LayoutUpdated Added Aug 21, 2026 · Updated Sep 28, 2026

Hairline stat strip

A row of stat tiles joined by hairlines that are grid gap, not borders — the container paints the border color and the tiles paint the surface, so separators never double up or break when the row wraps — in a reporting form and in a second form where each tile is the filter for the list beneath it.

Reach for it when building

summary strip at the top of a detail page
dashboard KPI row
account usage overview
report header figures
profile stats band

statscss-gridcss-onlyhairlineno-assets

Reporting only — the figures are the whole job.

Documents: 1,482; this period
Median time: 3.2s; last 24h
Clean runs: 98.4%; no retries
Quality score: —; not rated yet

Same strip, working as the filter. Press a tile to narrow the list; press it again to clear.

Bicycle drivetrain teardownDone
Kiln firing, part threeDownloading
Field recording — marsh at dawnQueued
Lathe restoration, episode 12Done
Sourdough hydration testsFailed
Bookbinding: the long stitchQueued

Showing all 6 downloads.

<p class="cap">Reporting only — the figures are the whole job.</p>
<dl class="hss-strip">
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Documents</dt><dd class="hss-figure">1,482</dd><dd class="hss-sub">this period</dd></div>
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Median time</dt><dd class="hss-figure">3.2s</dd><dd class="hss-sub">last 24h</dd></div>
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Clean runs</dt><dd class="hss-figure">98.4%</dd><dd class="hss-sub">no retries</dd></div>
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Quality score</dt><dd class="hss-figure empty">—</dd><dd class="hss-sub">not rated yet</dd></div>
</dl>

<p class="cap">Same strip, working as the filter.</p>
<div class="hss-strip five" role="group" aria-label="Filter downloads by status">
  <button class="hss-tile" aria-pressed="true" data-hss-filter="All">…</button>
  <!-- Queued, Downloading, Done, Failed -->
</div>
<ul class="hss-list">…</ul>
<p class="hss-live" aria-live="polite">Showing all 6 downloads.</p>

Colors come from shared theme tokens — --surface, --ink, --border, --accent and friends — so this CSS carries no palette of its own. Use Runnable file to copy the tokens along with it.

.hss-strip {
  display: grid;
  gap: 1px;                      /* the hairline */
  background: var(--border);     /* shows through the gap */
  border: 1px solid var(--border);
  border-radius: var(--radius);
  overflow: hidden;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
}
@container (min-width: 21rem) { .hss-strip { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); } }
@container (min-width: 42rem) { .hss-strip { grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); } }

.hss-tile { background: var(--surface); padding: 14px 16px; min-width: 0; }
.hss-label {
  font-family: ui-monospace, monospace;
  font-size: 0.8125rem;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: var(--dim);
}
.hss-figure { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }
.hss-figure.empty { color: var(--dim); font-weight: 400; }

button.hss-tile[aria-pressed="true"] {
  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--accent) 14%, var(--surface));
}

const tiles = [...document.querySelectorAll('[data-hss-filter]')];
const items = [...document.querySelectorAll('.hss-list li')];
const live = document.querySelector('.hss-live');

tiles.forEach((tile) => tile.addEventListener('click', () => {
  const wasPressed = tile.getAttribute('aria-pressed') === 'true';
  const applied = wasPressed || tile.dataset.hssFilter === 'All' ? 'All' : tile.dataset.hssFilter;
  tiles.forEach((other) => other.setAttribute('aria-pressed', String(other.dataset.hssFilter === applied)));
  let shown = 0;
  items.forEach((item) => {
    item.hidden = !(applied === 'All' || item.dataset.status === applied);
    if (!item.hidden) shown += 1;
  });
  live.textContent = applied === 'All'
    ? `Showing all ${items.length} downloads.`
    : `Filtered to ${applied}: ${shown} of ${items.length}. Press the lit tile again to clear.`;
}));

Build a strip of statistic tiles that reads as one joined instrument panel rather than a row of floating cards.

The separators between tiles must not be borders. Make the container a CSS grid with gap: 1px and give the container itself the border color as its background; each tile then paints the surface color on top. The 1px of container showing through the gap is the hairline. This is the entire pattern: real borders double where two tiles meet and leave a stray edge when auto-fit wraps the row, and a gap physically cannot do either.

The full prompt continues with sections on pinning column counts, tile anatomy, the two rules of honesty (render a missing value as a dimmed em dash; keep units with the number), the filter form, computing counts from the unfiltered set, and using aria-pressed rather than tab roles.

:root { --ground:#eef0f3; --surface:#ffffff; --border:#d2d8e0; --ink:#161b22; --dim:#56606e; --accent:#364f6a; --radius:10px; }
.hss-strip {
  display: grid;
  gap: 1px;                      /* the hairline */
  background: var(--border);     /* shows through the gap */
  border: 1px solid var(--border);
  border-radius: var(--radius);
  overflow: hidden;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
}
@container (min-width: 21rem) { .hss-strip { grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); } }
@container (min-width: 42rem) { .hss-strip { grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); } }

.hss-tile { background: var(--surface); padding: 14px 16px; min-width: 0; }
.hss-label {
  font-family: ui-monospace, monospace;
  font-size: 0.8125rem;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  color: var(--dim);
}
.hss-figure { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }
.hss-figure.empty { color: var(--dim); font-weight: 400; }

button.hss-tile[aria-pressed="true"] {
  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--accent) 14%, var(--surface));
}
<p class="cap">Reporting only — the figures are the whole job.</p>
<dl class="hss-strip">
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Documents</dt><dd class="hss-figure">1,482</dd><dd class="hss-sub">this period</dd></div>
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Median time</dt><dd class="hss-figure">3.2s</dd><dd class="hss-sub">last 24h</dd></div>
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Clean runs</dt><dd class="hss-figure">98.4%</dd><dd class="hss-sub">no retries</dd></div>
  <div class="hss-tile"><dt class="hss-label">Quality score</dt><dd class="hss-figure empty">—</dd><dd class="hss-sub">not rated yet</dd></div>
</dl>

<p class="cap">Same strip, working as the filter.</p>
<div class="hss-strip five" role="group" aria-label="Filter downloads by status">
  <button class="hss-tile" aria-pressed="true" data-hss-filter="All">…</button>
  <!-- Queued, Downloading, Done, Failed -->
</div>
<ul class="hss-list">…</ul>
<p class="hss-live" aria-live="polite">Showing all 6 downloads.</p>

Neighbouring patterns

All 40 patterns

Layout

Hairline stat strip

Neighbouring patterns

Adaptive tile mosaic

Ground-scrimmed artwork

Column-flow wall