The Exact Size Threshold That Makes Text 'Large' Under WCAG
A designer wants to know if a 16px bold label qualifies for the relaxed 3:1 "large text" contrast bar instead of the stricter 4.5:1 normal-text bar. WCAG's definition sets a specific point/pixel threshold for bold weight text.
What's the minimum bold-weight size that counts as "large text"?
The correct answer is "14pt+ (18.67px+) bold."
WCAG defines large text as 18pt+ (24px+) at regular weight, or 14pt+ (18.67px+) at bold weight — bold gets a lower size threshold because heavier strokes remain legible at a smaller size than regular weight does. A 16px bold label falls under this threshold and doesn't qualify, so it's still held to the 4.5:1 normal-text minimum.
18pt/24px is the regular-weight threshold, not bold's. 12pt/16px is below both defined thresholds. 24pt/32px is well above what's needed to qualify at either weight.
Share this question