The Material Design 3 (Material You) Color Guide
Discover Google's HCT perceptual color science, dynamic tonal pallets, and guaranteed accessibility roles.
1. Understanding HCT & Perceptual Tones
Material Design 3 replaces traditional RGB/HSL with HCT (Hue, Chroma, Tone). Tone represents human perceptual lightness on a scale of 0 (pure black) to 100 (pure white). Unlike HSL, two colors with Tone 50 will always appear equally bright to the human eye, ensuring predictable contrast.
2. Core Color Roles in M3
- Primary / onPrimary: Key action color and its contrasting text/icon overlay.
- PrimaryContainer / onPrimaryContainer: Softer emphasis fill for cards and elevated components.
- Secondary & Tertiary: Complementary accents derived from shifted hue angles.
- Surface & SurfaceVariant: Neutral backgrounds with subtle hue tinting.