All WCAG criteria
WCAG 1.4.3 · PerceivableLevel AA

1.4.3Contrast (Minimum)

Text and images of text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the background. Large text (18pt+ or 14pt bold+) needs only 3:1.

Common failures

Patterns that fail this criterion.

  • 01Light gray text on white (very common — almost universal on modern sites)
  • 02Button text on a brand-color background that fails 4.5:1
  • 03Placeholder text in light gray (often <4.5:1)
  • 04Link colors that fail against the surrounding text background
  • 05Disabled state with too low contrast (allowed by WCAG but UX-bad)
How to test

Testing approach: automated.

axe-core checks contrast for every text element with deterministic color computation. The single most common WCAG violation in our scans.

axe-core rules

color-contrast
How to fix

Remediation steps.

  1. 1

    Audit your design tokens

    Every text-color × background-color combination in your design system needs to pass 4.5:1 (or 3:1 for large).

  2. 2

    Tools for checking

    Use our free /tools/color-contrast-checker or the Chrome DevTools Lighthouse panel.

  3. 3

    Common quick wins

    Darken `text-gray-400` → `text-gray-600`. Replace `placeholder:text-gray-400` with `placeholder:text-gray-500`. Test on real backgrounds, not pure white.

Scan for WCAG 1.4.3 on your site

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AccessProof runs axe-core 4.9.1 against your site and flags every WCAG criterion with the offending element selector. WCAG 1.4.3 is one of 49 criteria we check on every scan.

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Related criteria

Often appears with…

WCAG 1.4.11 · Level AA

Non-text Contrast

All 50 WCAG 2.1 Level A + AA success criteria explained.

View the full checklist