SymbolHub

Celsius Symbol (℃)

The celsius symbol ℃ is Unicode U+2103, the typographic unit symbol representing temperatures on the Celsius scale. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+2103
HTML
℃
Word
2103 Alt+X

How to type the celsius symbol (℃)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ℃ yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 2103 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Degree Celsius, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for celsius and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2103.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2103, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Copy ℃ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;cels. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. Copy ℃ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 2103, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2103 in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “celsius” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(8451) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ℃ or ℃ in your HTML.

What does ℃ mean?

The Celsius symbol ℃ (Unicode name DEGREE CELSIUS) represents temperature measurements on the Celsius scale, the predominant global standard used in science, industry, and daily weather forecasting. Conceived by Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius in 1742, the scale initially placed the boiling point of water at 0 and freezing at 100 before being inverted into its modern configuration by Carl Linnaeus. Originally termed the "centigrade" scale due to its hundred-step interval between the freezing and boiling points of water, it was officially renamed the Celsius scale in 1948 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) to honor its creator and eliminate linguistic ambiguity. Today, it stands as a cornerstone metric within international unit symbols and global weather symbols.

In digital typesetting and publishing, Unicode encodes ℃ at U+2103 as a legacy compatibility character designed primarily to preserve round-trip fidelity with East Asian character encodings (such as Japanese JIS and Chinese GB standards) where fullwidth square characters are necessary. For standard text and scientific manuscripts, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommend composing temperatures using two distinct characters: the independent degree symbol ° followed by a capital Latin letter C, with an unbroken non-breaking space between the numerical value and the unit (for example, 25 °C rather than 25°C or 25℃). Understanding this distinction helps authors maintain strict typographic compliance when converting between metric temperatures and the American Fahrenheit symbol ℉.

Common uses

  • Weather reporting and meteorological forecasts: 21 ℃ (or 21 °C)
  • Culinary recipes and appliance heating guides: Bake at 180 ℃ for 25 minutes
  • Scientific laboratory data tables, chemistry reports, and medical thermometer readings
  • HVAC climate control settings and digital automotive dashboards

Celsius Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces ℃. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+2103
HTML decimal℃
HTML hex℃
CSS contentcontent: "\2103";
JavaScript"\u2103"
Python"\u2103"
Python (by name)"\N{DEGREE CELSIUS}"
Java / C#"\u2103"
UTF-8 bytesE2 84 83
UTF-162103
URL encoded%E2%84%83

℃ vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to ℃ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Degree Sign + Latin Capital Letter C
U+00B0 U+0043		Degree sign (U+00B0) followed by Latin capital C, the preferred international standard.
Degree Fahrenheit
U+2109		Degree Fahrenheit symbol (U+2109), the temperature unit symbol used in the United States.
Degree
U+00B0		Degree symbol (U+00B0), an isolated degree mark used for angles and temperature.
Capital C
U+0043		Latin capital letter C (U+0043), which designates electrical charge in coulombs when used as a unit.

Symbols similar to ℃

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full unit symbols collection.

℃ character properties

Official Unicode name
DEGREE CELSIUS
Also known as
degree Celsius, degrees C, centigrade symbol, Celsius sign, degree centigrade
Code point
U+2103
Unicode block
Letterlike Symbols (U+2100–U+214F)
General category
Other symbol (So)
Added in
Unicode 1.1 (1993)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
No, it is a text symbol

Frequently asked questions

Should I use ℃ or type the degree sign followed by C?

International standards organizations (ISO and BIPM) recommend typing the degree sign followed by C (°C) with a space after the number. The single character ℃ is a compatibility symbol mainly used in East Asian vertical text.

Should there be a space before ℃ or °C?

Yes. Under SI standards, there must always be a space between the numerical quantity and the temperature unit (e.g., 20 °C or 20 ℃), with the exception of angular degrees.

How do I convert Celsius to Fahrenheit?

Multiply the Celsius temperature by 9/5 (or 1.8) and add 32. For example, 20 °C multiplied by 1.8 is 36, plus 32 equals 68 °F.

Is there an alt code for the celsius symbol?

No. ℃ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2103 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the celsius symbol on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for ℃ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “celsius” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the celsius symbol?

℃ has no named HTML entity. Use the numeric reference ℃ or ℃, or paste the character directly into a UTF-8 page.

What is the Unicode for the celsius symbol?

℃ is U+2103, officially named DEGREE CELSIUS, in the Letterlike Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).