In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English fesse, Old French faisse,^[1] and Latin fascia, "band")^[2] is a charge on a coat of arms (or flag) that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield.^[3] Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by a fess or other ordinary, ranging from one-fifth to one-third. The Oxford Guide to Heraldry states that earlier writers including Leigh, Holme, and Guillim favour one-third, while later writers such as Edmondson favour one-fifth "on the grounds that a bend, pale, or chevron occupying one-third of the field makes the coat look clumsy and disagreeable."^[4] A fess is likely to be shown narrower if it is uncharged, that is, if it does not have other charges placed on it, and/or if it is to be shown with charges above and below it; and shown wider if charged. The fess or bar, termed fasce in French heraldry, should not be confused with fasces.

Gallery

• 
  Fess cottised
• 
  Two barrulets
• 
  Two bars gemelles
• 
  Fess indented
• 
  Party per fess
• 
  Barry of eight
• 
  Barry wavy
• 
  Barry nebuly

Diminutives

In English heraldry, two or more such charges appearing together on a shield are termed bars, though there are no definitive rules setting the width of the fess, the bar, nor their comparative width.^[3] A shield of (often six or eight) horizontal stripes of alternating colour is called barry. Narrower versions of the bar are called barrulets ("little bars"), and when a shield of horizontal stripes alternating colour is composed of ten or more stripes, it is called barruly or burely instead of barry.^[3] A cotise, defined as half the width of a barrulet, may be borne alongside a fess, and often two of these appear, one on either side of the fess.^[3] This is often termed "a fess cotised" (also cottised, coticed or cotticed).^[5] Another diminutive of the fess called a closet is said to be between a bar and barrulet, but this is seldom found.^[3]

Other uses

• 
  Tierced per fess
• 
  Three eagles in fess
• 
  A fleur-de-lys between two mullets in fess
• 
  A flaming arrow fesswise

A shield party per fess (or simply per fess) is divided in half horizontally (in the manner of a fess). A charge placed horizontally may be termed fesswise or fessways, and two or more charges arranged in a horizontal row are blazoned in fess or in bar.

Notable and unusual forms

A mural fess, that is a fess embattled and masoned of the field, can be seen in the arms of Suzanne Elizabeth Altvater.^[6]

The arms of Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie provide an example of three Barrulets fracted and there conjoined to a Chevronel.^[7]

A flag which has a central horizontal stripe that is half the height of the flag is sometimes said to have a Spanish fess. The name is based on the most well-known example of this style of flag, the flag of Spain.