v139 · css

Support font-feature-settings descriptor in @font-face rule

As CSS allows fine control over font features using 'font-feature-settings' at the element level, Chromium-based browsers currently lack support for these properties within '@font-face' declarations.

concepts

  1. @font-face Descriptor

    Bake font-feature-settings into the @font-face rule itself. The feature flags apply automatically wherever the family is used, instead of requiring authors to repeat them on every selector.

  2. Design System

    The motivating case from the spec: a brand typography system with stylistic alternates. Pre-v139 every selector repeated the same font-feature-settings; v139 inherits them from the family.

  3. Font Alias Variants

    Register the same typeface under multiple font-family names with different font-feature-settings baked into each. Components reference the alias rather than managing feature tags — small-caps, lining numerals, and combined variants all side by side.

  4. Numerals & Figures Lab

    Three named families baked from one system font: tabular nums for an accounting table, oldstyle nums for editorial prose, scientific superscripts for footnotes. Side-by-side with an unstyled control.

why it shipped

CSS already provides a 'font-feature-settings' property for controlling OpenType features at the element level. However, Chromium does not currently support it within @font-face declarations, unlike Firefox and Safari.

references