The Charter and Bylaws in Article X, Section 1, Clause 6, states:
"Ranks. There shall be the following ranks in Boy Scouting: Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. The requirements shall be those authorized by the Executive Board and set forth in official Scouting publications. Eagle Palms may also be awarded on the basis of requirements authorized by the Executive Board and set forth in official Scouting publications."
After becoming an Eagle Scout, you may earn Palms by completing the following requirements:
You may wear only the proper combination of Palms for the number of merit badges you earned beyond the rank of Eagle. The Bronze Palm represents 5 merit badges, the Gold Palm - 10, and the Silver Palm - 15.
*Merit Badges earned any time since becoming a Boy Scout may be used to meet this requirement.
NOTE: Scouts who earn three Palms may continue to earn additional Palms in the same order - bronze, gold, and silver. All requirements for Eagle Palms must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday. The Palms beyond Silver can't be entered into BSA's Scoutnet database, since there doesn't appear to be a way to record multiple instances of the awards, just the number of merit badges he has, but the Scout's can still earn and wear the multiple Palms.
Please note that Requirement 6 - (Complete your board of review) MAY be done AFTER the Scout has reached age 18.
The following Table shows how many and which Palms should be worn for various numbers of Merit Badges beyond the 21 required for Eagle Scout, and how long it takes to earn these palms ( assuming exactly 3 months between each Board of Review).
| Palm Number |
Merit Badges beyond those required for Eagle Scout |
Total Merit Badges since joining Scouts | Minimum number of Months since earning Eagle | Number of Palms to be worn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Gold | Silver | ||||
| 1 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 10 | 31 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 15 | 36 | 9 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 20 | 41 | 12 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | 25 | 46 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | 30 | 51 | 18 | 2 | ||
| 7 | 35 | 56 | 21 | 1 | 2 | |
| 8 | 40 | 61 | 24 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 | 45 | 66 | 27 | 3 | ||
| 10 | 50 | 71 | 30 | 1 | 3 | |
| 11 | 55 | 76 | 33 | 1 | 3 | |
| 12 | 60 | 81 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 13 | 65 | 86 | 39 | 1 | 4 | |
| 14 | 70 | 91 | 42 | 1 | 4 | |
| 15 | 75 | 96 | 45 | 5 | ||
| 16 | 80 | 101 | 48 | 1 | 5 | |
| 17 | 85 | 106 | 51 | 1 | 5 | |
| 18 | 90 | 111 | 54 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 95 | 116 | 57 | 1 | 6 | |
| 20 | 100 | 121 | 60 | 1 | 6 | |
To reach 20 palms (6 Silver and a Gold), in addition to earning all 121 Merit Badges, a Scout must pass his Eagle Scout Board of Review no later than the day before his 13th Birthday, then pass each of the 20 subsequent Eagle Palm Boards of Review exactly 3 months after the preceding Board of Review, in order to complete all tenure requirements before his 18th birthday.