Use

• Flags with fringe have been in use by the Army since 1835, but they weren't "officially" used until 1895. The Army's position is that fringe is for "honorable enrichment only."
  
  

Purpose

• Fringe was not an element in the original design of the U.S. flag and is not mentioned in any code or law regarding the flag. Fringe has no official purpose.
  
  

Meaning

• The gold fringe that appears on some U.S. flags has no official symbolic meaning. It is purely decorative.
  
  

Function

• Fringe usually appears only on indoor flags that are generally used for ceremonial purposes. Putting fringe on the U.S. flag is optional.
  
  

Significance

• In 1925, the U.S. attorney general gave his official opinion, saying that fringe on the flag is neither officially prescribed nor prohibited.