Density

Density refers to the spatial compactness of UI elements—how tightly components are arranged, how much padding surrounds them, and how much content fits within a given layout. M3E applies the Material Design 3 density system to adapt component layout, spacing, and touch targets across varied contexts—from spacious, touch-friendly surfaces to compact, information-dense environments.

Design tokens

The Material Design 3 design tokens are implemented as custom CSS properties. Design tokens are named, platform-agnostic variables that represent visual design decisions—such as color, typography, spacing, and elevation—in a reusable, consistent format.

Density tokens are surfaced using the standardized --md-sys-density-scale and --md-sys-density-size custom CSS properties. M3E provides the Theme component which can be used to systematically control --md-sys-density-scale using its density attribute.

Density-aware components

The following components support density scaling in M3E: button, checkbox, input chips, fab, form-field, icon button, list, nav menu, radio, segmented button, tabs, and toolbar. Each component adapts its layout, spacing, and touch targets based on the active density scale.

Touch surfaces

Touch surfaces maintain a minimum size of 48dp x 48dp, ensuring accessible, tap-friendly targets across all density settings. This threshold aligns with Material Design 3 guidelines and is enforced even in compact layouts, preserving interaction clarity and usability for both mouse and touch input.