Crochet chart symbols: the full key
Every symbol Stitch Chart Studio can draw, with what it means, its standard abbreviation and its UK equivalent. The symbols below are rendered by the same code the editor draws with, so what you see here is exactly what lands in your exported chart.
How the symbols are put together
The set is not arbitrary. Once you see the logic, most of a chart reads without a key:
- Height means height. A taller symbol is a taller stitch. A slip stitch is a dot, a single crochet is a short cross, and the posts get longer from half double up to treble.
- Slashes count yarn overs, from double crochet up. One slash is a double crochet, two is a treble, three is a double treble. Half double crochet is the exception: one yarn over, but drawn as a plain T, because its loops come off the hook in a single pull.
- A shared foot means a shared stitch. Several posts meeting at one point at the bottom all go into the same stitch or chain space — that is a shell, a fan or a cluster.
- A shared top means stitches worked together. Posts converging into one top bar are a decrease, or a cluster if their feet all sit in one place.
Craft Yarn Council, whose standardized set most designers follow, describe each symbol as showing the stitch as it appears on the right side of the work. That is why symbols in a round chart are rotated to point outward: they are drawn the way the stitch actually leans.
The whole set at a glance
| Symbol | US name | US abbr. | UK name | UK abbr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chain | ch | Chain | ch | |
| Slip stitch | sl st | Slip stitch | ss | |
| Single crochet | sc | Double crochet | dc | |
| Half double crochet | hdc | Half treble | htr | |
| Double crochet | dc | Treble | tr | |
| Treble crochet | tr | Double treble | dtr | |
| Double treble crochet | dtr | Triple treble | trtr | |
| dc2tog | dc2tog | tr2tog | tr2tog | |
| dc3tog | dc3tog | tr3tog | tr3tog | |
| Shell (5 dc) | sh | Shell (5 tr) | sh | |
| Picot | picot | Picot | picot | |
| Front post double crochet | FPdc | Front post treble | FPtr | |
| Back post double crochet | BPdc | Back post treble | BPtr | |
| Magic ring | MR | Magic ring | MR |
US and UK names differ for every stitch except chain and slip stitch — see
US vs UK crochet terms for the full explanation of why, and how to tell
which system a pattern is written in. For the abbreviations that are not stitches —
sk, ch-sp, tch and the rest — see the full
crochet abbreviations list.
Printable crochet symbol chart
The same key as a one-page sheet you can print and keep by your hook, or save to read offline. Free, no email and no signup — it is the identical symbol set drawn by the editor, so the printed key always matches what the tool produces.
Download PDF (US Letter) PDF (A4) PNG image
Print at 100% scale. The sheet lists every symbol with its US name, abbreviation and UK equivalent, plus the two rules that make a chart readable: symbol height tells you stitch height, and a shared foot means a shared stitch.
Common questions
Is there a printable crochet symbols chart?
Yes — a free one-page key you can print or save, in US Letter and A4, with a PNG version too. No email and no signup. It is generated from the same symbol set the editor draws, so the printed sheet always matches the charts the tool makes.
What do crochet chart symbols mean?
Each symbol stands for one stitch and is drawn where that stitch goes, so its position tells you what to work into and its height tells you how tall the stitch is. A cross is a single crochet, a plain T is a half double, a T with one slash is a double crochet, and each extra slash is one step taller.
Are crochet chart symbols the same in every pattern?
Nearly. Most designers use the Craft Yarn Council standard set, but details vary — single crochet is drawn as a plus sign by some publishers and an × by others, and specialty stitches such as picots differ more. Every well-made pattern includes its own key, and that key is the authority.
Do chart symbols change between US and UK patterns?
No. The symbols describe the shape of the stitch, not its name, so a T with one slash means the same stitch whether the pattern calls it a double crochet (US) or a treble (UK). That is why a chart is the fastest way to settle which stitch a confusing written pattern really means.