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Material Symbols

fonts.google.com

Free plan WebiOSAndroidAPISelf-hosted
Visit fonts.google.com
Spec score 7.8 #15 of 46 in Icon Libraries

What it is

Material Symbols is a collection of more than 2,500 icons consolidated into a font. It offers Outlined, Rounded and Sharp variable fonts, with controls for fill, weight, grade and optical size. Web developers can use Google’s CSS web-font API snippet or self-host the font to choose when to update the asset. Individual icons are available as SVG or PNG, with Android Vector Drawable and Apple Symbols formats also listed. The icons are provided under the Apache License Version 2.0, which permits incorporation, remixing and redistribution, including commercial use. One web-font limitation is that default settings load more than 3,800 icons in a 295 KB payload; specifying icon names can reduce the payload. Only the 20 px and 24 px versions are designed for exact pixel-grid alignment. The collection has no two-tone icons or third-party logos, and includes only pre-made variable fonts. Google directs icon requests to GitHub issues and does not accept pull requests for icon files. Flutter support is planned.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Material Symbols is a collection of over 2,500 icons consolidated into a single font file.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
License
The icons are available under the Apache License Version 2.0, which permits incorporation, remixing and redistribution.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Android
Material Symbols are available in Android Vector Drawable format.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Design limitation
Only the 20 px and 24 px versions are designed with perfect pixel-grid alignment.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Download formats
The Material Symbols Library provides individual icons in SVG or PNG formats.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Flutter status
Flutter support for Material Symbols is planned.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Format limitation
Material Symbols has no two-tone icons and only pre-made variable fonts.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
iOS
Material Symbols are available in Apple Symbols format for iOS.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Optimization limit
Loading the default web-font settings loads all 3,800+ icons with a 295 KB font payload, while specifying icon names can reduce the payload.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Self-hosting
The font can be self-hosted so users control when the asset is updated.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Styles
The set provides Outlined, Rounded and Sharp variable fonts.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Support channel
Google asks users to submit icon requests as GitHub issues and does not accept pull requests for icon files.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Third-party logos
Google does not include third-party logos in Material Symbols or Material Icons due to legal reasons.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Variable axes
Icons support fill, weight, grade and optical-size axes.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com
Web integration
Google provides a CSS web-font API snippet for incorporating Material Symbols into web pages.Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com

Plans and prices

Material Symbols Free Apache License 2.0 · over 2,500 glyphs · SVG, PNG and font formats Read 30 Sep 2026 · developers.google.com

Every Material Symbols plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Apache License 2.0 permits commercial use.
  • Offers SVG, PNG, web-font and platform formats.
  • Variable fonts provide four adjustable axes.
  • Can be self-hosted or loaded through a web-font API.

Limits

  • Default web-font settings load over 3,800 icons.
  • Only 20 px and 24 px versions align to the pixel grid.
  • No two-tone icons or third-party logos.
  • Flutter support is planned, not listed as available.

Who it suits

Material Symbols suits designers and developers who need a reusable icon set for web, Android or iOS projects. Its license also permits commercial incorporation and redistribution.

Verdict

Material Symbols offers a broad icon collection with several download and integration formats. Consider the default font payload and its limits on two-tone designs and pixel-grid alignment.

Where Specifiction places it

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