When an interface exists between a liquid and a solid, the angle between the surface of the liquid and the outline of the contact surface is described as the contact angle θ (lower case theta). The contact angle (wetting angle) is a measure of the wettability of a solid by a liquid.

In the case of complete wetting (spreading), the contact angle is 0°. Between 0° and 90°, the solid is wettable and above 90° it is not wettable. In the case of ultrahydrophobic materials with the so-called lotus effect, the contact angle approaches the theoretical limit of 180°.

Contact angle measurements of suitable liquids can be used to characterize material properties like the surface energy.