Data Types

Published Jan 25, 2023

C-sharp supports many data types that represent the size and kind of values stored in memory. The two main data types in C# are value and reference types.

Value Types

Value types are data types that are built-in to C#. The available types and their memory sizes are as follows:

Data Type	Description	Memory Size
`bool`	Boolean	1 byte
`byte`	Byte	1 byte
`sbyte`	Short Byte	1 byte
`char`	Character	2 bytes
`decimal`	Decimal	16 bytes
`double`	Double	8 bytes
`float`	Float	4 bytes
`int`	Integer	4 bytes
`uint`	Unsigned Integer	4 bytes
`nint`	Native Integer	4 or 8 bytes
`unint`	Unsigned Native Integer	4 or 8 bytes
`long`	Long	8 bytes
`ulong`	Unsigned Long	8 bytes
`short`	Short	2 bytes
`ushort`	Unsigned Short	2 bytes

The following code demonstrates how to instantiate a variable of each type shown above:

bool isOpen = true;
byte age = 45;
sbyte temperature = 58;
char grade = 'a';
decimal numberOfAtoms = 1493867940.23m;
double weightOfHippos = 243906.12;
float heightOfGiraffe = 908.32f;
int seaLevel = -24;
uint year = 2023u;
nint pagesInBook = 412;
unint milesToNewYork = 2597;
long circumferenceOfEarth = 25000l;
ulong depthOfOcean = 28000ul;
short tableHeight = 4;
ushort treeBranches = 33;