font inspectorWhat font does BBC use?
BBC Reith, named after the corporation’s founder John Reith, was introduced in 2017 to replace a mix of licensed fonts with one family made for screens. On the news front page the serif does most of the work.
Short answer: The BBC uses its own type family, BBC Reith: Reith Serif for headlines and story summaries, and Reith Sans for navigation and labels.
BBC Reith Serif
Self-hosted88.4%- CSS name
BBC Reith Serif- Weights
- 400, 500
- Sizes
- 28px · 18px · 14px
- Served from
- static.files.bbci.co.uk
BBC Reith Sans
Self-hosted11.6%- CSS name
BBC Reith Sans- Weights
- 400, 500, 700, 800
- Sizes
- 18px · 16px · 15px · 14px · 12px
- Served from
- static.files.bbci.co.uk
Sizes, weights and spacing by role
These are computed values from the live page, which is what the Font Inspector panel shows when you click each element.
| Role | Font | Size | Weight | Line height | Letter spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headline | BBC Reith Serif | 28px | 500 | 1.14 | -0.02em |
| Subheading | BBC Reith Serif | 14px | 500 | 1.29 | -0.02em |
| Body text | BBC Reith Serif | 14px | 400 | 1.29 | normal |
| Navigation | BBC Reith Sans | 14px | 700 | 1.29 | normal |
The main font stack in the CSS:
font-family: "BBC Reith Serif", BBCReithSerif-fallback, serif;- Headlines are medium weight, 500, not bold, with slight negative tracking.
- Both stacks use a generated fallback face with adjusted metrics, so the page does not jump when the fonts arrive.
- The front page is dense: most text is 14px with a line height of about 1.29.
Check any site yourself in one click.
Sites change their type without notice. Font Inspector shows the rendered font, size, weight and spacing of any text on bbc.com or anywhere else, and lists every font on the page. Free, no account.
About the fonts, and whether you can use them
BBC Reith Serif
The serif member of the BBC’s custom family, created with the foundry Dalton Maag. It sets headlines and summaries.
Can you use it? BBC Reith is exclusive to the BBC. Source Serif 4 and Newsreader are free serifs that read well at small sizes.
On Google Fonts: Source Serif 4, Newsreader.
BBC Reith Sans
The sans serif member, used for navigation, labels and buttons.
Can you use it? Also exclusive. Source Sans 3 and Open Sans are free alternatives.
On Google Fonts: Source Sans 3, Open Sans.
Finding a font does not license it. More in how to get a font you found, legally.
Get a similar look with a free font
This starter uses Source Serif 4, which is open source, with the sizes and spacing measured above. It is an approximation, not a copy of BBC’s brand typeface.
/* Approximates the BBC look with a free font */
body {
font-family: "Source Serif 4", Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;
}
h1 {
font-size: 1.75rem; /* 28px */
font-weight: 500;
line-height: 1.14;
letter-spacing: -0.02em;
}
p {
font-size: 0.875rem; /* 14px */
font-weight: 400;
line-height: 1.29;
}How we checked
We opened bbc.com in Chrome on September 21, 2026 and read the computed styles of its visible text: the declared font stack, the font actually rendered, and how much of the page’s text each family sets. That is the same data the Font Inspector extension shows under Fonts on this page. We re-check these pages periodically, and the date above shows the last inspection.
BBC and its typefaces are trademarks of their respective owners. Font Inspector is not affiliated with BBC.
Questions & answers
What font does BBC use on its website?
The BBC uses its own type family, BBC Reith: Reith Serif for headlines and story summaries, and Reith Sans for navigation and labels.
Can I use the BBC font?
BBC Reith is exclusive to the BBC. Source Serif 4 and Newsreader are free serifs that read well at small sizes.
What is a free font similar to BBC Reith Serif?
Source Serif 4 and Newsreader are free on Google Fonts and give a similar feel. No free font is an exact match, so compare it with your own text first.
How can I check what font BBC uses myself?
Open bbc.com, then click any text with the Font Inspector extension, or right-click, choose Inspect and look at Rendered Fonts in the Computed tab. Sites change their typography, so checking the live page is the only way to be sure.