What does this oven symbol mean?
Find it by its shape. 1. Pick what you see on the dial. 2. Match the drawing. Each of the 26 symbols here is backed by at least two makers’ own guides.
Tap a shape — the symbols that use it appear here.
Straight lines — 6 symbols
Top and bottom heat (conventional)A square with a straight line along the top and another along the…Fan with top and bottom heat (fan-assisted)A fan with a straight line above it and another below it.Bottom heatA square with a single straight line along the bottom and nothing…Fan with bottom heat (pizza setting)A fan with a single straight line below it and nothing above.…Intensive heat (top heat and stronger bottom heat)One line at the top and two lines at the bottom.Slow cookDashed lines at the top and bottom (Bosch, Siemens; Neff adds a…
A fan — 5 symbols
Fan oven (hot air, true fan)A fan — three curved blades round a hub — usually inside a circle,…Fan with top and bottom heat (fan-assisted)A fan with a straight line above it and another below it.Fan with bottom heat (pizza setting)A fan with a single straight line below it and nothing above.…Fan grill (turbo grill, hot-air grilling)A zigzag along the top with a fan below it.Eco fan (hot air eco, eco convection)A fan, usually in a circle, with “eco” (Bosch, Samsung) or a small…
Zigzag — 3 symbols
Snowflake — 1 symbol
Plates or bowl — 4 symbols
Plate warming (stacked plates)Two or three plates or dishes stacked one above another.Keep warm (heat lines)Wavy heat lines rising over a dish (Bosch), three wavy lines on…Reheat (dish with heat or steam)A dish with heat or steam rising from it. Bosch adds a steam cloud…Dough proving (rising bowl)A bowl with dough domed above the rim, often with an arrow…
Wavy lines — 3 symbols
Cloud or drop — 3 symbols
Pizza or bread — 2 symbols
Grid of dots — 1 symbol
Letters — 2 symbols
Light bulb — 1 symbol
Key or padlock — 1 symbol
Clock or bell — 2 symbols
Before you trust any chart, including this one
No single published standard defines oven function icons. Each maker draws its own, which is why every meaning on this page is taken from manufacturers’ manuals and support pages, and why the same drawing can mean different things on different brands.
- Lines are heating elements. A line at the top is the element in the roof, a line at the bottom the one under the floor. Two lines with nothing between them is conventional heat.
- A fan means moving air. On its own (often in a circle) it is the fan oven; with a line above or below, the fan is spreading that element’s heat.
- A zigzag is the grill. How many zigzags and how long they are changes by brand: see Full grill.
- Fan temperatures. Recipes written for conventional (top and bottom) heat are usually set about 20 °C lower on the fan setting: AEG’s guide says to set True Fan 20 °C lower than Conventional cooking, and CATA’s conversion chart turns 180 °C conventional into 160 °C fan. Leave the time as written and check a little early.
Fan temperature sources: AEG (checked 2026-09-23), CATA (checked 2026-09-23).
What this page cannot do
- It does not cover microwave or hob icons — only the functions of an oven cavity and its controls.
- It does not identify a specific oven model. It tells you what a drawing means on the makes cited (AEG, Bosch, Hotpoint, Neff, Samsung, Siemens, Smeg); your model’s manual says exactly which elements run and how hot.
- Symbols that only one maker’s guide shows — for example AEG’s moist fan, Hotpoint’s air fry, Siemens’ coolStart and Neff’s grill with bottom heat — are left out until a second maker’s page confirms the drawing.
Sources
Every page below is a maker’s own guide or support page, fetched and checked on the date shown. Each symbol page lists what its sources show.
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide Checked 2026-09-23.
- AEG: AEG UK support — Symbols and functions on your AEG oven or cooker Checked 2026-09-23.
- Smeg: Smeg UK — A guide to oven symbols and what they mean Checked 2026-09-23.
- Samsung: Samsung Australia support — Cooking modes on your Samsung oven Checked 2026-09-23.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint UK — Understanding the different symbols on a Hotpoint oven Checked 2026-09-23.
- Bosch: Bosch UK — Oven symbols guide Checked 2026-09-23.
- CATA: CATA Appliances UK — Fan oven temperature conversion chart: the 20°C rule Checked 2026-09-23.