diff --git a/src/common/CommonTypes.ts b/src/common/CommonTypes.ts
index b77f998..71a9867 100644
--- a/src/common/CommonTypes.ts
+++ b/src/common/CommonTypes.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ export interface Dimensions {
 export type NodeTextLoadedPayload = {
   type: 'text';
   dimensions: Dimensions;
+  /**
+   * Visible glyph extent — from the first line's cap-top to the last
+   * line's descender bottom. See `CoreTextNode.trimmedHeight`.
+   */
+  trimmedHeight: number;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/core/CoreTextNode.ts b/src/core/CoreTextNode.ts
index 0fe5b2d..eb347d4 100644
--- a/src/core/CoreTextNode.ts
+++ b/src/core/CoreTextNode.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ export class CoreTextNode extends CoreNode implements CoreTextNodeProps {
   private _renderInfo: TextRenderInfo = {
     width: 0,
     height: 0,
+    trimmedHeight: 0,
   };
 
   private _type: 'sdf' | 'canvas' = 'sdf'; // Default to SDF renderer
@@ -289,6 +290,7 @@ export class CoreTextNode extends CoreNode implements CoreTextNodeProps {
         w: this._renderInfo.width,
         h: this._renderInfo.height,
       },
+      trimmedHeight: this._renderInfo.trimmedHeight,
     } satisfies NodeTextLoadedPayload);
   };
 
@@ -593,4 +595,24 @@ export class CoreTextNode extends CoreNode implements CoreTextNodeProps {
   get renderInfo(): TextRenderInfo {
     return this._renderInfo;
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Visible glyph extent — from the first line's cap-top to the last
+   * line's descender bottom. Excludes half-leading and the slack above
+   * the cap-top inside the font's ascender.
+   *
+   * @remarks
+   * Useful with flex `alignItems: 'center'` (or any layout that aligns
+   * by node `h`) to optically center the glyphs rather than the
+   * lineHeightPx line-box. Listen for `loaded` and apply with:
+   *
+   * ```ts
+   * text.once('loaded', (n, p) => { text.h = p.trimmedHeight; });
+   * ```
+   *
+   * Zero before the text loads or for empty strings.
+   */
+  get trimmedHeight(): number {
+    return this._renderInfo.trimmedHeight;
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/core/text-rendering/CanvasTextRenderer.ts b/src/core/text-rendering/CanvasTextRenderer.ts
index ec1c4ca..40bbf70 100644
--- a/src/core/text-rendering/CanvasTextRenderer.ts
+++ b/src/core/text-rendering/CanvasTextRenderer.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ const renderText = (props: CoreTextNodeProps): TextRenderInfo => {
     return {
       width: 0,
       height: 0,
+      trimmedHeight: 0,
     };
   }
 
@@ -191,10 +192,18 @@ const renderText = (props: CoreTextNodeProps): TextRenderInfo => {
   if (canvas.width > 0 && canvas.height > 0) {
     imageData = context.getImageData(0, 0, canvasW, canvasH);
   }
+  // Cap-top of first line to descender bottom of last line.
+  // descender is negative in NormalizedFontMetrics.
+  const trimmedHeight =
+    lineAmount > 0
+      ? metrics.capHeight - metrics.descender + (lineAmount - 1) * lineHeightPx
+      : 0;
+
   return {
     imageData,
     width: effectiveWidth,
     height: effectiveHeight,
+    trimmedHeight,
     remainingLines,
     hasRemainingText,
   };
diff --git a/src/core/text-rendering/SdfTextRenderer.ts b/src/core/text-rendering/SdfTextRenderer.ts
index bcfd4cc..2638666 100644
--- a/src/core/text-rendering/SdfTextRenderer.ts
+++ b/src/core/text-rendering/SdfTextRenderer.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ const renderText = (props: CoreTextNodeProps): TextRenderInfo => {
     return {
       width: 0,
       height: 0,
+      trimmedHeight: 0,
     };
   }
 
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ const renderText = (props: CoreTextNodeProps): TextRenderInfo => {
       hasRemainingText: false,
       width: layout.width,
       height: layout.height,
+      trimmedHeight: layout.trimmedHeight,
       layout,
     };
   }
@@ -74,6 +76,7 @@ const renderText = (props: CoreTextNodeProps): TextRenderInfo => {
     return {
       width: 0,
       height: 0,
+      trimmedHeight: 0,
     };
   }
 
@@ -87,6 +90,7 @@ const renderText = (props: CoreTextNodeProps): TextRenderInfo => {
     hasRemainingText: false,
     width: layout.width,
     height: layout.height,
+    trimmedHeight: layout.trimmedHeight,
     layout,
   };
 };
@@ -345,12 +349,21 @@ const generateTextLayout = (
     }
   }
 
+  // Cap-top of first line to descender bottom of last line.
+  // descender is negative in NormalizedFontMetrics, so subtracting it
+  // adds the descender depth. Zero when there are no rendered lines.
+  const trimmedHeight =
+    lineAmount > 0
+      ? metrics.capHeight - metrics.descender + (lineAmount - 1) * lineHeightPx
+      : 0;
+
   // Convert final dimensions to pixel space for the layout
   return {
     glyphs,
     distanceRange: fontScale * fontData.distanceField.distanceRange,
     width: effectiveWidth * fontScale,
     height: effectiveHeight,
+    trimmedHeight,
     fontScale: fontScale,
     lineHeight: lineHeightPx,
     fontFamily,
diff --git a/src/core/text-rendering/TextRenderer.ts b/src/core/text-rendering/TextRenderer.ts
index 677ad94..bb591d2 100644
--- a/src/core/text-rendering/TextRenderer.ts
+++ b/src/core/text-rendering/TextRenderer.ts
@@ -317,6 +317,11 @@ export interface TextLayout {
    * Total text height
    */
   height: number;
+  /**
+   * Trimmed text height — cap-top of the first line to descender bottom
+   * of the last line. See `TextRenderInfo.trimmedHeight`.
+   */
+  trimmedHeight: number;
   /**
    * Font scale factor
    */
@@ -413,6 +418,21 @@ export interface TextRenderProps {
 export interface TextRenderInfo {
   width: number;
   height: number;
+  /**
+   * Height of the visible glyph extent — from the first line's cap-top to
+   * the last line's descender bottom. Excludes half-leading and the slack
+   * between the font's ascender and cap-top.
+   *
+   * @remarks
+   * Formula: `capHeight − descender + (lines − 1) × lineHeightPx`
+   * (descender is negative in font metrics, so subtracting it adds the
+   * descender depth). For empty text, this is 0.
+   *
+   * Use this when you want flex `alignItems: 'center'` (or any layout
+   * that aligns by node `h`) to optically center the visible glyphs.
+   * Set `node.h = node.trimmedHeight` after the `loaded` event.
+   */
+  trimmedHeight: number;
   hasRemainingText?: boolean;
   remainingLines?: number;
   imageData?: ImageData | null; // Image data for Canvas Text Renderer