Centre or half grill
Only the centre part of the grill element heats.
What it is for
Grilling a small amount — a couple of steaks or sausages, a slice or two of toast — placed directly under the centre, where the heat is (Neff). Bosch pitches it as the more efficient choice for smaller quantities.
Makes differ, check your oven’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly which elements run and how hot.
- What it looks like
- A short zigzag in the middle of the top edge (Bosch, Siemens). On Neff ovens, a single zigzag row, where two rows would be the full grill.
- Names makers use
- Centre surface grill / part grill (Neff); Grill, small area (Siemens); Centre grill (Bosch)
Where makes differ
A single zigzag is ambiguous across brands: see Full grill. If you are not sure which part of your grill heats, look at the element: on the centre setting only the middle section glows.
Often confused with
The whole grill element in the oven roof heats, so food is cooked by strong heat from directly above.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 3 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Centre surface grill symbol”: a single jagged line; for smaller amounts of food placed directly under the hot area. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide — “Grill, small area” pictogram (short zigzag at the top centre): the centre part under the grill element becomes hot. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Bosch: Bosch UK — Oven symbols guide — “Centre Grill” symbol icon (short zigzag): for smaller quantities and more efficiency. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.