Layout · Updated · 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
Tags
- stats
- css-grid
- css-only
- hairline
- no-assets
Reporting only — the figures are the whole job.
Same strip, working as the filter. Press a tile to narrow the list; press it again to clear.
- Bicycle drivetrain teardown✓ Done
- Kiln firing, part three↓ Downloading
- Field recording — marsh at dawn… Queued
- Lathe restoration, episode 12✓ Done
- Sourdough hydration tests✕ Failed
- Bookbinding: the long stitch… Queued
Showing all 6 downloads.
<p class="cap">Reporting only — the figures are the whole job.</p> <div class="hss-strip four"> <div class="hss-tile"><span class="hss-label">Documents</span><span class="hss-fig">1,482</span><span class="hss-sub">this period</span></div> <div class="hss-tile"><span class="hss-label">Median time</span><span class="hss-fig">3.2s</span><span class="hss-sub">last 24h</span></div> <div class="hss-tile"><span class="hss-label">Clean runs</span><span class="hss-fig">98.4%</span><span class="hss-sub">no retries</span></div> <div class="hss-tile"><span class="hss-label">Quality score</span><span class="hss-fig none" aria-label="No value">—</span><span class="hss-sub">not rated yet</span></div> </div> <p class="cap">Same strip, working as the filter. Press a tile to narrow the list; press it again to clear.</p> <div class="hss-strip five" id="hss-filter"> <button class="hss-tile" type="button" data-state="All" aria-pressed="true"><span class="hss-label">All</span><span class="hss-fig">6</span><span class="hss-sub">downloads</span></button> <button class="hss-tile" type="button" data-state="Queued" aria-pressed="false"><span class="hss-label">Queued</span><span class="hss-fig">2</span><span class="hss-sub">downloads</span></button> <button class="hss-tile" type="button" data-state="Downloading" aria-pressed="false"><span class="hss-label">Downloading</span><span class="hss-fig">1</span><span class="hss-sub">download</span></button> <button class="hss-tile" type="button" data-state="Done" aria-pressed="false"><span class="hss-label">Done</span><span class="hss-fig">2</span><span class="hss-sub">downloads</span></button> <button class="hss-tile" type="button" data-state="Failed" aria-pressed="false"><span class="hss-label">Failed</span><span class="hss-fig">1</span><span class="hss-sub">download</span></button> </div> <ul class="hss-list" id="hss-list"> <li data-state="Done"><span>Bicycle drivetrain teardown</span><span class="st st-done">✓ Done</span></li> <li data-state="Downloading"><span>Kiln firing, part three</span><span class="st st-down">↓ Downloading</span></li> <li data-state="Queued"><span>Field recording — marsh at dawn</span><span class="st st-queued">… Queued</span></li> <li data-state="Done"><span>Lathe restoration, episode 12</span><span class="st st-done">✓ Done</span></li> <li data-state="Failed"><span>Sourdough hydration tests</span><span class="st st-failed">✕ Failed</span></li> <li data-state="Queued"><span>Bookbinding: the long stitch</span><span class="st st-queued">… Queued</span></li> </ul> <p class="hss-status" id="hss-status" role="status" 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;
background: var(--border);
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.four { grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr); }
.hss-strip.five { grid-template-columns: repeat(5, 1fr); }
}
.hss-tile { background: var(--surface); padding: .9rem 1rem; min-width: 0; }
.hss-label {
font: 0.8125rem/1.3 ui-monospace, monospace;
text-transform: uppercase;
letter-spacing: .06em;
color: var(--dim);
}
.hss-fig { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 800; font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; }
.hss-fig.none { color: var(--dim); font-weight: 400; }
.hss-sub { overflow-wrap: anywhere; color: var(--dim); }
button.hss-tile[aria-pressed="true"] {
background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--accent) 14%, var(--surface));
}
strip.querySelectorAll('button').forEach((tile) => {
tile.addEventListener('click', () => {
const wasPressed = tile.getAttribute('aria-pressed') === 'true';
const state = wasPressed || tile.dataset.state === 'All' ? 'All' : tile.dataset.state;
tiles.forEach((other) =>
other.setAttribute('aria-pressed', String(other.dataset.state === state)));
rows.forEach((row) => { row.hidden = state !== 'All' && row.dataset.state !== state; });
});
});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.
It continues with sections on pinning column counts, tile anatomy, 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.
More Layout patterns
- Adaptive tile mosaic
A container with no artwork draws one from up to four member tiles, grid tracks following tile count.
- css-grid
- css-only
- Annotated transcript
Conversation bubbles with a speaker-colored spine and a fixed metadata gutter.
- conversation
- gutter
- Column-flow wall
Cards flowing down columns instead of across rows, with the reading-order cost stated plainly.
- masonry
- columns