double (C# Reference)

  • 2 minutes to read
  • Contributors

The double keyword signifies a simple type that stores 64-bit floating-point values. The following table shows the precision and approximate range for the double type.

Type Approximate range Precision .NET type
double ±5.0 × 10−324 to ±1.7 × 10308 15-16 digits System.Double

Literals

By default, a real numeric literal on the right side of the assignment operator is treated as double. However, if you want an integer number to be treated as double, use the suffix d or D, for example:

double x = 3D;

Conversions

You can mix numeric integral types and floating-point types in an expression. In this case, the integral types are converted to floating-point types. The evaluation of the expression is performed according to the following rules:

  • If one of the floating-point types is double, the expression evaluates to double, or to bool in relational comparisons and comparisons for equality.

  • If there is no double type in the expression, it evaluates to float, or to bool in relational comparisons and comparisons for equality.

A floating-point expression can contain the following sets of values:

  • Positive and negative zero.

  • Positive and negative infinity.

  • Not-a-Number value (NaN).

  • The finite set of nonzero values.

For more information about these values, see IEEE Standard for Binary Floating-Point Arithmetic, available on the IEEE Web site.

Example

In the following example, an int, a short, a float, and a double are added together giving a double result.

// Mixing types in expressions
class MixedTypes
{
    static void Main()
    {
        int x = 3;
        float y = 4.5f;
        short z = 5;
        double w = 1.7E+3;
        // Result of the 2nd argument is a double:
        Console.WriteLine("The sum is {0}", x + y + z + w);
    }
}
// Output: The sum is 1712.5

C# language specification

For more information, see the C# Language Specification. The language specification is the definitive source for C# syntax and usage.

See Also