The shell (5 dc) symbol in crochet charts
A fan of five posts sharing one foot. The motif that turns a plain edge into a lace edge.
- US name
- Shell (5 dc)
- UK name
- Shell (5 tr)
- In the editor
- Shell (5 dc)
What it looks like in a chart
Five double crochet symbols fanning out from a single point at the base, their tops spread along an arc. Each post keeps its own top bar and slash, so you can count exactly how many stitches the shell contains.
The single shared foot is the instruction: all five double crochets go into the same stitch or chain space. That is what makes the fabric flare out into a scallop. Craft Yarn Council’s standard set includes the five-dc shell specifically; shells of three, six or seven are common too, and a chart simply draws that many posts on one foot.
How it is used
- Scalloped edgings on blankets, shawls and garment hems.
- The repeating unit of classic shell-stitch fabric, where each shell sits in the gap between the shells below it.
- Doily rounds, alternating shells with chain arcs to open the lace out.
Worth knowing
Count the posts before you start. A chart is precise about shell size in a way that "work a shell in the next space" is not.
In UK terms this is a shell of five trebles, because UK treble is US double crochet. The number of posts, and the symbol, do not change.
Common questions
What does a fan of stitches on one point mean in a crochet chart?
A shell: several stitches — classically five double crochets — all worked into the same stitch or chain space. The shared base point is what tells you they go into one place.