Instrument Sans
Instrument Sans is a sans serif font in 4 weights with italics, also available as a variable font. Its lowercase letters are about as wide as the typical sans serif font. Last updated 5 September 2025.
Editing a PDF that uses Instrument Sans
Most PDFs embed only the letters they already use. Type a new letter and many editors either refuse or swap in a different font. MythosPDF recognises Instrument Sans from the widths stored in your PDF, loads the complete open font, and sets your new text in Instrument Sans itself. The rest of the page is carried over untouched.
Measured metrics
| Average lowercase letter width | 524.9 units per 1000 em |
|---|---|
| Average capital letter width | 687.9 units per 1000 em |
| Word space | 200 units per 1000 em |
| Digits | proportional (digit widths differ) |
| Spacing | proportional |
| Width of i compared with m | 26% |
| Printable ASCII characters covered | 94 of 94 |
| Category | Sans serif |
Weights and styles
Languages beyond basic Latin
Open fonts closest to Instrument Sans
Measured on every printable character both fonts contain. A smaller difference means the same words take the same space, so lines break in the same places.
- Red Hat Display Regularloosely similar widths (30.4 units)
- Commissioner Regularloosely similar widths (30.6 units)
- Red Hat Text Regularloosely similar widths (31.6 units)
- Metropolis Regularloosely similar widths (32.1 units)
- Liter Regularloosely similar widths (32.3 units)
- TASA Orbiter Regularloosely similar widths (32.5 units)
- Mona Sans Regularloosely similar widths (33.1 units)
- Google Sans Flex Regularloosely similar widths (33.3 units)
Compare Instrument Sans
Questions people ask
+Can I edit a PDF that uses Instrument Sans?
Yes. Drop the PDF into MythosPDF and click the text. New letters are set in Instrument Sans itself, loaded from the open font, so the edit matches the rest of the page.
+Is Instrument Sans free to use?
Instrument Sans is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, an open licence that allows free use in documents, including commercial ones. Check the licence text for your exact use.
+Which font is closest to Instrument Sans?
By measured letter widths, Red Hat Display is the closest match among open fonts (a mean difference of 30.4 units per 1000 em). Text set in one takes almost the same space in the other.
+Which languages does Instrument Sans support?
It includes these character sets: Latin, Central European.
Ready to fix your PDF?
Free, in your browser, and it takes about a minute. No account needed.