Design your own coat of arms or family crest step by step, the way heralds do: pick a shield, divide the field, choose tinctures, add an ordinary and a charge, then frame it with mantling, a crown and a motto scroll. The tool writes the heraldic blazon for you and warns about the rule of tincture.
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1. Shield
2. Field division
First tincture
Second tincture
3. Ordinary (band or cross)
Ordinary tincture
4. Charge (symbol)
Charge tincture
5. Name, motto & decoration
The blazon above is the heraldic description of your design.
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How to use the Coat of Arms Maker
Choose a shield shape. The heater shield is the classic medieval shape; the lozenge and oval are traditional alternatives.
Divide the field (or keep it plain) and pick the first and second tinctures.
Add an ordinary such as a chevron, fess or cross, and give it a tincture that contrasts with the field.
Pick a charge and arrangement, for example three mullets two and one, and choose its tincture. Watch the rule of tincture note.
Add your family name and motto, mantling or a wreath and a crown, then download an SVG or PNG. Use Create random arms for inspiration.
Heraldic tinctures
Tincture
Color
Type
Popular modern symbolism
Or
Gold or yellow
Metal
Generosity, elevation of mind
Argent
Silver or white
Metal
Peace, sincerity
Gules
Red
Colour
Courage, strength
Azure
Blue
Colour
Loyalty, truth
Vert
Green
Colour
Hope, joy, abundance
Purpure
Purple
Colour
Royalty, justice
Sable
Black
Colour
Constancy, grief
Tenné and Sanguine
Orange-brown and blood red
Stains (rare)
Used sparingly, mostly in later heraldry
Ermine
White with black spots
Fur
Dignity; originally the winter coat of the stoat
The meanings above are later traditions, not medieval rules: early heralds chose tinctures mainly for contrast and recognition.
Parts of a coat of arms
Field: the background of the shield. It can be plain or divided by lines of partition such as per pale (vertical), per fess (horizontal) or quarterly.
Ordinaries: bold geometric bands such as the chief (top third), fess (horizontal band), pale (vertical band), bend (diagonal), chevron, cross, saltire (X-shaped cross) and bordure (border).
Charges: symbols placed on the field or on an ordinary. The mullet is a heraldic star, an annulet a ring and a roundel a disc whose name changes with its tincture (bezant in Or, plate in Argent, torteau in Gules, hurt in Azure).
Decoration around the shield: mantling (the cloth flowing from the helm, drawn as leaves), a crown or other crest on top, and a scroll with the motto, usually below the shield in British tradition.
How to read the blazon
A blazon always starts with the field, then the most important charge or ordinary, then the smaller charges, each followed by its tincture. Tinctures are written with a capital letter. Examples you can build here:
Blazon
What it means
Azure, a chevron Or between three mullets Argent
Blue field, a gold chevron, three silver stars two above and one below
Per pale Gules and Argent, a fleur-de-lis Or
Field split vertically red and silver, one gold fleur-de-lis
Argent, on a chief Azure three crescents Or
Silver field, blue top band with three gold crescents on it
Vert, three bezants, a bordure Argent
Green field, three gold discs, silver border
Tip: for a design that looks authentic, keep it simple. Classic arms often use only two tinctures and one type of charge. For a modern logo-style version of your initials, try the monogram maker, or the badge and emblem maker for a club or team badge.
Frequently asked questions
Is a coat of arms the same as a family crest?
Not exactly. In heraldry the crest is only the part on top of the helmet, while the coat of arms is the whole design, centered on the shield. In everyday speech, though, people use family crest to mean the full coat of arms, which is what this tool makes.
Does my surname have an official coat of arms?
Usually not. In most heraldic traditions, such as England and Scotland, arms are granted to one person and pass to specific descendants, not to everyone with the same surname. This tool is for designing your own original arms for fun, gifts, family reunions, stories or games, not for looking up historic arms.
What is the rule of tincture?
It is the main color rule of heraldry: do not put a metal (Or or Argent) on another metal, or a colour (Gules, Azure, Vert, Purpure, Sable) on another colour. Charges and ordinaries should contrast with what they sit on so the arms can be recognized from far away. Furs such as ermine and divided fields are treated more freely.
What is a blazon?
A blazon is the formal written description of a coat of arms, using old heraldic terms in a fixed order: first the field, then the main charges and ordinaries with their tinctures. For example: Azure, a chevron Or between three mullets Argent. Any artist can draw the same arms from the blazon, even in a different style.
What do the heraldic colors mean?
Heraldry has no single official meaning for each tincture, but popular modern interpretations say Or stands for generosity, Argent for peace and sincerity, Gules for courage, Azure for loyalty, Vert for hope, Purpure for royalty and Sable for constancy. Treat these as tradition and symbolism rather than rules.
Why is the left side called dexter?
Heraldry describes the shield from the point of view of the person holding it, so dexter (right) is on the viewer's left and sinister (left) is on the viewer's right. That is why a bend runs from the top left of the picture and a bend sinister from the top right.
Can I use the design for printing or engraving?
Yes. Download the SVG for sharp printing at any size, or a PNG up to 3000 × 3600 px. The charges and decorations are original drawings and the fonts use open licenses, so you can use your design freely.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.