Brand-Consistent Range Slider

Web features: accent-color <input type="range"> appearance progress() attr() :dir()

Use the native range input

Use a labeled <input type="range"> rather than recreating a slider with <div> elements or custom pointer handlers. The native control preserves keyboard and pointer interaction, touch behavior, and accessibility support. Configure min, max, step, and value for the use case.

<label for="range-slider">Volume</label>
<input type="range" id="range-slider" value="70"/>

If the value requires a formatted label or unit, expose it in ordinary DOM content and update aria-valuetext when changed. Do not use ::before or ::after on slider pseudo-elements, as generated content on form controls is not interoperable. If a tooltip that follows the thumb is required, anchor it to the thumb with CSS anchor positioning; see Position Aware Tooltips for tooltips that stay correctly oriented when they flip.

Choose the styling approach

For simple color customization, use Brand-Consistent Forms and retain the browser’s native rendering:

input[type="range"] {
  accent-color: var(--brand-color);
}

accent-color is not a complete slider styling API. Its effect on the thumb, track, and fill is user-agent-dependent. Use the pseudo-elements below when the track, thumb, dimensions, shape, or fill must be controlled.

Style the track and thumb

Reset default OS styling with appearance: none, margin: 0, and border: 0. To normalize cross-browser rendering, declare WebKit and Firefox pseudo-elements in separate rule blocks, and center the WebKit thumb using margin-block-start: calc((var(--slider-track-size) - var(--slider-thumb-size)) / 2) (Firefox centers the thumb automatically). Keep consumer-facing values as custom properties on the input so themes do not target pseudo-elements directly.

input[type="range"] {
  --slider-track-size: 0.5rem;
  --slider-thumb-size: 1.25rem;
  --slider-track-radius: 999px;
  --slider-thumb-radius: 50%;
  --slider-track-color: #d9d9d9;
  --slider-fill-color: #06c;
  --slider-thumb-color: var(--slider-fill-color);
  --slider-direction: to right;

  /* reverse gradient direction for right-to-left layouts */
  &:dir(rtl) {
    --slider-direction: to left;
  }

  /* Read min and max from attributes; --control-value is synced by the script below. */
  --attr-min: attr(min type(<number>), 0);
  --attr-max: attr(max type(<number>), 100);
  --control-value: attr(value type(<number>), 50);
  --slider-progress: calc(
    progress(var(--control-value), var(--attr-min), var(--attr-max)) * 100%
  );

  appearance: none;
  inline-size: 100%;
  block-size: 2.5rem; /* Preserve a generous interaction area. */
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  border: 0;
  border-radius: 0;
  background: transparent;
  cursor: pointer;
}

/* WebKit/Blink. */
input[type="range"]::-webkit-slider-runnable-track {
  block-size: var(--slider-track-size);
  border: 0;
  border-radius: var(--slider-track-radius);
  background: linear-gradient(
    var(--slider-direction),
    var(--slider-fill-color) var(--slider-progress),
    var(--slider-track-color) var(--slider-progress)
  );
}

input[type="range"]::-webkit-slider-thumb {
  -webkit-appearance: none;
  appearance: none;
  inline-size: var(--slider-thumb-size);
  block-size: var(--slider-thumb-size);
  margin-block-start: calc(
    (var(--slider-track-size) - var(--slider-thumb-size)) / 2
  );
  border: 0;
  border-radius: var(--slider-thumb-radius);
  background: var(--slider-thumb-color);
}

/* Firefox. */
input[type="range"]::-moz-range-track {
  block-size: var(--slider-track-size);
  border: 0;
  border-radius: var(--slider-track-radius);
  background: var(--slider-track-color);
}

input[type="range"]::-moz-range-progress {
  block-size: var(--slider-track-size);
  border-radius: var(--slider-track-radius);
  background: var(--slider-fill-color);
}

input[type="range"]::-moz-range-thumb {
  inline-size: var(--slider-thumb-size);
  block-size: var(--slider-thumb-size);
  border: 0;
  border-radius: var(--slider-thumb-radius);
  background: var(--slider-thumb-color);
}

Always provide a visible keyboard focus indicator after removing the native appearance. Do not use color alone:

input[type="range"]:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid var(--slider-fill-color);
  outline-offset: 4px;
}

Style the active track

When the filled portion of the track is styled differently from the unfilled track, Firefox exposes it via ::-moz-range-progress. WebKit/Blink do not provide an equivalent pseudo-element, so sync the live input value to --control-value on input events:

const slider = document.querySelector('#range-slider');

function syncSliderValue() {
  slider.style.setProperty('--control-value', slider.value);
}

syncSliderValue();
slider.addEventListener('input', syncSliderValue);

Limitations

  • Do not combine WebKit and Firefox pseudo-selectors into a single comma-separated list (e.g. ::-webkit-slider-thumb, ::-moz-range-thumb); browsers drop the entire rule if an unrecognized vendor pseudo-element is encountered.

Fallbacks

Fallbacks & browser support for accent-color

The accent-color property is progressive enhancement. Browsers that do not support this property will ignore it and use their default UI colors.

Fallbacks & browser support for progress() and attr()

When progress() is unsupported, compute --slider-progress with calc():

@supports not (opacity: progress(1, 0, 100)) {
  input[type="range"] {
    --slider-progress: calc(
      (var(--control-value) - var(--attr-min)) /
      (var(--attr-max) - var(--attr-min)) * 100%
    );
  }
}

When typed attr() is unsupported, sync --attr-min and --attr-max from the input's min and max attributes in JavaScript:

function syncSliderValue() {
  slider.style.setProperty('--attr-min', slider.min || 0);
  slider.style.setProperty('--attr-max', slider.max || 100);
  slider.style.setProperty('--control-value', slider.value);
}