diff --git a/engine/src/flutter/include/minikin/FontCollection.h b/engine/src/flutter/include/minikin/FontCollection.h
index 78ab2aae7b9..508a129a99f 100644
--- a/engine/src/flutter/include/minikin/FontCollection.h
+++ b/engine/src/flutter/include/minikin/FontCollection.h
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ public:
     void itemize(const uint16_t *string, size_t string_length, FontStyle style,
             std::vector<Run>* result) const;
 
+    // Get the base font for the given style, useful for font-wide metrics.
+    MinikinFont* baseFont(FontStyle style);
+
     uint32_t getId() const;
 private:
     static const int kLogCharsPerPage = 8;
diff --git a/engine/src/flutter/libs/minikin/FontCollection.cpp b/engine/src/flutter/libs/minikin/FontCollection.cpp
index 1713b476e0b..c13670e74a8 100644
--- a/engine/src/flutter/libs/minikin/FontCollection.cpp
+++ b/engine/src/flutter/libs/minikin/FontCollection.cpp
@@ -185,6 +185,14 @@ void FontCollection::itemize(const uint16_t *string, size_t string_size, FontSty
     }
 }
 
+MinikinFont* FontCollection::baseFont(FontStyle style) {
+    if (mInstances.empty()) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return mInstances[0].mFamily->getClosestMatch(style);
+}
+
+
 uint32_t FontCollection::getId() const {
     return mId;
 }