Lift symbol

A figure between two vertical arrows, marking a lift.

Also known as: Elevator symbol, Lift sign, Up and down arrows sign

Everyday & digitalStandard profile

Meanings

A figure flanked by up and down arrows marks a lift. The arrows do the work: they distinguish a lift from a staircase or an escalator, all of which are drawn as a person plus a way of changing floor.

Common modern usageVerified fact
Identifies a lift, or the route to one.
Contexts: Public information
Common modern usageVerified fact
Distinguishes itself from stair and escalator symbols by its paired vertical arrows: all three show a person changing floor, and only the arrows say by what means.
Contexts: Public information
Common modern usageVerified fact
Is frequently displayed beside the International Symbol of Access, since a lift is often the accessible route between floors.
Contexts: Public information
Common modern usageVerified fact
Is a public information symbol rather than a safety sign, so it carries no shape-and-colour safety grammar. It identifies a facility and may be drawn in any colour that suits its setting.
Contexts: Public information

Visual description

A simplified standing figure inside a tall rectangle, with an upward arrow to one side and a downward arrow to the other.

Symmetry: vertical
Orientation: upright

Used alongside: International Symbol of Access
A lift is commonly the accessible route between floors, so the two symbols are often displayed together.

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Safety sign
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what the symbol depicts, its shape-and-colour category, and any ISO reference number it reports. The standards themselves are paywalled and were not consulted, so nothing here is treated as an official definition.
Elevator
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what the symbol depicts, its shape-and-colour category, and any ISO reference number it reports. The standards themselves are paywalled and were not consulted, so nothing here is treated as an official definition.
ISO 7001
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what the symbol depicts, its shape-and-colour category, and any ISO reference number it reports. The standards themselves are paywalled and were not consulted, so nothing here is treated as an official definition.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31

Part of

Public information symbols

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Meanings

A figure flanked by up and down arrows marks a lift. The arrows do the work: they distinguish a lift from a staircase or an escalator, all of which are drawn as a person plus a way of changing floor.

Common modern usageVerified fact

Identifies a lift, or the route to one.

Contexts: Public information

Common modern usageVerified fact

Distinguishes itself from stair and escalator symbols by its paired vertical arrows: all three show a person changing floor, and only the arrows say by what means.

Contexts: Public information

Common modern usageVerified fact

Is frequently displayed beside the International Symbol of Access, since a lift is often the accessible route between floors.

Contexts: Public information

Common modern usageVerified fact

Is a public information symbol rather than a safety sign, so it carries no shape-and-colour safety grammar. It identifies a facility and may be drawn in any colour that suits its setting.

Contexts: Public information

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originLow confidence: Low confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Safety sign
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what the symbol depicts, its shape-and-colour category, and any ISO reference number it reports. The standards themselves are paywalled and were not consulted, so nothing here is treated as an official definition.
Elevator
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what the symbol depicts, its shape-and-colour category, and any ISO reference number it reports. The standards themselves are paywalled and were not consulted, so nothing here is treated as an official definition.
ISO 7001
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for what the symbol depicts, its shape-and-colour category, and any ISO reference number it reports. The standards themselves are paywalled and were not consulted, so nothing here is treated as an official definition.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31

Meanings

Visual description

Related & commonly confused symbols

Meanings

Visual description

Related & commonly confused symbols