Cubed Symbol (³)
The cubed symbol ³ is Unicode U+00B3, the superscript three for cubes and volumes. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Alt + 0179 on Windows.
- Unicode
U+00B3- HTML
³- Windows
Alt + 0179
How to type the cubed symbol (³)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ³ yourself, use the method for your device below. On Windows the alt code is Alt + 0179.
Windows
- Hold Alt and type 0179 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Num Lock must be on. This uses the Windows-1252 code page, so it works in almost every Windows app.
- In Word or Outlook, type 00B3 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Superscript Three, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for superscript three and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 00B3.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type b3, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
- Press your Compose key, then ^ 3. Needs a Compose key set in your keyboard settings.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ³ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;cube. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- In Gboard, long-press 3 on the ?123 page.
- Copy ³ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 00B3, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 00B3 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “superscript three” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(179)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
³or³in your HTML.
What does ³ mean?
³ is the superscript three, read “cubed”: 2³ = 8. It turns up in units of volume and flow, such as m³ (cubic metres), cm³ and ft³/min, and in physical formulas such as the volume of a sphere, V = 4⁄3 πr³.
A cubic metre is 1,000 litres and a cubic centimetre is one millilitre, which is why car engines are rated in cm³ (“cc”). Writing “m3” without the raised digit is common in spreadsheets, but it is ambiguous in print; the ³ character keeps the unit correct everywhere you paste it.
Like ², the cubed sign is part of the Latin-1 set, so it displays in almost every font and has a Windows Alt code. Superscripts four and above come from a later block.
Common uses
- Volumes: 2.5 m³ of concrete, a 500 cm³ flask
- Flow rates: 12 m³/h
- Formulas: V = a³ for a cube with side a
Cubed Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming
Every code below produces ³. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.
| Unicode code point | U+00B3 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | ³ | |
| HTML decimal | ³ | |
| HTML hex | ³ | |
| CSS content | content: "\B3"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u00B3" | |
| Python | "\u00B3" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{SUPERSCRIPT THREE}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u00B3" | |
| LaTeX | ^3 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | C2 B3 | |
| UTF-16 | 00B3 | |
| URL encoded | %C2%B3 | |
| Windows Alt code | Alt + 0179 |
³ vs look-alike characters
These characters look similar to ³ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Subscript ThreeU+2083 | Subscript three, as in chemical formulas such as NH₃. | |
Cube RootU+221B | Cube root, the inverse operation. | |
Superscript TwoU+00B2 | Superscript two (squared). |
Symbols similar to ³
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full superscript and subscript collection.
³ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- SUPERSCRIPT THREE
- Also known as
- superscript three, power of three, to the power of 3, sup3
- Code point
- U+00B3
- Unicode block
- Latin-1 Supplement (U+0080–U+00FF)
- General category
- Other number (No)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
How do I write cubic metres?
Write m³: the letter m followed by the superscript three. Alt + 0179 types ³ on Windows, or copy it from this page.
How do I cube a number in a spreadsheet?
Use =A1^3 or =POWER(A1,3). The ³ character is text only.
What is the alt code for the cubed symbol?
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0179 on the numeric keypad to get ³. On a laptop without a keypad, copy it from this page or use 00B3 then Alt + X in Word.
How do I type the cubed symbol on a Mac?
There is no single Option shortcut for ³ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “superscript three” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the cubed symbol?
Use the named entity ³ or the numeric reference ³ (hex ³). All three display ³ in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the cubed symbol?
³ is U+00B3, officially named SUPERSCRIPT THREE, in the Latin-1 Supplement block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).