Double vertical line (‖) is the Unicode character at U+2016 in the General Punctuation block. Official name: DOUBLE VERTICAL LINE. It is used as a separator, in norm notation (e.g. ‖x‖), and related punctuation.
Remember
Character ‖
Unicode U+2016
Named entity ‖
Hex entity ‖
Decimal ‖
CSS escape \2016
Not the same | (|) · ∥ (∥)
Prefer ‖ in HTML markup (capital V; also aliased as ‖). You can also type ‖ in UTF-8, or use numeric forms when needed.
Double vertical line rendered alone and in a simple norm example.
Example‖x‖ = 5
Large glyph‖
Compared‖ | ∥ ∣
With entitiesNamed: ‖ | Hex: ‖ | Decimal: ‖
Code
Complete HTML Example
One page that shows Double Vertical Line with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, and a typed character. Use View Output or open the live editor.
Named + Hex + Decimal + CSS + Typed
Five ways to produce ‖, plus a norm example and a comparison with |.
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Double Vertical Line (‖) in HTML</title>
<style>
#point::after {
content: "\2016";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Double bar using Named Entity: ‖</p>
<p>Double bar using Hex Code: ‖</p>
<p>Double bar using HTML Code: ‖</p>
<p id="point">Double bar using CSS Entity: </p>
<p>Typed directly: ‖</p>
<p>Norm: ‖x‖ = 5</p>
<p>Compared: ‖ vs |</p>
</body>
</html>
Double bar using Named Entity: ‖
Double bar using Hex Code: ‖
Double bar using HTML Code: ‖
Double bar using CSS Entity: ‖
Typed directly: ‖
Norm: ‖x‖ = 5
Compared: ‖ vs |
How It Works
1. Named:‖ is the HTML5 name for U+2016 → ‖. Best default in markup (capital V; also ‖).
2. Hex:U+2016 → ‖ in HTML. Same glyph as the named form.
3. Decimal: same code point as 8214 → ‖. Same result as hex and named.
4. CSS: use \2016 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends that ‖ after the paragraph text.
5. Typed / uses: paste ‖ in UTF-8, write ‖x‖ for a norm, or contrast with | (|).
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Double Vertical Line.
Case
Capital V matters
‖ is double vertical line (‖). | is single bar (|). The names are case-sensitive.
||
Not two ASCII bars
Typing || is two U+007C characters, not U+2016. Use ‖ when you need the real double-line glyph.
∥
Not ∥
∥ is parallel-to (U+2225). It can look similar in some fonts but is a different Mathematical Operators character.
Alias
Longer name works too
‖ is an HTML5 alias for the same character as ‖. Prefer the short form in everyday markup.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\2016 belongs in CSS strings. ‖ / ‖ / ‖ belong in HTML.
Fonts
Punctuation font coverage
Some fonts draw ‖ almost like ||. Prefer a font with clear General Punctuation coverage for display.
Semicolon
End named entities
Always finish with ; — write ‖, not &Vert.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Double vertical line (U+2016) and its entity forms (‖, ‖, ‖, CSS \\2016) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Visible glyphs depend on punctuation font coverage.
✓ Universal support
Double Vertical Line (‖)
Encode with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point everywhere encoding is supported.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+2016 / entitiesFull support
Bottom line: Prefer ‖ in HTML. Use ‖ / ‖ when numeric form is required, and \\2016 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: double vertical line is U+2016 (decimal 8214) — glyph ‖.
HTML: prefer ‖ — also ‖ / ‖ / type ‖.
CSS: use \2016 inside content for generated text.
Meaning:‖ = double bar — not |, not ||, not ∥.
Use ‖ (named), ‖ (hex), ‖ (decimal), type ‖ directly in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \2016 in content. Prefer ‖ in normal HTML.
U+2016 (DOUBLE VERTICAL LINE). Hex 2016, decimal 8214. It belongs to the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F).
Yes. Use ‖ (capital V) or the alias ‖. Numeric forms ‖ and ‖ also work. Do not use | — that is the single vertical bar U+007C.
Use it for double-bar separators, norm notation (‖x‖), or similar punctuation. Prefer | / | for a single bar, and ∥ when you need the parallel-to operator ∥.
HTML entities (‖, ‖, or ‖) go in markup. The CSS escape \2016 goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).
No. ‖ is ‖ (U+2016). | is | (U+007C). ∥ is ∥ (U+2225). Entity names are case-sensitive.
🤔
Did you know?
Double vertical line is Unicode U+2016 (decimal 8214) — glyph ‖ in the General Punctuation block. HTML5 names it ‖ (also ‖). Ordinary vertical bar is | or | (U+007C). Parallel-to is ∥ (U+2225) — a different math operator.
