Center
A column of readable width, centred in whatever holds it.
Preview
tsx
import { Center, Stack } from '@kerf-js/veneer'export function Widths() { return ( <Stack gap="related"> {MAXES.map((max) => ( <Center key={max} max={max} > <Box>max="{max}"</Box> </Center> ))} </Stack> )}type Status = | 'Live' | 'Building' | 'Failed' | 'Paused'const PROJECTS: { id: string name: string owner: string region: string status: Status deploys: number uptime: number latency: number cost: number updated: string}[] = [ { id: 'storefront', name: 'storefront', owner: 'Priya Raman', region: 'eu-west', status: 'Live', deploys: 412, uptime: 99.98, latency: 84, cost: 1240, updated: '2026-10-31', }, { id: 'checkout', name: 'checkout', owner: 'Tomás Oliveira', region: 'eu-west', status: 'Live', deploys: 288, uptime: 99.95, latency: 112, cost: 980, updated: '2026-10-31', }, { id: 'search-api', name: 'search-api', owner: 'Lena Fischer', region: 'us-east', status: 'Building', deploys: 196, uptime: 99.91, latency: 146, cost: 1610, updated: '2026-10-30', }, { id: 'billing', name: 'billing', owner: 'Mara Lindqvist', region: 'us-east', status: 'Live', deploys: 154, uptime: 99.99, latency: 73, cost: 720, updated: '2026-10-29', }, { id: 'mobile-bff', name: 'mobile-bff', owner: 'Sam Okafor', region: 'ap-south', status: 'Failed', deploys: 233, uptime: 99.42, latency: 208, cost: 860, updated: '2026-10-29', }, { id: 'notifier', name: 'notifier', owner: 'Jun Tanaka', region: 'eu-north', status: 'Live', deploys: 97, uptime: 99.97, latency: 58, cost: 310, updated: '2026-10-27', }, { id: 'reports', name: 'reports', owner: 'Noor Haddad', region: 'us-west', status: 'Paused', deploys: 41, uptime: 99.8, latency: 321, cost: 190, updated: '2026-10-22', }, { id: 'edge-cache', name: 'edge-cache', owner: 'Jun Tanaka', region: 'global', status: 'Live', deploys: 318, uptime: 100, latency: 21, cost: 1430, updated: '2026-10-31', }, { id: 'auth', name: 'auth', owner: 'Mara Lindqvist', region: 'eu-west', status: 'Live', deploys: 176, uptime: 99.99, latency: 66, cost: 540, updated: '2026-10-28', }, { id: 'ingest', name: 'ingest', owner: 'Lena Fischer', region: 'us-east', status: 'Live', deploys: 264, uptime: 99.93, latency: 131, cost: 2120, updated: '2026-10-30', },]const min = 60_000const BOX = 'display:grid;align-content:center;' + 'gap:2px;' + 'padding:var(--veneer-space-related);' + 'border:var(--veneer-border-hairline) ' + 'solid var(--veneer-color-border);' + 'border-radius:' + 'var(--veneer-radius-surface);' + 'background:var(--veneer-color-surface);' + 'color:var(--veneer-color-text);' + 'font-size:var(--veneer-text-caption-size);' + 'min-inline-size:0'const projectOf = (c: unknown) => { const n = Number(typeof c === 'function' ? c() : c) return Number.isInteger(n) && n > 0 ? PROJECTS[(n - 1) % PROJECTS.length] : undefined}function Box({ tall, children, ...rest}: { tall?: number children?: unknown [attr: string]: unknown}) { return ( <div style={ tall ? `${BOX};min-block-size:${tall}px` : BOX } {...rest} > {projectOf(children) ? ( <> <strong>{projectOf(children)!.name}</strong> <span style={ 'color:var(--veneer-color-text-subtle)' } > {projectOf(children)!.region} </span> </> ) : ( children )} </div> )}const MAXES = [ 'narrow', 'measure', 'content',] as constInstallation
npm install @kerf-js/veneerTry it
Change the controls: the preview and its code update together. The address keeps what you set, so you can link to it.
Live preview
Controls
Max
Codeupdates as you change the controls
import { Center } from '@kerf-js/veneer'<Center max="narrow"> <Box>A measured column</Box></Center>Usage
tsx
import { Center } from '@kerf-js/veneer'<Stack gap="related"> {MAXES.map((max) => ( <Center key={max} max={max} > <Box>max="{max}"</Box> </Center> ))}</Stack>Gutter
gutter adds the page's side margin and clears a phone's notch.
tsx
import { Center, Inset } from '@kerf-js/veneer'export function Gutter() { return ( <Inset> <Center gutter> <Box tall={72}> gutter keeps the page's side margin at any width </Box> </Center> </Inset> )}type Status = | 'Live' | 'Building' | 'Failed' | 'Paused'const PROJECTS: { id: string name: string owner: string region: string status: Status deploys: number uptime: number latency: number cost: number updated: string}[] = [ { id: 'storefront', name: 'storefront', owner: 'Priya Raman', region: 'eu-west', status: 'Live', deploys: 412, uptime: 99.98, latency: 84, cost: 1240, updated: '2026-10-31', }, { id: 'checkout', name: 'checkout', owner: 'Tomás Oliveira', region: 'eu-west', status: 'Live', deploys: 288, uptime: 99.95, latency: 112, cost: 980, updated: '2026-10-31', }, { id: 'search-api', name: 'search-api', owner: 'Lena Fischer', region: 'us-east', status: 'Building', deploys: 196, uptime: 99.91, latency: 146, cost: 1610, updated: '2026-10-30', }, { id: 'billing', name: 'billing', owner: 'Mara Lindqvist', region: 'us-east', status: 'Live', deploys: 154, uptime: 99.99, latency: 73, cost: 720, updated: '2026-10-29', }, { id: 'mobile-bff', name: 'mobile-bff', owner: 'Sam Okafor', region: 'ap-south', status: 'Failed', deploys: 233, uptime: 99.42, latency: 208, cost: 860, updated: '2026-10-29', }, { id: 'notifier', name: 'notifier', owner: 'Jun Tanaka', region: 'eu-north', status: 'Live', deploys: 97, uptime: 99.97, latency: 58, cost: 310, updated: '2026-10-27', }, { id: 'reports', name: 'reports', owner: 'Noor Haddad', region: 'us-west', status: 'Paused', deploys: 41, uptime: 99.8, latency: 321, cost: 190, updated: '2026-10-22', }, { id: 'edge-cache', name: 'edge-cache', owner: 'Jun Tanaka', region: 'global', status: 'Live', deploys: 318, uptime: 100, latency: 21, cost: 1430, updated: '2026-10-31', }, { id: 'auth', name: 'auth', owner: 'Mara Lindqvist', region: 'eu-west', status: 'Live', deploys: 176, uptime: 99.99, latency: 66, cost: 540, updated: '2026-10-28', }, { id: 'ingest', name: 'ingest', owner: 'Lena Fischer', region: 'us-east', status: 'Live', deploys: 264, uptime: 99.93, latency: 131, cost: 2120, updated: '2026-10-30', },]const min = 60_000const BOX = 'display:grid;align-content:center;' + 'gap:2px;' + 'padding:var(--veneer-space-related);' + 'border:var(--veneer-border-hairline) ' + 'solid var(--veneer-color-border);' + 'border-radius:' + 'var(--veneer-radius-surface);' + 'background:var(--veneer-color-surface);' + 'color:var(--veneer-color-text);' + 'font-size:var(--veneer-text-caption-size);' + 'min-inline-size:0'const projectOf = (c: unknown) => { const n = Number(typeof c === 'function' ? c() : c) return Number.isInteger(n) && n > 0 ? PROJECTS[(n - 1) % PROJECTS.length] : undefined}function Box({ tall, children, ...rest}: { tall?: number children?: unknown [attr: string]: unknown}) { return ( <div style={ tall ? `${BOX};min-block-size:${tall}px` : BOX } {...rest} > {projectOf(children) ? ( <> <strong>{projectOf(children)!.name}</strong> <span style={ 'color:var(--veneer-color-text-subtle)' } > {projectOf(children)!.region} </span> </> ) : ( children )} </div> )}Centre the content too
intrinsic also centres each child at its own width.
tsx
import { Button, Center, Heading, Stack, Text} from '@kerf-js/veneer'export function Intrinsic() { return ( <Center max="narrow" intrinsic > <Stack gap="related" align="center" > <Heading level={3}> Nothing failed this week </Heading> <Text subtle> intrinsic centres each child at its own width, and centres the text. </Text> <Button emphasis="outline" tone="neutral" > See all deploys </Button> </Stack> </Center> )}An article
Use max set to measure to hold text to a comfortable line length.
tsx
import { Center, Heading, Stack, Text} from '@kerf-js/veneer'export function Article() { return ( <Center max="measure"> <Stack gap="related"> <Heading level={3}> Lower stale windows at the edge </Heading> <Text subtle>By Jun Tanaka</Text> <Text> We moved the edge cache's stale window from two minutes to thirty seconds. Fresh pages now reach people sooner, and the origin barely noticed. </Text> <Text> Prose is easiest to read at about seventy characters a line, so articles sit in the measure rather than the page's full width. </Text> </Stack> </Center> )}When to use
Use it for
- Articles and other long text
- Sign-in and other single forms
- Keeping a page's content from getting too wide
Reach for something else
- Cover, when it should centre vertically too
Accessibility
- This has no shortcuts of its own: controls inside it use Tab, Enter and Space as usual, and veneer's parts keep their roles and labels.
API Reference
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
children | unknown | — | What it contains. |
as | "div" | "section" | "article" | "main" | "header" | "footer" | "nav" | "… | — | The element it renders as. |
gap | "section" | "none" | "hair" | "tight" | "related" | "group" | "page" | — | The space between children, from veneer's space scale. |
max | "measure" | "narrow" | "content" | "wide" | — | How wide it may get: narrow, measure, content or wide. |
gutter | boolean | false | Adds the page's side margin, and the safe areas on a phone. |
intrinsic | boolean | false | Centres each child at its own width, and centres text. |