Square Knot Insignia of Scouting

    Over the years there have been many awards and recognitions from Cub Scouting, Webelos, Boy Scouts and Adult Scouters. Since there are so many awards, it is almost but impossible to display on the uniform, so scouting went to the square knot insignia to display one's awards as either a youth or adult scouter. Most if not all of these square knot insignias are worn on the daily scout uniform and the dressy awards to be worn on special Scout occasions.

    This page is split up into several different parts depending on the type of award that the square knot indicates. There is a picture of the award knot, a brief explination of how the award knot is earned, and finally who is enabled to wear the award knot. The scouting award knots are as follows:


How Are These Awards Worn?

    The square knots illustrated above (and others which are presented by local Councils or by other national Scouting organizations) are worn only on the field uniform of the Cub, Scout, Explorer or Scouter earning/receiving the award. As a general rule, the knots are NOT worn when the medal, medallion or device is worn...the knots are designed for informal, everyday wear by the Scout or Scouter. Using common sense, however, it is OK to wear both the knots and the medals if you only own one uniform, although this would be considered in poor taste. Also considered poor taste is the wearing of more than 15 square knots, even though the uniform shirt can accommodate up to 18 emblems. This has NOT stopped many Scouters that have received more than this number in wearing the ones that they choose to.

    There is NO wearing sequence for the square knots; each Scout or Scouter can decide to wear or not wear the knot(s), can wear a few or all of the ones he or she has received or earned, and in the order and manner on the uniform that they choose to do so. However, in order to provide some form of uniformity, the BSA's Uniform and Insignia Committee has come up with a wearing arrangement for the knot emblems on the field uniform. It is illustrated below:


Illustration of how to wear square knots
knot arrangement illustration

    The knots are worn centered on the left side of the uniform, above the left pocket and in rows of three with the bottom edge of the knot emblem(s) touching the top edge of the pocket flap. Subsequent rows of knots are placed above the initial set, in rows of three and again, at the discretion of the wearer.



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