diff --git a/docs/users_guide/framework_basics/text_output.md b/docs/users_guide/framework_basics/text_output.md
index 9dfee718..da529b85 100644
--- a/docs/users_guide/framework_basics/text_output.md
+++ b/docs/users_guide/framework_basics/text_output.md
@@ -272,8 +272,8 @@ kg⋅m⋅s⁻²
 
 Some [common units](systems_of_units.md#common-units) expressed with a specialization of the
 `common_unit` class template need special printing rules for their symbols. As they represent
-a minimum set of common units resulting from the addition or subtraction of multiple quantities,
-we print all of them as a scaled version of the source unit. For example the following:
+a minimum set of equivalent common units resulting from the addition or subtraction of multiple
+quantities, we print all of them as a scaled version of the source unit. For example the following:
 
 ```cpp
 std::cout << 1 * km + 1 * mi << "\n";
@@ -284,9 +284,9 @@ std::cout << 1 * km / h + 1 * m / s << "\n";
 will print:
 
 ```text
-40771 ([1/25146] mi = [1/15625] km)
-108167 ([1/50292] mi = [1/57875] nmi)
-23 ([1/5] km/h = [1/18] m/s)
+40771 EQUIV{[1/25146] mi, [1/15625] km}
+108167 EQUIV{[1/50292] mi, [1/57875] nmi}
+23 EQUIV{[1/5] km/h, [1/18] m/s}
 ```
 
 Thanks to the above, it might be easier for the user to reason about the magnitude of the resulting
diff --git a/src/core/include/mp-units/framework/unit.h b/src/core/include/mp-units/framework/unit.h
index 6194b845..2bbbb67d 100644
--- a/src/core/include/mp-units/framework/unit.h
+++ b/src/core/include/mp-units/framework/unit.h
@@ -854,18 +854,19 @@ template<typename CharT, std::output_iterator<CharT> Out, typename U, typename..
 constexpr Out unit_symbol_impl(Out out, const common_unit<U, Rest...>&, const unit_symbol_formatting& fmt,
                                bool negative_power)
 {
-  constexpr std::string_view separator(" = ");
+  constexpr std::string_view prefix("EQUIV{");
+  constexpr std::string_view separator(", ");
   auto print_unit = [&]<Unit Arg>(Arg) {
     constexpr auto u = get_common_unit_in(common_unit<U, Rest...>{}, Arg{});
     unit_symbol_impl<CharT>(out, u, fmt, negative_power);
   };
-  *out++ = '(';
+  detail::copy(std::begin(prefix), std::end(prefix), out);
   print_unit(U{});
   for_each(std::tuple<Rest...>{}, [&]<Unit Arg>(Arg) {
     detail::copy(std::begin(separator), std::end(separator), out);
     print_unit(Arg{});
   });
-  *out++ = ')';
+  *out++ = '}';
   return out;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/static/unit_symbol_test.cpp b/test/static/unit_symbol_test.cpp
index ba3c37dc..38048470 100644
--- a/test/static/unit_symbol_test.cpp
+++ b/test/static/unit_symbol_test.cpp
@@ -117,12 +117,12 @@ static_assert(unit_symbol<unit_symbol_formatting{.encoding = ascii}>(mag<60> * s
 static_assert(unit_symbol(mag_ratio<1, 18> * metre / second) == "[1/18] m/s");
 
 // common units
-static_assert(unit_symbol(get_common_unit(kilo<metre>, mile)) == "([1/25146] mi = [1/15625] km)");
-static_assert(unit_symbol(get_common_unit(kilo<metre> / hour, metre / second)) == "([1/5] km/h = [1/18] m/s)");
+static_assert(unit_symbol(get_common_unit(kilo<metre>, mile)) == "EQUIV{[1/25146] mi, [1/15625] km}");
+static_assert(unit_symbol(get_common_unit(kilo<metre> / hour, metre / second)) == "EQUIV{[1/5] km/h, [1/18] m/s}");
 static_assert(unit_symbol(get_common_unit(kilo<metre> / hour, metre / second) / second) ==
-              "([1/5] km/h = [1/18] m/s)/s");
+              "EQUIV{[1/5] km/h, [1/18] m/s}/s");
 static_assert(unit_symbol(get_common_unit(kilo<metre> / hour, metre / second) * second) ==
-              "([1/5] km/h = [1/18] m/s) s");
+              "EQUIV{[1/5] km/h, [1/18] m/s} s");
 
 // derived units
 static_assert(unit_symbol(one) == "");  // NOLINT(readability-container-size-empty)