MDN / font-stretch CSS property
MDN / font-stretch CSS property
The font-stretch property was renamed to in the CSS Fonts specification. To preserve compatibility, the specification retains font-stretch as a legacy alias for the font-width property.
The font-stretch CSS property selects a normal, condensed, or expanded face from a font.
font-stretch: condensed;
font-stretch: expanded;
font-stretch: ultra-expanded;
font-stretch: 50%;
font-stretch: 100%;
font-stretch: 150%;
<section class="default-example" id="default-example">
<p class="transition-all" id="example-element">
London. Michaelmas term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in
Lincoln's Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets
as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it
would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so,
waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill.
</p>
</section>
@font-face {
src: url("/shared-assets/fonts/LeagueMono-VF.ttf") format("truetype");
font-family: "League";
font-style: normal;
font-weight: normal;
}
section {
font-size: 1.2em;
font-family: "League", sans-serif;
}
Syntax
/* Keyword values */
font-stretch: normal;
font-stretch: ultra-condensed;
font-stretch: extra-condensed;
font-stretch: condensed;
font-stretch: semi-condensed;
font-stretch: semi-expanded;
font-stretch: expanded;
font-stretch: extra-expanded;
font-stretch: ultra-expanded;
/* Percentage values */
font-stretch: 50%;
font-stretch: 100%;
font-stretch: 200%;
/* Global values */
font-stretch: inherit;
font-stretch: initial;
font-stretch: revert;
font-stretch: revert-layer;
font-stretch: unset;
This property may be specified as a single keyword or value.
Values
normal: Specifies a normally condensed font face.
semi-condensed,condensed,extra-condensed,ultra-condensed: Specifies a more condensed font face than normal, with
ultra-condensedbeing the most condensed.
semi-expanded,expanded,extra-expanded,ultra-expanded: Specifies a more expanded font face than normal, with
ultra-expandedbeing the most expanded.
<percentage>: A value between 50% and 200% (inclusive). Negative values are not allowed for this property.
Keyword to numeric mapping
The table below shows the mapping between the keyword values and numeric percentages:
KeywordPercentageultra-condensed50%extra-condensed62.5%condensed75%semi-condensed87.5%normal100%semi-expanded112.5%expanded125%extra-expanded150%ultra-expanded200%
Description
Some font families offer additional faces in which the characters are narrower than the normal face (condensed faces) or wider than the normal face (expanded faces).
You can use font-stretch to select a condensed or expanded face from such fonts. If the font you are using does not offer condensed or expanded faces, this property has no effect.
Font face selection
The face selected for a given value of font-stretch depends on the faces supported by the font in question. If the font does not provide a face that exactly matches the given value, then values less than 100% map to a condensed face, and values greater than or equal to 100% map to an expanded face.
The table below demonstrates the effect of setting different percentage values of font-stretch on two different fonts:
@font-face {
font-family: "Inconsolata";
src: url("https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/inconsolata/v31/QlddNThLqRwH-OJ1UHjlKENVzlm-WkL3GZQmAwPyya15.woff2")
format("woff2");
}
@font-face {
font-family: "Anek Malayalam";
src: url("https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/anekmalayalam/v4/6qLUKZActRTs_mZAJUZWWkhke0nYa-f6__Azq3-gP1W7db9_.woff2")
format("woff2");
}
body {
font-family: system-ui;
}
table {
border-collapse: collapse;
width: 100%;
}
tbody th {
text-align: right;
}
th,
td {
padding: 0.25rem;
font-weight: normal;
text-align: center;
}
td {
border: solid;
border-width: 1px;
font-size: 5rem;
}
.inconsolata {
font-family: "Inconsolata", sans-serif;
}
.anek-malayalam {
font-family: "Anek Malayalam", sans-serif;
}
td:nth-child(2) {
font-stretch: 50%;
}
td:nth-child(3) {
font-stretch: 62.5%;
}
td:nth-child(4) {
font-stretch: 75%;
}
td:nth-child(5) {
font-stretch: 87.5%;
}
td:nth-child(6) {
font-stretch: 100%;
}
td:nth-child(7) {
font-stretch: 112.5%;
}
td:nth-child(8) {
font-stretch: 125%;
}
td:nth-child(9) {
font-stretch: 150%;
}
td:nth-child(10) {
font-stretch: 200%;
}
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th scope="row"></th>
<th scope="col">50%</th>
<th scope="col">62.5%</th>
<th scope="col">75%</th>
<th scope="col">87.5%</th>
<th scope="col">100%</th>
<th scope="col">112.5%</th>
<th scope="col">125%</th>
<th scope="col">150%</th>
<th scope="col">200%</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="inconsolata">
<th scope="row">Inconsolata</th>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
</tr>
<tr class="anek-malayalam">
<th scope="row">Anek Malayalam</th>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
<td>e</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Inconsolata is a variable font that offers a continuous range of widths from 50% to 200%.
Anek Malayalam is a variable google font that supports widths from 75% to 125%. Values below and above this range select the closest matching font.
Formal definition
Formal syntax
Examples
Setting font stretch percentages
<p class="condensed">an elephantine lizard</p>
<p class="normal">an elephantine lizard</p>
<p class="expanded">an elephantine lizard</p>
@font-face {
src: url("/shared-assets/fonts/LeagueMono-VF.ttf") format("truetype");
font-family: "LeagueMonoVariable";
font-style: normal;
}
p {
font:
1.5rem "LeagueMonoVariable",
sans-serif;
}
.condensed {
font-stretch: 50%;
}
.normal {
font-stretch: 100%;
}
.expanded {
font-stretch: 200%;
}
Specifications
Browser compatibility
See also
descriptor for
Modern property, replacing
font-stretchproperty
property
SVG attribute
CSS fonts module