What do the stars and buttons on my fridge mean?
Find it by its shape. 1. Pick what you see on the door, the freezer lid or the panel. 2. Match the drawing. The 6 star and compartment ratings carry the temperature the law gives them; the 13 panel symbols are each backed by manuals from at least two maker groups.
Tap a shape — the symbols that use it appear here.
Stars — 5 symbols
One star (*): a −6 °C compartment−6 °C — A single six-armed star, usually printed on the door or…Two stars (**): a −12 °C compartment or section−12 °C — Two six-armed stars side by side — on an ice box, or on a…Three stars (***): a −18 °C frozen-food compartment−18 °C — Three six-armed stars in a row, with no larger star…Four stars (one large star and three small): a freezer−18 °C — One large star beside three smaller ones — the three…No stars: the 0-star or ice-making compartment (0 °C)0 °C — A small box or flap at the top of a fridge with no star…
Snowflakes — 3 symbols
A drawer, tray or shelves — 4 symbols
No stars: the 0-star or ice-making compartment (0 °C)0 °C — A small box or flap at the top of a fridge with no star…Chill compartment (0 °C drawer, BioFresh, cold storage)+2 °C — A separate drawer, usually at the bottom of the fridge…Temperature zones and the “OK” indicatorA diagram of the fridge with bands or shelves marked from warm to…Humidity control on the vegetable drawerA slider on the vegetable drawer or its lid, marked with drops, a…
Sun, suitcase, leaf or candles — 4 symbols
Holiday / vacation mode (sun, beach or suitcase)A sun over waves or the horizon (Liebherr, Miele), a suitcase, or…Eco mode on a fridge-freezer (leaf or ECO)The letters “ECO” or a leaf in the display, lit when the mode is on.Sabbath mode (candles)Two candles (Miele) or a candlestick with several candles…Showroom / demo mode (lights on, not cooling)“DEMO” in the display (Liebherr), “OFF” on the panel (LG), or no…
Bell, door or key — 3 symbols
Door-open alarm (open door or bell)A fridge outline with its door swung open, a bell, or “ALARM” in…Temperature alarm (freezer too warm)A bell, a warning triangle or “ALARM” with a flashing freezer…Child lock or button lock (key or padlock)The buttons are locked so settings cannot be changed by accident.Explained on its own page →
Water drop or ice cubes — 2 symbols
The star ratings at a glance
The stars are defined in law: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 gives each frozen compartment a target temperature — 0 °C for a 0-star (ice-making) compartment, −6 °C for one star, −12 °C for two stars, −18 °C for three and four stars — and only a four-star compartment must also be able to freeze fresh food. The buttons and lights on the panel are not standardised: each maker draws its own, so their meanings here come from manufacturers’ manuals.
| Rating | Temperature | Where Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 defines it |
|---|---|---|
| One star (*) | −6 °C | Article 2(19) and Annex IV Table 3 |
| Two stars (**) | −12 °C | Article 2(20), Annex I point 13 and Annex IV Table 3 |
| Three stars (***) | −18 °C | Article 2(21) and Annex IV Table 3 |
| Four stars (one large star and three small) | −18 °C | Article 2(12), Annex I point 4 and Annex IV point 1(i) and Table 3 |
| No stars | 0 °C | Article 2(18) and Annex IV Table 3 |
| Chill compartment | +2 °C | Annex I point 5 and Annex IV Table 3 |
- Three stars and four stars are equally cold. Both have a −18 °C target. The large fourth star means the compartment has passed a freezing test: it can freeze at least 4.5 kg of fresh food per 100 litres in 24 hours (never less than 2 kg).
- Only four stars freeze fresh food. The manuals of Electrolux, Hoover and Indesit say one-, two- and three-star compartments are not suitable for freezing fresh food.
- A two-star rack can hide inside a four-star freezer. The regulation calls a doorless part of a freezer that only reaches −12 °C a “2-star section”; Bosch puts ice cream on such a door shelf for short-term storage.
- Super freeze is switched on before, not after. Bosch, Miele and Liebherr say to switch it on hours before you add a large amount of fresh food — 24 hours before the maximum amount — and that up to about 2 kg needs no super freeze.
What this page cannot do
- It cannot identify your model or say exactly what a button does on it — how long a mode runs and what temperature it sets differ between models of the same make. It tells you what a drawing means on the makes cited (Bosch, Electrolux, Hisense, Hoover, Indesit, LG, Liebherr, Miele, Samsung, Smeg); your appliance’s manual is the authority.
- It gives no food-safety advice of its own beyond the storage temperature the regulation states and what the manuals say; the date on the food’s packaging and local food-safety guidance come first.
- It does not cover error codes (such as E1, F9 or “FF”): they differ by make and model and need the maker’s own fault table or service.
- It has not read the paid IEC 62552 test standards or the IEC 60417 symbol database: the star temperatures are quoted from the regulation, and we found no public source showing the panel icons in IEC 60417. Symbols only one maker group describes — Miele’s Party mode, Electrolux’s Drink Cool timer — are left out until a second group’s manual confirms them.
Sources
The star temperatures come from Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016, read on legislation.gov.uk (the text kept in UK law; the same definitions were checked word for word in the Energy Community’s copy of the EU text). Every other document is a maker’s own manual or service page, fetched and read on the date shown; makers in the same group count as one when a symbol needs two independent sources.
- EU / UK law: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 — Article 2, Definitions (energy labelling of refrigerating appliances), on legislation.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-27.
- EU / UK law: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 — Annex I, Definitions applicable for the Annexes, on legislation.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-27.
- EU / UK law: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2016 — Annex IV, Measurement methods and calculations (Table 3: storage conditions and target temperature per compartment type), on legislation.gov.uk Checked 2026-09-27.
- Bosch (BSH group): Bosch — Instructions for use, fridge-freezer KGN.. (9001101173 F, PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Bosch (BSH group): Bosch — Installation instructions and instructions for use, fridge-freezer KAN.. (8001040560 C, PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Bosch (BSH group): Bosch — Installation instructions and instructions for use, fridge-freezer KFN96.. (8001167016 A, PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Electrolux (Electrolux group): Electrolux — User manual, freezer-fridge RCB732E5MX (PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Miele (Miele group): Miele — Operating instructions, fridge-freezer, M.-Nr. 11 746 390 (PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Miele (Miele group): Miele — Data sheet for household refrigerators, freezers and fridge-freezers, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1060/2010 (PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Liebherr (Liebherr group): Liebherr — User guide, built-in combined fridge-freezer HCB 1060 (7086622-03, 2021-04-09, PDF hosted by a Liebherr parts store) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Hoover (Haier group): Hoover — Freezer-fridge user manual HVNB618FB5K (PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Hisense (Hisense group): Hisense — User’s operation manual, HR6BMFF435 / HR6BMFF520 (PDF, copy hosted by productreview.com.au) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Indesit (Whirlpool group): Indesit — Built-in fridge-freezer user manual EIB150502D (PDF, copy hosted by the University of Cumbria) Checked 2026-09-27.
- LG (LG group): LG — Owner’s manual, bottom-freezer refrigerator, P/No MFL62184515 (PDF) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Samsung (Samsung group): Samsung — Owner’s manual and installation, side-by-side refrigerator RS263 / RS265 / RS267 / RS269 (DA99-01278A rev 0.4, 2007, PDF hosted by Encompass) Checked 2026-09-27.
- Smeg (Smeg group): Smeg UK service (Servevast) — “What do the star ratings mean on my Fridge / Freezer?” Checked 2026-09-27.