Plus-Minus Sign
U+00B1Latin-1 Supplement
Also known as plus or minus signplus minus symbolplus-minustolerance sign
Copy and paste ±. The Plus-Minus Sign character has Unicode code point U+00B1 and decimal HTML code ±.
Symbol codes
- Unicode
U+00B1- Alt Code
Alt+0177- HTML Code
±- CSS Code
\B1- HTML Entity
±- HEX Code
±
Technical properties
Unicode 18.0.0
- Code point
- U+00B1
- Decimal
- 177
- Unicode name
- PLUS-MINUS SIGN
- Block
- Latin-1 Supplement · U+0080–U+00FF
- General category
- Math Symbol (Sm)
- Script
- Common
- Introduced
- Unicode 1.1
- JavaScript
- "\u00B1"
Appears in
About Plus-Minus Sign
The plus-minus sign indicates that both a positive and a negative value apply, or that a value has a stated tolerance or uncertainty.
± is encoded in Unicode as code point U+00B1 (decimal 177). Its official Unicode name is PLUS-MINUS SIGN.
It belongs to the Latin-1 Supplement block (U+0080–U+00FF), its General Category is Math Symbol (Sm), and it was added in Unicode 1.1, released in 1993. Its script value is Common: it is shared across writing systems rather than belonging to one.
Common uses
- Giving the two solutions of an equation
- Writing measurement tolerance or uncertainty
Examples
- Two values
- x = ±3
- Tolerance
- 20 ± 0.5 mm
Sources: Unicode Character Database 18.0.0, the HTML Standard’s list of named character references, and Unicode’s code page mappings.
How to type or insert Plus-Minus Sign
- Any device
- Select Copy symbol, then paste with Ctrl+V, or ⌘+V on a Mac.
- Windows Alt code
- With Num Lock on, hold Alt, type 0177 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
- Microsoft Word
- Type
00B1, then press Alt+X. - Mac keyboard
- Option+Shift+= on the U.S. keyboard layout.
- macOS Character Viewer
- Press Control+⌘+Space and search for “plus-minus sign”.
- Linux (GTK and IBus)
- Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type
00b1, then press Space. - HTML
±or±. In a UTF-8 page you can also paste the character itself.- CSS
content: "\B1";in a::beforeor::afterrule.- JavaScript
"\u00B1"
Common questions about Plus-Minus Sign
What is the Plus-Minus Sign?
The plus-minus sign indicates that both a positive and a negative value apply, or that a value has a stated tolerance or uncertainty. In Unicode it is U+00B1, officially named PLUS-MINUS SIGN. It is also known as plus or minus sign, plus minus symbol, plus-minus, and tolerance sign.
How do I copy and paste the Plus-Minus Sign?
Select Copy symbol at the top of this page, then paste with Ctrl+V on Windows and Linux or ⌘+V on a Mac. On a phone, tap Copy symbol, then touch and hold where you want it and choose Paste. ± pastes as ordinary text, so it works in documents, messages, and code.
How do I type the Plus-Minus Sign on Windows?
Turn on Num Lock, hold Alt, type 0177 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. In Microsoft Word, type 00B1 and press Alt+X to turn the code into ±. In any app, open Character Map from the Start menu, search for “plus-minus sign”, then select and copy the character.
How do I type the Plus-Minus Sign on a Mac?
Press Option+Shift+= (U.S. keyboard layout). Press Control+⌘+Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “plus-minus sign”, and double-click the result to insert it.
How do I type the Plus-Minus Sign on an iPhone or Android phone?
The simplest way is to copy it from this page and paste it where you need it. If you use it often, save it as a text shortcut: on iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement; with Gboard on Android, go to Gboard settings > Dictionary > Personal dictionary.
Can I use the Plus-Minus Sign in Word, Google Docs, and social media?
Yes. ± is a standard Unicode character, so you can paste it into Microsoft Word, Google Docs, emails, and posts or bios on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok. In Google Docs you can also choose Insert > Special characters and search for “plus-minus sign”. In Word, choose Insert > Symbol > More Symbols, set from to Unicode (hex), and enter 00B1 as the character code.
Is the Plus-Minus Sign an emoji?
No. ± is a text symbol, not an emoji. It takes the color and size of the surrounding text, and its exact shape depends on the font.
Why does the Plus-Minus Sign show as a box or question mark?
An empty box or a question mark means the font on that device has no glyph for ±. The character is still there: it appears correctly wherever a font covers Unicode’s Latin-1 Supplement block, and free font families such as Google Noto cover nearly all of Unicode.
What are the HTML and CSS codes for the Plus-Minus Sign?
In HTML, write ± (decimal) or ± (hexadecimal), or the named entity ±. In CSS, use content: "\B1"; in a ::before or ::after rule, and in JavaScript "\u00B1". See all HTML codes.