Sans serif · Frode Helland
General Sans
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CSSfont-family: 'General Sans', sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;
General Sans is a free sans serif by Frode Helland, from Fontshare. Among the 697 sans serifs on FontKind, General Sans has an x-height taller than 70%, is of average width and, at its regular weight, is lighter than 88%. Its thickest strokes are 1.2 times its thinnest: nearly even strokes.
01 / Light table
Laid on top of Satoshi
General Sans on one light table with its two closest fonts, Satoshi (87 out of 100) and Elms Sans (83). Satoshi is 4% narrower and 7% heavier, with an x-height 8% shorter; Elms Sans is 11% heavier and 3% wider, with an x-height 9% shorter.
General Sans and Satoshi laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with General SansSatoshi…
Most different letters first; the figure is the share of ink the fonts have in common. Where the fonts agree the letters cancel to black: every white sliver is a real difference.
02 / Letters
The General Sans alphabet
Capitals, lowercase, figures and signs · weight 400
Tap the letters you like, here and in other fonts, to find the fonts whose letters look most like them.
- &
- ?
- !
- @
- %
- (
- )
03 / Weights
General Sans in 6 weights
6 weights, 200–700, with italics
- 200 Extra light, with its italic
- 300 Light, with its italic
- 400 Regular, with its italic
- 500 Medium, with its italic
- 600 Semibold, with its italic
- 700 Bold, with its italic
04 / Facts
Who made General Sans, and can you use it?
- Designer
- Frode Helland
- Kind
- Sans serif
- Styles
- 6 weights, 200–700, with italics
- From
- Fontshare
- Character sets
- latin
- Licence
- ITF Free Font License 2.0
Can I use it?
- Commercial use
- Yes.
- Logos
- Yes. Even registered as a trademark.
- Websites and apps
- Yes. Your own, not as a font others pick.
- PDFs and documents
- Yes. Embedded so that it can’t be pulled out.
- Changes
- No. Not even subsetting, without ITF’s written consent.
- Sharing the files
- No. Only within your organisation.
General Sans is under the ITF Free Font License 2.0. This is a plain summary, not legal advice: the licence itself decides.
Already in your apps?
- Google Docs
- Not verified. Docs adds Google Fonts, and General Sans comes from Fontshare. Google’s guide
- Word, PowerPoint
- No. Install it from Fontshare first. Microsoft’s list
- Figma
- No. General Sans comes from Fontshare: install it first. Figma’s help
- Canva
- Not verified. Search its font menu for General Sans, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists General Sans under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
General Sans, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 52.7% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 71.8% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.73lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 50.9% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 35%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 1.16 : 1nearly even strokes
Where it stands among sans serifs
Ranked against all 697 sans serifs on FontKind
x-heightLarger than 70% of sans serifs
WidthNear the middle of sans serifs
InkLighter than 88% of sans serifs
ContrastNear the middle of sans serifs
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to General Sans
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- Satoshi87x-height 8% shorter · 4% narrower · 7% heavier
- Elms Sans83x-height 9% shorter · 11% heavier · 3% wider
- Involve816% wider · x-height 4% taller
- Wix Madefor Text80x-height 7% shorter · 8% heavier · 4% wider
- Wix Madefor Display80x-height 7% shorter · 4% wider · 8% heavier
- Google Sans Flex7924% heavier · x-height 3% shorter
All 100 fonts similar to General Sans →Compare side by side →Get General Sans on Fontshare
07 / Swap
Swap General Sans without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
- Google Sans Flex79text 0.7% wider · x-height 3.2% shorter
- Manrope79text 2.6% wider · x-height 2.5% taller
- Instrument Sans77text 1.6% wider · x-height 3.2% shorter
- Google Sans75same text width · x-height 3.2% shorter
- Gothic A172same text width · same x-height
- Reddit Sans71same text width · x-height 1.8% shorter
Fallback while it loads
Until General Sans loads, this sets Arial in its place at 101.6% of its size, so running text keeps General Sans’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'General Sans Fallback';
src: local('Arial');
size-adjust: 101.59%;
ascent-override: 99.42%;
descent-override: 23.62%;
line-gap-override: 9.84%;
}
font-family: 'General Sans', 'General Sans Fallback', sans-serif;08 / Pairs
Used together with General Sans
Of the 3,982 home pages that load General Sans, the share that load each font too, and how that compares with chance.
Same page, not which sets the headings · HTTP Archive , 1 September 2026
- Inter7.8%310 sites · 0.8× chance
- Roboto5%198 sites · 0.2× chance
- Satoshi3.2%127 sites · 17× chance
- Poppins2.9%115 sites · 0.3× chance
- Montserrat2.4%94 sites · 0.2× chance
- Clash Display2%80 sites · 50× chance
More than chanceCabinet Grotesk 55×Clash Display 50×Satoshi 17×
Fonts that go with General Sans: pairs and trios →The pairs sites choose most →
Pair checkerGeneral Sans + any fontHow many of the 6,276,350 home pages counted load the two together, and how that compares with chance.Check this font with any other09 / Questions
Questions about General Sans
Answered from its licence, Fontshare and each app’s own font list
Is General Sans free for commercial use?
Yes. General Sans is under the ITF Free Font License 2.0 , which allows commercial use, logos you can register as trademarks and your own websites and apps. But its files may not be changed, not even subset, nor passed outside your organisation.
How do I download and install General Sans?
FontKind doesn’t host General Sans’s files: it comes free from Fontshare , Indian Type Foundry’s library, and only from there. Download it from its page there and unzip the file. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open.
Is General Sans in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: General Sans isn’t one of Microsoft 365’s cloud fonts. Installed, it is in Word’s font menu and PowerPoint’s. On Windows, its weights beyond Regular and Bold show as fonts of their own, such as General Sans ExtraLight and General Sans SemiBold. For someone who hasn’t installed it, save it as a PDF, which carries the font with it.
Is General Sans in Google Docs?
Probably not: the More fonts list in Docs draws on Google Fonts, and General Sans comes from Fontshare. Docs can’t add a font of your own, so set it in an app on your computer, such as Word, instead.
Is General Sans in Figma?
Not built in: Figma includes Google Fonts, and General Sans comes from Fontshare. Install it on your computer and Figma lists it.
How many weights does General Sans have?
General Sans comes in six weights, from ExtraLight (200) to Bold (700), each with an italic.
Who designed General Sans?
General Sans was designed by Frode Helland. Frode Helland also made Geologica, Array, Comico and one more on FontKind.
What fonts are similar to General Sans?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are Satoshi (87), Elms Sans (83) and Involve (81), out of 100. Next to General Sans, Satoshi is 4% narrower and 7% heavier, with an x-height 8% shorter. See all 100 fonts like General Sans.