# std::numeric_limits<T>::min

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< cpp‎ | types‎ | numeric limits

Defined in header `<limits>` |  |
static T min() throw(); |  | (until C++11)
static constexpr T min() noexcept; |  | (since C++11)

Returns the minimum finite value representable by the numeric type `T`.

For floating-point types with denormalization, `min` returns the minimum positive normalized value. Note that this behavior may be unexpected, especially when compared to the behavior of `min` for integral types. To find the value that has no values less than it, use `numeric_limits::lowest`.

`min` is only meaningful for bounded types and for unbounded unsigned types, that is, types that represent an infinite set of negative values have no meaningful minimum.

### Return value

`T` | std::numeric_limits <T>::min()
/* non-specialized */ | `T()`
bool | false
char | CHAR_MIN
signed char | SCHAR_MIN
unsigned char | ​0​
wchar_t | WCHAR_MIN
char8_t | ​0​
char16_t | ​0​
char32_t | ​0​
short | SHRT_MIN
unsigned short | ​0​
int | INT_MIN
unsigned int | ​0​
long | LONG_MIN
unsigned long | ​0​
long long | LLONG_MIN
unsigned long long | ​0​
float | FLT_MIN
double | DBL_MIN
long double | LDBL_MIN

### Example

Demonstrates the use with typedef types, and the difference in the sign of the result between integer and floating-point types

Run this code

    #include <limits>
    #include <cstddef>
    #include <iostream>

    int main()
    {
        std::cout
            << "short: " << std::dec << std::numeric_limits<short>::min()
            << " or " << std::hex << std::showbase
            << std::numeric_limits<short>::min() << '\n'

            << "int: " << std::dec << std::numeric_limits<int>::min() << std::showbase
            << " or " << std::hex << std::numeric_limits<int>::min() << '\n' << std::dec

            << "ptrdiff_t: " << std::numeric_limits<std::ptrdiff_t>::min() << std::showbase
            << " or " << std::hex << std::numeric_limits<std::ptrdiff_t>::min() << '\n'

            << "float: " << std::numeric_limits<float>::min()
            << " or " << std::hexfloat << std::numeric_limits<float>::min() << '\n'

            << "double: " << std::defaultfloat << std::numeric_limits<double>::min()
            << " or " << std::hexfloat << std::numeric_limits<double>::min() << '\n';
    }

Possible output:

    short: -32768 or 0x8000
    int: -2147483648 or 0x80000000
    ptrdiff_t: -9223372036854775808 or 0x8000000000000000
    float: 1.17549e-38 or 0x1p-126
    double: 2.22507e-308 or 0x1p-1022

### See also

lowest [static] (C++11) | returns the lowest finite value of the given type (public static member function)
denorm_min [static] | returns the smallest positive subnormal value of the given floating-point type (public static member function)
max [static] | returns the largest finite value of the given type (public static member function)

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