Perceivable
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
Text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, or 3:1 for large text.
Who it helps
People with low vision, many older people, and anyone reading a phone in sunlight.
Failures we see most
- Light gray text on white
- White text on a light brand color
- Text over photos with no overlay behind it
How it gets tested
Our scanner runs this axe-core check for 1.4.3:
| Check | What it looks for |
|---|---|
color-contrast | Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds |
Automated checks can find failures of 1.4.3, but they cannot confirm that a page passes. A specialist still reviews it by hand.
How we fix it
Our tools find the closest color to your original that passes, keeping the hue, and change it in your theme or stylesheet.
Official text: W3C, Understanding 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum). Checks listed from axe-core 4.14.0.
Related criteria
Does your site fail 1.4.3?
Our free scan checks up to 50 of your pages and tells you which criteria fail and where.