Arbutus Slab

serif · Designed by Karolina Lach

Arbutus Slab: How vexingly quick daft zebras jump

Available weights

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What do I do with this?

Just want to use the font? Click "Get this font on Google Fonts" to download it or add it directly to a document, design tool (like Canva or Photoshop), or your computer's font list.

Building a website? Click "Copy Font Code" to copy a short snippet, then paste it into your website's HTML (usually inside the <head> section) to use this font on your site.

Arbutus Slab is a sturdy, upright serif with a handcrafted quality that sets it apart from more refined or mechanical slab serifs. Its letterforms carry visible warmth through slightly irregular stroke weights and a texture that reads as hand-drawn without being decorative or distracting. The overall impression is bold and confident but approachable, sitting somewhere between a traditional newspaper slab and a more rustic display face. It commands attention at larger sizes while retaining enough clarity to work in short blocks of text.

This font works well for editorial projects that want a grounded, no-nonsense personality, such as food and lifestyle magazine headlines or feature story titles. It suits small business branding in categories like craft goods, local restaurants, or independent publishing where a human touch matters more than corporate polish. It also performs reliably as a display or heading font for blog platforms or content-heavy websites that need something with more character than a generic system serif without tipping into novelty territory.

Best suited for: Consider Arbutus Slab for editorial headlines, food and lifestyle publication titles, craft business branding, and independent publishing projects seeking distinctive character with readable confidence.

Design considerations: The single regular weight limits typographic hierarchy options, making it most effective as a display or accent font rather than body text. Its handcrafted texture and sturdy proportions work best at larger sizes where the letterform warmth becomes an asset rather than a potential readability concern.

Pairing guidance: Pair Arbutus Slab with Playfair Display for sophisticated editorial layouts where both fonts share serif authority but Playfair provides elegant contrast; use Lato as a neutral, efficient sans-serif counterpart for body copy and interface elements; and consider Satisfy as an occasional accent for personal touches or decorative moments that echo the handcrafted quality without competing for attention.

Pairs well with

Playfair Display Lato Satisfy

Arbutus Slab at a glance

Designer

Karolina Lach

License

SIL Open Font License 1.1

Added to Google Fonts

September 2012

Last updated

September 2025

Styles

1 (1 weight)

Classification

Serif

Character sets

2

Distributed via

Google Fonts

Arbutus Slab styles

Weight Name Upright
400 Regular Aa Bb Gg 123

Arbutus Slab character map

Uppercase

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lowercase

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Numbers and punctuation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? & @ # % $ € £ ( ) [ ] { } . , : ; " ' - / * + =

Latin Extended (sample)

Ā Ă Ą Ć Č Ď Đ Ē Ę Ě Ğ Ī Į İ Ĺ Ľ Ł Ń Ň Ő Œ Ř Ś Ş Š Ť Ů Ű Ź Ż Ž

Which languages does Arbutus Slab support?

Arbutus Slab includes 2 character sets:

  • Latin: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and other Western European languages
  • Latin Extended: Central and Eastern European languages such as Polish, Czech, Turkish, Romanian and Hungarian

It does not include Cyrillic or Greek characters, so it can't set Russian, Ukrainian or Greek text.

Can I use Arbutus Slab commercially?

Yes, it's free for personal and commercial use. Arbutus Slab is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. You can use it in logos, websites, apps, videos, printed products and merchandise without paying or asking permission. The one thing you can't do is sell the font file on its own.

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Arbutus Slab FAQ

Is Arbutus Slab free for commercial use?

Yes. Arbutus Slab is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, so you can use it in commercial projects, including logos, client work and products you sell.

Which weights does Arbutus Slab include?

Arbutus Slab comes in a single weight, Regular (400), with no italic style.

Does Arbutus Slab support Cyrillic?

No. Arbutus Slab supports Latin and Latin Extended, but not Cyrillic.

Who designed Arbutus Slab?

Arbutus Slab was designed by Karolina Lach. It was added to Google Fonts in September 2012.