`scale` CSS property

The scale CSS property allows you to specify scale transforms individually and independently of the transform property. This maps better to typical user interface usage, and saves having to remember the exact order of transform functions to specify in the transform value.

scale: none;

scale: 1.5;

scale: 1.7 50%;

scale: 1 -1;

scale: 1.2 1.2 2;

<section class="default-example" id="default-example">
  <div class="transition-all" id="example-element">
    <div class="face front">1</div>
    <div class="face back">2</div>
    <div class="face right">3</div>
    <div class="face left">4</div>
    <div class="face top">5</div>
    <div class="face bottom">6</div>
  </div>
</section>

#default-example {
  background: linear-gradient(skyblue, khaki);
  perspective: 800px;
  perspective-origin: 150% 150%;
}

#example-element {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  perspective: 550px;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}

.face {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  position: absolute;
  backface-visibility: inherit;
  font-size: 60px;
  color: white;
}

.front {
  background: rgb(90 90 90 / 0.7);
  transform: translateZ(50px);
}

.back {
  background: rgb(0 210 0 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(180deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.right {
  background: rgb(210 0 0 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.left {
  background: rgb(0 0 210 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.top {
  background: rgb(210 210 0 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.bottom {
  background: rgb(210 0 210 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
scale: none;

/* Single values */
/* values of more than 1 or 100% make the element grow */
scale: 2;
/* values of less than 1 or 100% make the element shrink */
scale: 50%;

/* Two values */
scale: 2 0.5;

/* Three values */
scale: 200% 50% 200%;

/* Global values */
scale: inherit;
scale: initial;
scale: revert;
scale: revert-layer;
scale: unset;

Values

• Single value
  • : A <number> or <percentage> specifying a scale factor to make the affected element scale by the same factor along both the X and Y axes. Equivalent to a scale() (2D scaling) function with a single value specified.
• Two values
  • : Two <number> or <percentage> values that specify the X and Y axis scaling values (respectively) of a 2D scale. Equivalent to a scale() (2D scaling) function with two values specified.
• Three values
  • : Three <number> or <percentage> values that specify the X, Y, and Z axis scaling values (respectively) of a 3D scale. Equivalent to a scale3d() (3D scaling) function.
• none
  • : Specifies that no scaling should be applied.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

Examples

Scaling an element on hover

The following example shows how to scale an element on hover. Two boxes are shown, one with a single scale value which scales the element along both axes. The second box has two scale values which scales the element along the X and Y axes independently.

HTML

<div class="box" id="box1">single value</div>
<div class="box" id="box2">two values</div>

CSS

.box {
  float: left;
  margin: 1em;
  width: 7em;
  line-height: 7em;
  text-align: center;
  transition: 0.5s ease-in-out;
  border: 3px dotted;
}

#box1:hover {
  scale: 1.25;
}

#box2:hover {
  scale: 1.25 0.75;
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• translate
• rotate
• transform

Note: skew is not an independent transform value