Compare Fonts → Sans Serif → Source Sans 3 vs Cabin

Source Sans 3 vs Cabin

Both are sans serif faces on Google Fonts. Cabin has the larger x-height, so it looks bigger at the same size. Cabin takes more horizontal space.

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Source Sans 3

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Measured from the font files. Heights and widths are shown as a share of the font size, so they compare directly at any point size.
Measurement	Source Sans 3	Cabin	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	48.6%	49.0%	0.4%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	66.0%	70.0%	4.0%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.74	0.70	0.04
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	8.5%	9.2%	0.7%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.80	0.87	0.07
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	47.5%	47.7%	0.2%

Stroke contrast: Source Sans 3 measures 0.80, Cabin measures 0.87. Horizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.
Stroke weight: Source Sans 3 measures 8.5%, Cabin measures 9.2%. Measured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.
x-height to cap ratio: Source Sans 3 measures 0.74, Cabin measures 0.70. Proportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.