Pale (heraldry)

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The shield above depicts a black pale placed on a gold shield, and its blazon is Or, a pale sable.

A pale is a term used in heraldic blazon and vexilology to describe a charge on a coat of arms (or flag), that takes the form of a band running vertically down the center of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by the chief, ranging from one-fifth to one-third. The former is more likely if the pale is uncharged, that is, if it does not have other objects placed on it. If charged, the pale is typically wider to allow room for the objects drawn there.

A pale may be couped ("cut off" at either end, and so not reaching the top or bottom of the shield).

Though the pallet is sometimes termed a diminutive of the pale, this is not necessarily true, as the pallet may be no narrower than the pale. In British heraldry two pales cannot appear on a field, two pale-like charges being then termed pallets. A shield with numerous pales may be termed paly, though this is properly a term used to describe a division of the field.

The pale is one of the ordinaries in heraldry, along with the bend, chevron, fess, and chief. There are several other ordinaries and sub-ordinaries.

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