Section 6 · Typography

Cap Height

Definition

The height of a typeface’s capital letters, measured from the baseline to the top of a flat-topped capital such as “H” or “E.”

Why it matters

Cap height governs how uppercase text aligns with logos, icons, and lining figures, and is often shorter than the ascender height — a detail that matters when aligning elements precisely.

Example

Vertically centering a capital-letter label next to an icon looks off until you align to the cap height rather than the full line box.