seal wording, "Flag 100% Made in the U.S.A.," with a named manufacturer. Be wary of listings that say "designed in USA" or give no origin. When in doubt, ask the seller where the flag was made.

Is Rushmore Rose USA FMAA certified?

Rushmore Rose USA is an FMAA Certified Retailer, which is the FMAA's program for sellers. Every flag we sell is made in the USA. The manufacturer seal on an individual flag is what certifies that flag, so check its sewn-in label or ask us what it says.

Are all American flags sold in the US made in the US?

No. Many flags sold in the United States are imported. Federal rules require imported goods to be marked with their country of origin, and the FTC limits who can claim Made in USA. That is why the label on the flag matters more than the headline on a listing.

Keep reading: From 13 Stripes to 50 Stars: The History of the American Flag.