Crochet tool
Crochet chart symbols
What does this symbol on a crochet chart mean?
This symbol is
single crochet
a plus sign or an x; both are in useAbbreviation: sc
In UK terms: double crochet (dc)
“Our suggestion” marks advice that is this site’s own, not a figure from a published chart.
Crochet chart symbols, with their abbreviations and UK names
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Stitch | Symbol | Abbreviation | In UK terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| chain | an oval | ch | the same stitch, under the same name |
| slip stitch | a filled dot | sl st | the same stitch, under the same name |
| single crochet | a plus sign or an x; both are in use | sc | double crochet (dc) |
| half double crochet | an upright line with a bar across the top | hdc | half treble (htr) |
| double crochet | an upright line with a bar across the top and one short slash through it | dc | treble (tr) |
| treble crochet | an upright line with a bar across the top and two short slashes through it | tr | double treble (dtr) |
| double treble crochet | an upright line with a bar across the top and three short slashes through it | dtr | triple treble (trtr) |
| single crochet 2 together | two leaning lines that meet at the top, each with a short tick across it | sc2tog | the same symbol; a US single crochet is a UK double crochet |
| double crochet 2 together | two leaning lines with one slash each, joined under a single bar at the top | dc2tog | the same symbol; a US double crochet is a UK treble |
| cluster of 3 double crochets | three lines with one slash each, joined at the foot and under a single bar at the top | CL | the same symbol; a US double crochet is a UK treble |
| puff stitch | three lines with no slash, joined at the foot and under a single bar at the top | differs from list to list | the same symbol; a US half double crochet is a UK half treble |
| shell of 5 double crochets | five double crochet symbols fanned out from one foot | differs from list to list | the same symbol; a US double crochet is a UK treble |
| front post double crochet | a double crochet symbol whose foot ends in a hook, with the tip of the hook on the left | FPdc | the same symbol; a US double crochet is a UK treble |
| back post double crochet | a double crochet symbol whose foot ends in a hook, with the tip of the hook on the right | BPdc | the same symbol; a US double crochet is a UK treble |
| back loop only | a small arch, drawn at the foot of the stitch that is worked into it | BL or BLO | the same symbol, under the same name |
| front loop only | a small cup, drawn at the foot of the stitch that is worked into it | FL or FLO | the same symbol, under the same name |
- A symbol stands for a stitch, not for a word, so a chart reads the same in US and UK terms. Only the name of the stitch changes.
- A double crochet (UK treble) has one short slash on its line, a treble crochet two and a double treble crochet three.
- Designers draw some symbols a little differently. A pattern's own key comes first: read it before you begin.
- Every symbol here is shown the same way by two charts. Symbols that one chart alone shows, or that the two draw differently, are left out.
How it works
- Single crochet (UK double crochet) is drawn as a plus sign or as an x. Both are in common use, and they mean the same stitch.
- Symbols whose feet meet in one place are all worked into that one stitch or space: a shell. Symbols that stand apart and are gathered under one top are worked together into one stitch: a decrease or a cluster.
- A post stitch has a small hook at its foot. The way the hook faces tells a front post stitch from a back post stitch.
- The marks for the back loop and the front loop are drawn at the foot of the stitch that is worked into that loop: an arch for the back loop, a cup for the front loop.
Worked examples
- What does a plus sign mean on a crochet chart?
- Single crochet (UK double crochet). Some charts draw it as an x.
- What is the chart symbol for double crochet?
- An upright line with a bar across the top and one short slash through it. In UK terms that stitch is a treble.
- What does an oval mean on a crochet chart?
- A chain stitch.
- What does a dot mean on a crochet chart?
- A slip stitch.
Questions
- Are crochet chart symbols the same in every country?
- The symbols are, and that is their use: a chart has no words, so it can be read whatever language its pattern is written in. The names differ. A chart drawn for a US pattern and one drawn for a UK pattern use the same symbol for the same stitch.
- The symbol in my pattern is not on this chart. What is it?
- Look in the pattern's own key, which explains every symbol the chart uses. Many symbols are built from the ones here: lines that share a foot or a top, with one, two or three slashes for the taller stitches.
- How do I read a whole chart?
- Our guide to reading crochet charts shows where a chart starts and which way the rows and rounds run. Our suggestion