How to Build Your Medal Rack Online (Before You Order)

When it comes to presenting your service history with pride, using Rack Builder takes the guesswork out of assembling your military medals and ribbons. Whether you are preparing for Anzac Day, Remembrance Day, or a formal parade, organising your honours correctly is essential for maintaining service traditions and showing proper respect to your history.

Historically, ordering a new set of replica medals, arranging court mounting, or setting up a new ribbon rack meant squinting at complex order-of-precedence charts, filling out paper forms, or hoping the medal mounter understood exactly what you needed. Rack Builder changes that process completely by allowing you to construct and preview your set digitally before placing an order. A medal rack builder ensures your awards are correctly ordered, properly spaced, and aligned with official regulations.

With that said, here is everything you need to know about preparing your honours, understanding Australian mounting standards, and using a ribbon rack builder to design your rack online.

Why Getting the Order of Precedence Right Matters

Australian military and civilian honours follow a strict Order of Precedence maintained by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. This protocol dictates the exact position of every decoration, medal, and ribbon worn on a uniform or formal jacket.

Wearing medals in the wrong order or incorrectly mounted isn't just a minor visual flaw, it violates formal dress protocols.

When mounting medals or assembling ribbons, several common errors occur without a visual guide:

• Incorrect Hierarchy: Placing campaign medals ahead of gallantry awards or placing long service awards in the wrong sequence.
• Foreign Awards Misplacement: Placing foreign honours ahead of Australian imperial or national awards without proper permission or out of relative order.
• Commemorative Medal Confusion: Placing unofficial or unofficial commemorative medals on the primary mounting bar alongside official state honours.
• Inconsistent Spacing: Misjudging how full-size medals overlap when mounting four or more awards side by side.

Rack Builder automatically cross-references your selections against official precedence, making sure every ribbon sits in its rightful spot.

The Benefits of Building Your Medal Rack Digitally

Designing your rack online before handing over payment solves several practical issues faced by serving personnel, veterans, and family members.

Traditional vs Digital Ordering

1. Instant Visual Verification

Seeing a realistic render of your completed rack gives you complete confidence in the final appearance. You can verify how your miniature medals look compared to your full-size medals, see where your clasps sit on individual ribbons, and check the overall balance of your set. 

2. Reduced Risk of Errors

A dedicated military medal rack builder limits common order errors. As you search for and add awards such as the Australian Defence Medal, Imperial awards, or modern campaign medals, Rack Builder arranges them correctly from top-left to bottom-right (from the wearer’s perspective).

3. Clear Costing and Customisation

When you build your medals rack, adding extras like miniature sets, court mounting backings, or magnetic fixings can change the scope of your order. Visual builders update your options dynamically, making it clear what each option entails before you check out.

Understanding Medal Mounting: Court Mounting vs. Swing Mounting

After configuring your layout online, you need to select the appropriate style for mounting medals for wearing. In Australia, two primary styles exist: Court Mounting and Swing Mounting.

Court Mounting vs Swing Mounting

Court Mounting

Court mounting is the current standard for serving members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and is widely favoured by veterans.

• How it works: Medals are securely stitched onto a rigid backing board. The ribbon extends down behind the medal and curves up to secure the piece in place.
• Advantages: Because the medals are fixed firmly to the board, they do not swing around, bump into one another, or clink loudly while walking. This protects the finish on polished replica or original medals from scratches and wear.

Swing Mounting

Swing mounting is the traditional style where medals hang freely from a top mounting bar.

• How it works: Medals suspended from their ribbons hang loosely from a metal brooch bar.
• Advantages: Offers a classic look and is often chosen for historic displays or older family sets. However, because the medals swing freely, they can hit against each other and cause minor wear or denting over time.

When using an online medal rack builder, you can usually select whether you require court mounting or loose swing mounting for your full-size or miniature sets.

Ribbons vs. Full-Size Medals: Knowing When to Wear What

A complete medal rack strategy involves two distinct setups: full medals for formal occasions and ribbon bars for daily service uniform or intermediate dress.

Full-Size Medals

Worn on ceremonial occasions, evening dress (mess dress), and major commemorative events like Anzac Day services. Full-size medals are mounted on a bar and attached to the left breast of a jacket or service tunic.

Miniature Medals

Worn primarily for formal evening functions, black-tie events, and mess dinners. Miniatures are scaled-down versions of full-size medals and follow the exact same Order of Precedence.

Ribbon Bars

Worn on daily working uniforms or routine office dress. Ribbon bars represent each award through a small section of its corresponding ribbon mounted on a rigid backing frame. Modern systems frequently use magnetic backings or clutch-pins to attach cleanly to light fabrics without causing damage.

When you use a ribbon rack builder to build my military ribbon rack, you can configure custom multi-row ribbon bars that feature devices, stars, and clasps directly on the fabric representation.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build Your Medal Rack Online

Creating a custom setup through Rack Builder is straightforward. Here is how to navigate the process smoothly from home.

Step 1: Gather Your Service Documents

Before searching for medals online, have your official service record, Discharge Certificates, or formal entitlements list at hand. This ensures you know the exact names of your awards, along with any relevant clasps, rosettes, or citation devices (such as Long Service clasps or NATO operational bars).

Step 2: Open the Rack Builder Tool

Navigate to the digital builder on the website. Select whether you are constructing a full-size set, a miniature set, or a standalone ribbon bar.

Step 3: Search and Add Your Honours

Use the search bar or category filters to locate your awards. Add them one by one. As you add awards such as; the Australian Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, or Defence Long Service Medal, the tool then places them onto the digital mounting rack.

Step 4: Attach Clasps, Rosettes, and Devices

If your award includes specific operational clasps (for example, East Timor, Solomon Islands, or Kuwait), select the clasp option from the dropdown menu. The visual tool will render the clasp directly onto the ribbon in the appropriate position.

Step 5: Review the Layout and Order of Precedence

Double-check the rendered rack against your official records. The system arranges your selections according to standard Australian precedence rules, allowing you to visually confirm that the set is accurate and complete.

Step 6: Select Your Mounting Options and Hardware

Choose your preferred mounting style (such as court mounting) and backing attachment type (traditional pin, heavy-duty brooch pin, or magnetic attachment). Once confirmed, finalize your order for professional assembly and delivery.

Tips for Preserving and Wearing Your Medals

Once your freshly mounted set arrives, maintaining its condition ensures it lasts for decades to come.

• Store in a Protective Case: Always keep your medals in a plush-lined storage box or padded pouch when not in use. Avoid leaving them in damp areas or direct sunlight, which can fade the silk ribbons
• Wear on the Correct Side: Entitled recipients wear their awards on the left breast. Family members wearing a relative’s medals in honor or memory wear them on the right breast.
• Clean Gently: Never clean court-mounted medals with harsh chemical dips or abrasive polishes, as these can ruin the ribbon fabric. Use a soft microfibre cloth to gently buff silver or gold surfaces.

Design Your Custom Medal Set Today

Configuring your honours should be a clear, stress-free process. By using Rack Builder, you eliminate guesswork, prevent mounting errors, and ensure your medals or ribbons reflect your service history accurately.

Ready to see how your medals will look when professionally mounted? Visit Rack Builder to design, preview, and order your custom medal rack or ribbon bar online.