Convert String to Double in Java

Last updated: January 8, 2024

Written by: baeldung

Reviewed by: Michal Aibin

Java String

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1. Overview

In this tutorial, we’ll cover many ways of converting a String into a double in Java.

2. Double.parseDouble

We can convert a String to a double using the Double.parseDouble method:

assertEquals(1.23, Double.parseDouble("1.23"), 0.000001);

3. Double.valueOf

Similarly, we can convert a String into a boxed Double using the Double.valueOf method:

assertEquals(1.23, Double.valueOf("1.23"), 0.000001);

Note that the returned value of Double.valueOf is a boxed Double. Since Java 5, this boxed Double is converted by the compiler to a primitive double where needed.

In general, we should favor Double.parseDouble since it does not require the compiler to perform auto-unboxing.

4. DecimalFormat.parse

When a String representing a double has a more complex format, we can use a DecimalFormat.

For example, we can convert a decimal-based currency value without removing non-numeric symbols:

DecimalFormat format = new DecimalFormat("\u00A4#,##0.00");
format.setParseBigDecimal(true);

BigDecimal decimal = (BigDecimal) format.parse("-$1,000.57");

assertEquals(-1000.57, decimal.doubleValue(), 0.000001);

Similar to the Double.valueOf, the DecimalFormat.parse method returns a Number, which we can convert to a primitive double using the doubleValue method. Additionally, we use the setParseBigDecimal method to force DecimalFormat.parse to return a BigDecimal.

Usually, the DecimalFormat is more advanced than we require, thus, we should favor the Double.parseDouble or the Double.valueOf instead.

To learn more about DecimalFormat, please check a practical guide to DecimalFormat.

5. Invalid Conversions

Java provides a uniform interface for handling invalid numeric Strings.

Notably, Double.parseDouble, Double.valueOf, and DecimalFormat.parse throw a NullPointerException when we pass null.

Likewise, Double.parseDouble and Double.valueOf throw a NumberFormatException when we pass an invalid String that cannot be parsed to a double (such as &).

Lastly, DecimalFormat.parse throws a ParseException when we pass an invalid String.