WCAG 3.0 is an active W3C Working Draft in development by the AGWG. Requirements, assertions, the conformance model and reporting tiers are still being developed and may change. The latest published draft is the 10 September 2026 Working Draft; this site follows the editors’ draft, which also includes exploratory provisions.
Numerical information carries enough context in the written text, plus a programmatic equivalent, to avoid confusion - dates, temperatures, times and Roman numerals in particular.
Why It Matters
"03/04" is two different dates depending on the reader, and a screen reader may voice a Roman numeral as a word. Context is what stops a number being misread.
Numerical metadata is information that provides context about the numbers presented. This context helps users understand what the numbers represent and how they should be read. Without these cues, numbers can be ambiguous or misleading, making it harder for users to understand the intended meaning—especially across different regions, disciplines, or assistive technologies.
Examples from the Draft
Worked examples the W3C editors wrote into the provision itself, not
examples invented here.
Dates include markers for day and month such as “3 May 2025” instead of the ambiguous “03/05/2025.”
Temperatures specify degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit such as “0° C” or “32° F.”
Times specify am, pm, or 24-hour clock such as “1 pm” or “13:00.”
Numerical information includes sufficient context in written text and a programmatic equivalent to avoid confusion when presenting dates, temperatures, time, and Roman numerals.
:::note
Numerical metadata is information that provides context about the numbers presented. This context helps users understand what the numbers represent and how they should be read. Without these cues, numbers can be ambiguous or misleading, making it harder for users to understand the intended meaning—especially across different regions, disciplines, or assistive technologies.
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:::example
* Dates include markers for day and month such as “3 May 2025” instead of the ambiguous "03/05/2025."
* Temperatures specify degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit such as "0° C" or "32° F."
* Times specify am, pm, or 24-hour clock such as "1 pm" or "13:00."
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