Flagpoles have seen many dramatic changes since 1776 when the US began flying its flags. Before the industrial revolution flagpoles were made entirely out of wood. While there are Rustic companies in the US that still use this method, most flagpole manufacturers do not. Nowadays, flagpole producers use more durable materials which will last longer, check my link.
To make the first flagpoles, the first ones were built by Carpenters who would manually saw down straight trees. These trees would need to be shaped using a handsaw. After applying animal fat as a preserver to the pole, the entire thing was rubbed for several hour so that it was saturated. If properly maintained, these poles will last as long as 50 years. These flagpoles looked amazing, but they were easily destroyed by ground rot.
In 1893, steel tubes replaced wooden processed poles. A number of flagpole manufacturers were inspired by steel shafts or masts that drove piles and cargo booms on large ships. This was after 1929’s stock markets crash. This type was the most popular in the industry for 20 years. These are the most commonly used flagpole inspirations. Aluminum is the latest and greatest material used to make flagpoles. Aluminum has been the dominant material in flagpole manufacturing.
Aluminum is unique because it has many distinct features that can be modified at the molecular levels, creating new products in different areas. The most common aluminum alloy used to make flagpoles is 6063. This alloy can either be extruded (or tube-formed) aluminum alloy. It must comply with ASTM B241, Aluminum Alloy Pipe and Seamless tube. These poles can be hardened by heat treatment to get a temper rating of T6. This is considered the hardest form. This temper rating gives rise to an extraordinary level of minimum strain at just 25,000lbs per sq in, and a tube design stress that is 18,000lbs/square-inch.