Top and bottom heat (conventional)
The element in the oven roof and the element under the floor heat at the same time and the fan stays off. Heat reaches the food from above and below only.
What it is for
Baking and roasting on one shelf: cakes (Siemens singles out rich fruit cakes), scones, biscuits and pastries on a tray, and roasts. AEG advises using a single shelf only, because a second shelf blocks the heat from above or below.
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 square with a straight line along the top and another along the bottom, and nothing between them. Neff draws each element as a pair of lines, one long and one short.
- Names makers use
- Conventional (AEG, Samsung, Hotpoint); Top/bottom heating (Siemens); Top and bottom heat (Bosch, Neff)
Where makes differ
The word “convection” is a trap. Smeg’s guide calls this fan-free mode the convection mode (natural convection), while Samsung’s “Convection” is the fan setting. Go by the drawing, not the word: two lines and no fan means no fan. Smeg notes the lines may also be drawn slightly curved.
Often confused with
The top and bottom elements heat, as in conventional mode, and the fan spreads that heat round the oven instead of leaving it to rise and fall on its own.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 5 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Top and bottom heat symbol”: two lines at the top and bottom; ideal for roasting and baking on a tray; the fan is not used. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide — “Top/bottom heating” pictogram (one line top, one line bottom): traditional baking and roasting on one level. Checked 2026-09-23.
- AEG: AEG UK support — Symbols and functions on your AEG oven or cooker — “Conventional cooking (Top & Bottom heat)” icon: everyday cooking on a single level; an additional level would block the heat. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Smeg: Smeg UK — A guide to oven symbols and what they mean — “Top and Bottom Heating Symbol”: straight or curved line at top and bottom; both heated without a fan; called the convection cooking mode. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Samsung: Samsung Australia support — Cooking modes on your Samsung oven — “Conventional” mode button icon (line top, line bottom): heat from the top and bottom elements, for standard baking and roasting. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.