The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C14H6O4, contains three independent mol-ecules (A, B and C). In mol-ecule C, there are two disordered sets of two carbonyl O atoms [occupancies = 0.643 (11) and 0.357 (11)]. All three mol-ecules are non-planar due to repulsion between two O atoms in peri positions on the anthracene ring, showing a slight difference in deviation of the carbonyl O atoms. The intra-molecular distances between the two nearest O atoms are in the range of 2.685 (10)-2.766 (10) Å. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O and π-π [centroid-centroid distances = 3.615 (2), 3.844 (2) and 3.921 (2) Å] inter-actions, which lead to the formation of a herringbone-like arrangement.