The WCAG 2.2 Rule That Governs Touch-Target Sizing
A mobile team is reviewing icon-sized tap targets — small buttons packed close together in a toolbar. WCAG 2.2 added a new success criterion, SC 2.5.8 (Target Size Minimum), specifically to address this.
What's the minimum size that criterion requires for an interactive target, absent spacing or another exception?
The correct answer is "24×24 CSS pixels."
SC 2.5.8, added in WCAG 2.2, requires interactive targets — buttons, links, icons — to be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, unless sufficient spacing or another documented exception applies. It's directly relevant to touch-target sizing on mobile, where small, tightly packed icons are a common real-world failure.
16×16 and 32×32 aren't the cited threshold. "No minimum, only spacing matters" misstates the rule — SC 2.5.8 sets an actual size floor, with spacing as one of the ways to qualify for an exception, not a replacement for the size requirement itself.
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