Arial Narrow Bold: Preview, CSS Weight & Usage Tips
Last reviewed by the ArialNarrow.com editorial team
Short answer
Arial Narrow Bold is the 700 weight of Arial Narrow, stored in the file ARIALNB.TTF. In Office, select Arial Narrow and press Ctrl+B. In CSS, use font-family: 'Arial Narrow' with font-weight: 700. Don't ask for a separate "Arial Narrow Bold" family name.
Using Arial Narrow Bold in CSS
h1, h2, th {
font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'Liberation Sans Narrow', Arial, sans-serif;
font-weight: 700;
}Some old tutorials write font-family: 'Arial Narrow Bold'. That works in a few browsers on Windows and fails everywhere else, so stick to the family name plus a weight. Our full Arial Narrow CSS guide covers @font-face rules too.
Where the bold weight shines
- Table headers: all caps, 9–10 pt, a touch of letter spacing.
- Dashboard numbers: big figures that need to fit narrow cards.
- Packaging and signs: strong, compact type that holds up when printed small.
- Resume headings: clear section breaks that don't eat space. See our resume guide.
Mistakes to avoid
- Setting whole paragraphs in bold. It turns into a dark wall of text very quickly.
- Mixing Bold and Bold Italic in one heading. The change looks accidental.
- Pairing it with another condensed bold. Pick a regular-width body font instead, from our pairing ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the file name of Arial Narrow Bold?
ARIALNB.TTF. On Windows it sits in C:\Windows\Fonts next to ARIALN.TTF (Regular), ARIALNI.TTF (Italic) and ARIALNBI.TTF (Bold Italic).
Why does my Arial Narrow Bold look blurry?
Your app is faking it. When the bold file is missing, Windows, macOS and browsers thicken the regular letters, which smudges the shapes and closes up the gaps inside letters like e and a. Install ARIALNB.TTF and the problem goes away.
Is Arial Narrow Bold good for headlines?
It is one of its best uses. The heavy strokes stay readable even though every letter is narrow, so long headlines fit on one line without shrinking. Add a little letter spacing in all caps.
Is there anything heavier than Arial Narrow Bold?
Not in the Arial Narrow family. Bold is the heaviest weight. For something thicker, Barlow Condensed Black and Roboto Condensed Black are free options.