Units

Overview

The primary unit of the framework is REM. It’s used for sizing, spacing, and typography to ensure flexibility and accessibility. Other units also used based on the use-cases. Here is the list of all the units used:

CategoryUnitPrimary UsesDescription
ResponsiveREM
  • Typography
  • Spacing
  • Components
Scales with root font size (default: 16px)
EM
  • Button padding
  • Icon sizes
Scales with parent element’s font size
Layout%
  • Container widths
  • Max-widths
Relative to parent element’s size
FR
  • Grid columns
  • Grid layouts
Distributes available space in CSS Grid
ViewportVH/VW
  • Hero sections
  • Full-height layouts
Relative to viewport dimensions
DVH
  • Mobile layouts
  • Dynamic heights
Adjusts for mobile browser chrome
SpecialPX
  • Borders
  • Shadows
Fixed-size elements (use sparingly)
CQWFluid typographyCharacter-width-based unit for responsive typography. Requires [Utility] CQW Container

Why do we use REM?

REM (short for “root em”) is the foundation of our unit system.

  • It scales based on the root <html> font size (by default 16px)
  • It makes spacing and typography fluid-responsive and consistent
  • It improves accessibility and user control

If 1rem = 16px, then:

REMPixels
0.5rem8px
1rem16px
2rem32px

You can override the base by embedding a rule in your Webflow project custom code:

1<style>
2 html { font-size: 20px; } /* 1rem now equals 20px */
3</style>
Pro Tip

To see the font size change reflected in the Webflow Designer, it’s best to place this code inside a Code embed element within a reusable Component. This ensures the override is included on every page of your project.


REM in Webflow

Webflow supports REM-based math directly in input fields. You can type formulas like 64/16 hit and get a result of 4. In Webflow PX is the default unit, you can switch to REM by clicking on units indicator and select REM, or simply add 64/16REM, hit and get 4 REM.

Style Guide