Swiss Franc Symbol (CHF)
The Swiss Franc is symbolized internationally by the plain Latin abbreviation CHF (or domestically by 'Fr.'). Issued by the Swiss National Bank (SNB), the Swiss franc is widely regarded as the world's premier safe-haven currency due to Switzerland's historic geopolitical neutrality, legal stability, and substantial gold reserves.
Typographic & Developer Encoding Codes
Quickly copy HTML entities, CSS content escape sequences, and Unicode code points for Swiss Franc.
| Format | Value / Code | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Symbol | CHF | Standard plain text character or abbreviation | |
| Encoding Classification | Plain Latin Letters | Written as standard text without a single dedicated Unicode point | |
| Base Character / Block | None (Plain Latin letters) | None (Written as plain text) | |
| HTML Representation | CHF | Standard text in HTML documents (No dedicated entity) | |
| CSS Content String | "CHF " | CSS content string for pseudo-elements |
How to Type Swiss Franc Symbol (CHF) on Any Device
Windows PC
Type CHF directly as standard letters on your physical keyboard.
Mac / macOS
Type CHF directly as plain letters on your keyboard.
iPhone & iPad (iOS)
Type CHF
Android (Gboard)
Type CHF
Formatting Rules & Real-World Examples
Symbol Placement: Before Amount
In standard financial notation, the Swiss Franc symbol is positioned immediately before the numerical amount.
Typography & International Usage Guidelines
In financial markets, the currency is written as 'CHF' before the amount (CHF 100.00). In domestic retail pricing across Switzerland, 'Fr.' or 'SFr.' is commonly used. Note that the historical French Franc sign (₣, U+20A3) is NOT used for the Swiss franc.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the French franc symbol ₣ (U+20A3) for Swiss francs (₣ is the historic French franc, not Swiss franc).
- Inventing fake HTML entities like &chf; (the currency is simply written as plain letters 'CHF').
- Forgetting that the Principality of Liechtenstein officially uses the Swiss franc as legal tender.
Historical Background & Monetary Evolution
Before 1850, individual Swiss cantons, cities, and bishoprics issued over 8,000 distinct coins and banknotes, creating monetary chaos. The Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848 centralized monetary authority under the federal government, and the Federal Coinage Act of May 7, 1850 introduced the unified Swiss Franc at par with the French franc. Switzerland was a founding member of the Latin Monetary Union in 1865. The abbreviation 'CHF' stands for Confoederatio Helvetica Franc (Confoederatio Helvetica being the formal Latin name for the Swiss Confederation). Note that Liechtenstein adopted the Swiss franc as its legal tender under the bilateral Currency Treaty of 1980.
Countries & Jurisdictions Using CHF
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SpecsUnicode Technical Standards
Master technical index for U+20A0–U+20CF blocks, HTML entities & CSS codes.
Similar & Related Currency Symbols
View all Franc Currencies (CHF, CFA, ₣) →Standards Verification & Official Registry Specifications
This specification has been verified against official international standards registries (ISO 4217 Maintenance Agency, Unicode Consortium 16.0, and Unicode CLDR).
Frequently Asked Questions about Swiss Franc (CHF)
Common questions and direct answers regarding currency symbols, typing shortcuts, and international formatting.
Why doesn't the Swiss Franc have a unique single-character symbol like $ or €?
Switzerland deliberately uses the plain Latin abbreviations 'CHF' or 'Fr.' rather than an invented typographic symbol. This reflects Switzerland's quadrilingual heritage (German: Franken, French: franc, Italian: franco, Romansh: franc), avoiding favoritism toward any single national language.
Does Liechtenstein have its own currency?
No. Under the Currency Treaty of 19 June 1980 between Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Swiss franc is the official legal currency of Liechtenstein, with the Swiss National Bank serving as its central monetary authority.
What does 'CHF' stand for?
CHF stands for 'Confoederatio Helvetica Franc'. 'Confoederatio Helvetica' is the Latin official designation of the Swiss Confederation, chosen so as not to favor any of Switzerland's four official national languages.