LEGO® instructions have remained pretty much the same for a long time but they have also seen a few tweaks and can even be accessed digitally. One thing I’ve noticed lately is a lot of people asking what certain symbols mean in the instructions booklets. So here’s a brief guide to some of the symbols means from the LEGO instructions. Some of these symbols have been introduced in preparation for the switch to paper bags.
First up is a symbol commonly dotted about the instructions of many sets. The ‘+’ symbol is often displayed at the start of a bag’s build as well as during a build. This symbol is to highlight the need to use an element which is not found in the current bag. Often it’s related to loose elements included in separate unnumbered bags or loose in the box. When paper bags are fully used in sets, these sorts of elements will be packaged in paper bags featuring the ‘+’ similar to the one featured on Brickset.
This next symbol has changed a little in recent times but the meaning remains the same. This is a warning symbol to note that the set features projectile elements and should not be directly fired at someone.
This is another symbol which is commonly featured in sets. It’s meant to note that the section you are building needs to be rotated or flipped to add the next element.
This symbol is pretty self-explanatory and is solely related to the use of the light brick element. It reminds you to remove the tag which stops the battery from being active.
Another self-explanatory symbol represents the use of stickers in a set. This symbol notes you’ll need to find a sticker on the included sheet and add it to part of the build.
Finally, a small number of sets can be built by numerous people at the same time. This symbol shows how many people can build the set.
8th September 2023
Howdy. What do the parallel dashed green lines mean? Plse advise. THanx.
9th September 2023
Do you have a example, I can’t place seeing it in any recent instructions
1st November 2023
Thank you for the symbol guide. I’m deconstructing a big set for 7 yr. old grandson who ran into trouble and got frustrated. He’ll have a little more guidance next time!
21st December 2023
What does 3,2 in a circle mean in the instructions?
22nd December 2023
It’s hard to tell without seeing the image, what set is it from?
5th January 2024
It’s from the Gingerbread House 10267. Instruction book 2, page 112, steps 158 and 159.
6th January 2024
It’s the measurement gauge/size of the Technic pin. It matches with the 1 to 1 images at the bottom of the page
11th February 2024
hi what do the brick/ bricks listed at the very beginning of a build box mean? where it shows you a picture of the finished part of that box. there is a piece or pieces with an amount next to them
12th February 2024
Do you have an example? Let me know a set number where this appears in the instructions and I’ll take look
28th November 2024
Hi, where do I get the “‘+'” item from. I need to finish my Botanical Orchid Lego set.
28th November 2024
‘Plus’ elements are normally loose in the box or packaged separately in unnumbered clear or paper bags
29th December 2024
Hello Adam, Thanks very much for the guide to instruction symbols. Can you help with the following? Page 62 of the Botanical Collection Orchid [LEGO 10311] shows the inventory of Lego elements/bricks for the build. Please advise what the numbers mean in the white circles and white boxes. There are four white boxes with the number 7, two white circles with the number 3, one white circle with the numbers 3&2, one white circle with the number 8, and one white circle with the number 32. P.S. This is a brand new experience for a 71-year-old! Many thanks!!
29th December 2024
These represent the elements which come in different lengths. So for example on page 40 there is a box on the bottom of the page with a grey Technic axle and the number 3. Sometimes sets have a number of similar pieces but they are slightly different lengths so the numbers partly help to use the correct piece. The same image on page 40 is also one-to-one, so you can easily lay the part over the image to check you have the right length. Some parts also have the same number printed on them, which those little numbers represent. Hope that explains it.
30th December 2024
Ahhh! Now I understand! Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. I appreciate your kindness in answering so soon! Wishing you a wonderful and LEGO-FUN-TIME New Year! Many thanks!!
13th January 2025
I’m a retiree who discovered the joy of building Legos with my grandkids. I’ve been at it now for 2 years but have never done a building yet. I keep seeing the Japanese Himeji Castle. It’s calling to me LOL. Can you give me some idea of the degree of difficulty or expertise that might be needed to do this. Or is there something on a smaller scale you could recommend for me to start with. Lego recommends ages, but doesn’t really tell me a degree of difficulty. I don’t give up easily but I also don’t want to get way in over my head. Any recommendation you could give would be helpful
13th January 2025
It not a set I’ve built yet, but the Architecture sets have always been a little more in-depth than other sets. Due to the scale, they are often made up of quite a lot of smaller elements. You can always preview builds by looking them up in the LEGO Builder app or finding a set on LEGO.com and clicking on the ‘Building Instructions’ tab.
You could also try the Architecture Skylines sets (London, Paris or NYC) similar style of build as the Himeji set but on a smaller scale. The Modular Buildings are really fun to build and although quite detailed they may be a little more familiar to they sets you would have built with your grandkids. Plus you can build them in stages (separate floors) so they are less overwhelming. Be warned they are addictive and once you build one, you’ll want to more others. Hopefully that helps a bit, keep me posted on what you build and how you get on.
11th February 2025
what is the difference between a red with an arrow showing what hole a piece goes into verses a green line with an arrow?
11th February 2025
Depends on the set but for most, a simple arrow in different colours is purely for it to show up better in the instructions.
12th February 2025
These are 3000-4000 piece technic mostly cars
23rd May 2025
Thanks for tbe great information. I have recently bought a lego for the first time in over 50 years. I seen the plus brick sign and couldn’t figure out what it meant lol. That makes sense why I couldn’t find a part in the bag I just opened lol.
30th December 2025
Hello, what does the symbol that looks like a figure head with day and night / dark and light mean in the Hedwig Icons set, page 16, step 1 of the ‘Liquid Luck’ bottle mean, please?
30th December 2025
That the set contains a Glow-in-the-dark element
19th January 2026
Hi Adam,
Like many of the other people that you’ve helped, I am an “oldie” trying to do my first Lego project. I don’t have any questions so far about the construction, but could you do me a favor? If you could look at the box for kit #31161, Medieval Dragon, and kindly tell me what the two grey/silver missile looking things next to the treasure chest are supposed to be? Nobody in my family has a clue? I know that it’s a goofy question. Thanks for the help.
20th January 2026
I think they are meant to be either castle battlement turrets or more likely stalagmites, as dragons are well known not trusting banks so invest their treasure in caves.
26th January 2026
My wife is building set 76389 (Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets) and has encountered a picture of a Lego head in a square that is white on one side with a sun and black on the other side with a moon. What is this supposed to mean?
26th January 2026
It’s means the set contains a Glow-in-the-dark element so I believe Nearly Headless Nick glows in a ghostly manner.