Numbers, Dates & Time

Quick Reference

EU English formatting guidelines only apply to Prose Numbers (communication & marketing and editorial content like blogposts, presentations, memos, etc.).

Prose Numbers

Data & Interface Numbers

Data & Interface Numbers are numbers that represent specific data values, measurements, quantities, identifiers, or financial figures displayed within digital interfaces (applications, dashboards, forms, tables, graphs, invoices, monitoring systems, etc.). They are often dynamic, user-inputted, system-generated, or subject to technical processing.

For Data & Interface Numbers, consider:

• user locale
• application settings
• technical and scientific conventions
• programming language specificities
• context

User locale

How operating system or application preferences dictate number, date, and time formatting (e.g., , for decimals in some locales, . in others).

Application-specific settings

Custom formatting rules within a particular app or system.

Technical and scientific conventions

Standards specific to science, technology, engineering, finance, and other technical fields (e.g., ISO standards, specific units of measurement).
The International System of Units (SI) is the modern form of the metric system and is legally mandated for most purposes in the EU.

Programming language specificities

How numbers are handled and displayed at a programmatic level.

Contextual clarity

The most unambiguous and usable format for a given data point, especially in data-dense interfaces.

Prose Numbers

Prose numbers are used for communication, marketing materials, informational content, articles, reports, and any other type of general content where readability and consistency are key. A unified and clear presentation of numerical information prevents ambiguity, especially for mostly English as a Second Language (ESL) audiences.

Examples:

• Our company serves 150 million customers across 12 countries.
• The project is expected to be completed by Q3 2026.
• Energy consumption decreased by 2,5% last year.
• The new regulation comes into effect on 1 January 2025.
• More than €500 000 was invested in the pilot program.

Numerals

Use figures for:

• units of measurement: 5 kg
• percentages: 25 %
• page numbers: Page 12
• decimals: 4,2
• ranges: From 1 to 5
• statistics or comparisons involving several numbers: According to HR, 6 people joined the department in 2022, 4 in 2023, and 0 in 2025.

Make sure to:

• Spell out numbers one to nine.
• Use figures for 10 and above.
• Be consistent with related numbers across piece of content.
• Avoid starting sentences with figures.

Decimal Separator

Use a comma (,) to separate decimals:

• 4,2
• 0,01 %

Thousands Separator

• Use a non-breaking space ( ) to separate thousands: 100 000 000.
• Don't use separators for years and page numbers:
• Q3.2025
• Page 1345

Percentages

• Use the % symbol after the number.
• Separate number from % symbol with a non-breaking space: 20 %
• A percentage change is the increase of a value by some percentage of that value:
• The positive 10 % change in recycling capacity means we've moved from last year's 20 % to a staggering 22 % recycling capacity.
• Variations expressed in percentage points affect the percentage number more directly:
• Our recycling capacity has gained 5 percentage points since last year's 20 % score: we now lead the market with an unprecedented 25 % recycling capacity.

Dates

Use Day-Month-Year for Dates

• Use the full Day-Month-Year format without commas.
• Abbreviate using points (DD.MM.YYYY) only in footnotes or tables where space is limited.
• Avoid leading zeros.
• Use a slash for marketing/financial years (2023/2024).
• Use en dash, hyphen, or 'to' for ranges (2020–2022, 2020-2022, from 2020 to 2022).

Full format

Day Month Year without comma

• 6 January 2025

Abbreviation

Use abbreviation DD.MM.YYYY, without leading zeros for single-digit numbers (1 to 9):

• 6.1.2025

Financial years

Use slash /:

• 2023/2024

Ranges

Use en-dash –, hyphen -, or from (...) to (...):

• 2020–2022
• 2020-2022
• From 2020 to 2022

Time

Use 24-Hour System (HH:MM) for Time

• Use 24-hour system with colon as separator:
• 14:00
• Use leading zeros for hours under 10:
• 09:30
• Indicate full hour with ":00":
• 14:00

Lists

There are four basic types of lists, which follow different sets of rules regarding capitalisation, punctuation and other features. Although they may seem overly complicated, these rules actually quite intuitive, and make lists much easier to read and scan.

Because it's fun to be meta, each list type below uses its own set (list) of rules as its use case example. Booya. You're welcome. Thomas out! See ya.

Lists of short items (without main verbs)

Lists of items that are phrases (incomplete sentences) should follow four rules:

• have an introductory colon,
• start items with lower case (unless proper noun or assimilated),
• either end with no punctuation (very short items) or with a comma,
• close with a full stop.

Lists where each item completes the introductory sentence

When writing a list where each item completes the introductory sentence, you should:

• begin with an introductory colon;
• start each item with a lower case letter, unless the first word is a proper noun or a trademark;
• end each item with a semicolon;
• close the list with a full stop.

Lists of complete statements grammatically unrelated to the introductory sentence

For lists where all items are complete statements without a grammatical link to the introductory sentence, proceed as follows:

• introduce the list with a colon;
• label each item with the appropriate bullet, number or letter;
• start each item with a lower case initial letter (unless proper noun or trademark);
• end each item except the last one with a semicolon;
• close the list with a full stop at the end of the final item.

Lists with one item including several complete sentences

If any one item consists of several complete sentences, announce the list with a complete sentence and continue as indicated below.

• Do not introduce the list with a colon: a full stop must conclude the introductory sentence.
• Label each item with the appropriate bullet, number or letter.
• Start each item with a capital letter.
• End each sentence and item with a full stop. This allows several sentences to be included under a single item without throwing punctuation into confusion.

This type of list is mainly used in administrative writing. Such lists often extend over several pages, making it essential not to introduce it with an incomplete sentence and/or a colon.

Addresses

Write addresses in the international format, across three lines, below the recipient's name:

1. Street + number
2. Postal code + city
3. COUNTRY NAME

Make sure to:

• use the recipient's local language to optimise clarity;
• use official postal codes; some EU Member States require a prefix (e.g., L-, HR-, CY-);
• write the destination country's name in all caps.

Examples:

European Commission Rue de la Loi 200 1049 Brussels BELGIUM
Elia Transmission Belgium Bd. de l'Empereur 20 1000 Bruxelles BELGIUM

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Currencies

The euro-focused rules and examples below apply to all other official currencies.

ISO code EUR

Use ISO code [EUR + number] for legal/financial contexts and specific UI with monetary focus.

• The last quarter's total revenue amounts to EUR 25 007 483.

€ Symbol

Use [€+number] for graphics and less formal UI (prices, selectors, summaries).

• Set filter to €500 to set app consumption limit to 500 euro.

Large figures (legal/financial): EUR

Write number in full after [EUR ] in legal and financial contexts:

• The last quarter's total revenue amounts to EUR 25 007 483.
• The last quarter's total revenue amounts to EUR 10 million.

Large figures (graphics & informal UI): € symbol

Abbreviate in graphics and less formal UI:

• €10M

Narrative content: euro

Spell out the word euro in full after the amount in numerals for general narrative content.

• This new smartphone only costs 100 euro.