# Traditional point-size names

Fonts originally consisted of a set of moveable type letterpunches purchased from a type foundry. As early as 1600, the sizes of these types—their "bodies"—acquired traditional names in English, French, German, and Dutch, usually from their principal early uses. These names were used relative to the others and their exact length would vary over time, from country to country, and from foundry to foundry. For example, "agate" and "ruby" used to be a single size "agate ruby" of about 5 points; metal type known as "agate" later ranged from 5 to 5.8 points. The sizes were gradually standardized as described above. Modern Chinese typography uses the following names in general preference to stating the number of points. In ambiguous contexts, the word hào (t 號, s 号, lit. "number") is added to the end of the size name to clarify the meaning.
Note that the Chinese font sizes use American points; the Continental systems traditionally used the Fournier or Didot points. The Fournier points, being smaller than Didot's, were associated with the names of the Didot type closest in size rather than identical in number of points.

## Comparison table

| Point | Metric size | American system | American system | Continental system | Continental system | Continental system | Chinese system | Chinese system | Chinese system |
| Point | Metric size | American | British | French | German | Dutch | Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
| 1 | ≈ 0.353 mm | American | | | Achtelpetit | Achtste petit | | | |
| ⁠1+1/2⁠ | ≈ 0.529 mm | German | | | Achtelcicero | Achtste cicero | | | |
| 2 | ≈ 0.706 mm | Saxon | | | Non Plus Ultra Viertelpetit | Non plus ultra Vierde petit | | | |
| ⁠2+1/2⁠ | ≈ 0.882 mm | Norse | | Microscopique | Microscopique | Microscoop Microscopie | | | |
| 3 | ≈ 1.058 mm | Excelsior | Minikin | Diamant | Brillant Viertelcicero | Kwart cicero | | | |
| ⁠3+1/2⁠ | ≈ 1.235 mm | Ruby Brilliant | | | | | | | |
| 4 | ≈ 1.411 mm | Brilliant | Brilliant | Perle | Diamant Halbpetit | Robijn Diamant Halve petit | | | |
| ⁠4+1/4⁠ | ≈ 1.499 mm | | Gem | | | | | | |
| ⁠4+1/2⁠ | ≈ 1.588 mm | Diamond | Diamond | | | | | | |
| 5 | ≈ 1.764 mm | Pearl | Pearl | Parisienne Sédanoise | Perl | Parel Parisienne | 八 | Bā | "Eight" |
| ⁠5+1/2⁠ | ≈ 1.940 mm | Agate | Ruby | | | | 七 | Qī | "Seven" |
| 6 | ≈ 2.117 mm | Nonpareil | Nonpareil | Nonpareille | Nonpareille | Nonparel Nonpareil | | | |
| ⁠6+1/2⁠ | ≈ 2.293 mm | Minionette | Emerald | | Insertio | Insertio | 小六 | Xiǎoliù | "Little Six" |
| 7 | ≈ 2.469 mm | Minion | Minion | Mignonne | Kolonel | Kolonel Mignon | | | |
| ⁠7+1/2⁠ | ≈ 2.646 mm | | | Petit-texte | | | 六 | Liù | "Six" |
| 8 | ≈ 2.822 mm | Brevier | Brevier | Gaillarde Petit-texte | Petit Jungfer | Petit Brevier | | | |
| 9 | ≈ 3.175 mm | Bourgeois | Bourgeois | Petit-romain Gaillarde | Bourgeois Borgis | Borgis Burgeois | 小五 | Xiǎowǔ | "Little Five" |
| 10 | ≈ 3.528 mm | Long Primer | Long Primer | Philosophie | Korpus Garmond | Corpus Garmond | | | |
| ⁠10+1/2⁠ | ≈ 3.704 mm | | | | | | 五 | Wǔ | "Five" |
| 11 | ≈ 3.881 mm | Small Pica | Small Pica | Cicéro | Rheinländer Discendian | Mediaan Rheinländer | | | |
| 12 | ≈ 4.233 mm | Pica | Pica | St.-Augustin | Cicero | Cicero Augustijn | 小四 | Xiǎosì | "Little Four" |
| 14 | ≈ 4.939 mm | English | English | Gros-texte | Mittel | Grote cicero Grote augustijn Mediaan | 四 | Sì | "Four" |
| 15 | ≈ 5.292 mm | | | Gros-texte | | | 小三 | Xiǎosān | "Little Three" |
| 16 | ≈ 5.644 mm | Columbian Exchange | | Gros-texte | Tertia | Tertia | 三 | Sān | "Three" |
| 18 | ≈ 6.350 mm | Great Primer | Great Primer | Gros-romain | ⁠1+1/2⁠ Cicero | Paragon Tekst | 小二 | Xiǎoèr | "Little Two" |
| 20 | ≈ 7.056 mm | Paragon | Paragon | Petit-parangon | Text Secunda | | | | |
| 22 | ≈ 7.761 mm | Double Small Pica | Double Small Pica | Gros-parangon | | | 二 | Èr | "Two" |
| 24 | ≈ 8.467 mm | Double Pica | Double Pica | Palestine | Doppelcicero | Dubbele cicero Palestine | 小一 | Xiǎoyī | "Little One" |
| 26 | ≈ 9.172 mm | | | | | | 一 | Yī | "One" |
| 28 | ≈ 9.878 mm | Double English | Double English | Petit-canon | Doppelmittel | Dubbele mediaan | | | |
| 30 | ≈ 10.583 mm | Five-line Nonpareil | | | | | | | |
| 32 | ≈ 11.289 mm | Double Columbian | | | Kleine Kanon Doppeltertia | Dubbele tertia | | | |
| 36 | 12.7 mm | Double Great Primer | Double Great Primer | Trismégiste | Kanon Canon | Kanon | 小初 | Xiǎochū | "Little Initial" |
| 40 | ≈ 14.111 mm | Double Paragon | | | Doppeltext Große Kanon | | | | |
| 42 | ≈ 14.817 mm | Seven-line Nonpareil | | | Große Kanon | Grote Kanon | 初 | Chū | "Initial" |
| 44 | ≈ 15.522 mm | Canon | | Gros-canon | Missal | Parijs Romein | | | |
| 48 | ≈ 16.933 mm | Four-line Pica French canon | Canon | Gros-canon | Kleine Missal | Konkordanz Kleine missaal | | | |
| 54 | ≈ 19.050 mm | | | | Missal | Missaal | | | |
| 56 | ≈ 19.756 mm | | | Double-canon | | | | | |
| 60 | ≈ 21.167 mm | Five-line pica | | | Große Missal | Sabon | | | |
| 66 | ≈ 23.283 mm | | | | Große Sabon | Grote sabon | | | |
| 72 | 25.4 mm | Six-line pica Inch | | Double-trismégiste | Sabon Sechscicero Kleine Sabon | 6 cicero | | | |
| 84 | ≈ 29.633 mm | Seven-line pica | | | Siebencicero Große Sabon | 7 cicero | | | |
| 88 | ≈ 31.044 mm | | | Triple-canon | | | | | |
| 96 | ≈ 33.867 mm | Eight-line pica | | Grosse-nonpareille | Achtcicero Real | 8 cicero | | | |
| 100 | ≈ 35.278 mm | | | Moyenne de fonte | | | | | |
| 108 | 38.1 mm | Nine-line pica | | | Imperial | 9 cicero | | | |