A Heraldic Primer: Field Divisions

The field may be divided into multiple sections in certain conventional ways. The field is still considered to be a single layer, so no section is considered to be "on" any other.

In general the sections of a divided field are blazoned in the order that one would read a page: primarily from top to bottom and secondarily from left to right, as one faces the shield.

Two-part Field Divisions

Per bend sable and argent.
Per bend 		Per bend sinister sable and argent.
Per bend sinister 		Per chevron sable and argent.
Per chevron
Per chevron inverted sable and argent.
Per chevron inverted 		Per fess sable and argent.
Per fess 		Per pale sable and argent.
Per pale

Three-part Field Divisions

Per pall sable, argent, and gules.
Per pall 		Per pall inverted sable, argent, and gules.
Per pall inverted

Four-part Field Divisions

Per saltire sable and argent.
Per saltire 		Quarterly sable and argent.
Quarterly

Eight-part Field Division

Gyronny sable and argent.
Gyronny

Many-part Field Divisions

With these divisions, the number of parts is usually an unspecified even number greater than four.

Barry sable and argent.
Barry 		Bendy argent and sable.
Bendy 		Bendy sinister sable and argent.
Bendy sinister
Chequy sable and argent.
Chequy 		Lozengy argent and sable.
Lozengy 		Paly sable and argent.
Paly
Pily sable and argent.
Pily