Tailwind v4 introduces a complete 3D transform system: perspective-* to establish depth, transform-3d to opt children into a 3D rendering context, rotate-x/y/z-* for axis-aware rotations, translate-z-* for Z-axis offsets, and backface-hidden / backface-visible for two-sided elements. ALL of these utilities are v4-ONLY ; using them in a Tailwind v3.4 project produces no CSS and the layout stays flat.
Quick Reference
The 3D transform stack
| Layer : utility : where it goes : default |
|---|
Depth : perspective-* : the PARENT of the 3D scene : perspective: none (no depth) |
Rendering context : transform-3d : the PARENT of the rotated elements : transform-style: flat (default) |
Rotation : rotate-x-*, rotate-y-*, rotate-z-* : the rotated element itself : 0 |
Z-axis offset : translate-z-*, -translate-z-* : the offset element itself : 0 |
Two-sided : backface-visible / backface-hidden : the element with a back face : visible |
Origin : perspective-origin-* : the parent that has perspective-* : center |
Top 3 patterns
<!-- 1. Card flip on hover -->
<div class="group [perspective:1000px]">
<div class="relative transition-transform duration-700 transform-3d group-hover:rotate-y-180">
<div class="absolute inset-0 backface-hidden">Front</div>
<div class="absolute inset-0 rotate-y-180 backface-hidden">Back</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- 2. 3D cube face -->
<div class="perspective-distant">
<div class="relative transform-3d rotate-x-12 rotate-y-45">
<div class="absolute translate-z-12 bg-blue-500">Front</div>
<div class="absolute -translate-z-12 bg-blue-700">Back</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- 3. Subtle hover depth -->
<article class="perspective-normal">
<div class="transition-transform hover:rotate-x-6 hover:translate-z-2">
Lifts toward viewer on hover
</div>
</article>
Perspective keyword scale (default values)
| Keyword | CSS value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
perspective-none |
perspective: none |
Disable depth |
perspective-dramatic |
100px |
Extreme distortion ; very close camera |
perspective-near |
300px |
Strong depth ; close camera |
perspective-normal |
500px |
Standard depth |
perspective-midrange |
800px |
Subtle depth |
perspective-distant |
1200px |
Minimal depth ; far camera |
Decision Trees
Setting up a 3D scene (REQUIRED order)
need 3D effect?
├── STEP 1 : PARENT gets a perspective utility (perspective-distant, perspective-[800px], or perspective-(--my-p))
│ └── omit -> rotations appear flat (no depth)
├── STEP 2 : PARENT (same element OR a wrapper inside) gets transform-3d
│ └── omit -> children with translate-z-* collapse into 2D space
├── STEP 3 : CHILD gets the rotation/translation (rotate-x-*, rotate-y-*, rotate-z-*, translate-z-*)
│ └── omit perspective on ancestor -> CSS computes but renders flat
└── STEP 4 : if element has a back face (card flip), add backface-hidden to BOTH faces
└── omit -> back of element shows through during/after rotation
Picking a perspective value
how dramatic should the depth be?
├── product showcase (subtle camera-like depth) : `perspective-midrange` (800px) or `perspective-distant` (1200px)
├── card-flip animation (clear but not extreme) : `perspective-near` (300px) or `perspective-[1000px]`
├── 3D cube / carousel / extreme effect : `perspective-dramatic` (100px) or smaller arbitrary
├── responsive change : `perspective-midrange md:perspective-distant`
├── theme-driven : define `--perspective-brand: 1200px` in @theme, then `perspective-(--perspective-brand)`
└── disable depth conditionally : `perspective-none` in dark mode / on mobile / etc.
Choosing rotate-z-* vs the legacy rotate-*
Tailwind v4 project with 3D usage?
├── only 2D rotations in this element : `rotate-45` (the legacy 2D utility still works)
└── element lives inside a transform-3d scene : ALWAYS prefer `rotate-z-45`
└── reason : explicit axis avoids ambiguity ; legacy `rotate-*` becomes equivalent to rotate-z but the explicit form documents intent
Picking transform-3d vs transform-flat
does this element contain children that need to render in 3D space?
├── yes (cube faces, parallax layers, 3D-cards stack) : `transform-3d`
├── no (single 2D element that happens to rotate-x) : default `transform-flat` is fine
└── responsive : `transform-3d md:transform-flat` to disable 3D on larger screens
Patterns
Pattern 1: Card flip on hover
The single most common 3D pattern. Requires perspective on the OUTER wrapper, transform-3d and the rotation on the INNER container, and backface-hidden on each face.
<div class="group h-64 w-48 perspective-near">
<div class="
relative h-full w-full transition-transform duration-700 transform-3d
group-hover:rotate-y-180
">
<!-- Front face -->
<div class="
absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center
rounded-lg bg-blue-500 text-white
backface-hidden
">
Front
</div>
<!-- Back face : pre-rotated 180 around Y, hidden by default -->
<div class="
absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center
rounded-lg bg-blue-700 text-white
rotate-y-180 backface-hidden
">
Back
</div>
</div>
</div>
ALWAYS apply backface-hidden to BOTH faces. Without it, the back face shows through the front during the flip.
Pattern 2: 3D cube
<div class="perspective-distant grid place-items-center h-96">
<div class="
relative transform-3d
h-32 w-32
rotate-x-12 rotate-y-45
animate-spin [animation-duration:8s]
">
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-red-500/80 translate-z-16">Front</div>
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-blue-500/80 -translate-z-16">Back</div>
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-green-500/80 rotate-y-90 translate-z-16">Right</div>
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-yellow-500/80 rotate-y-90 -translate-z-16">Left</div>
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-purple-500/80 rotate-x-90 translate-z-16">Top</div>
<div class="absolute inset-0 bg-pink-500/80 rotate-x-90 -translate-z-16">Bottom</div>
</div>
</div>
Each face is positioned along the Z axis (translate-z-16 is the half-size of the cube : 32 / 2 in 0.25rem units = 4rem = 64px from centre).
Pattern 3: Subtle hover lift
<article class="perspective-midrange">
<div class="
rounded-xl bg-white p-6 shadow
transition-transform duration-300
hover:rotate-x-6 hover:translate-z-2 hover:shadow-2xl
">
Card lifts toward viewer on hover.
</div>
</article>
perspective-midrange (800px) keeps the effect subtle. rotate-x-6 tilts the card 6 degrees ; translate-z-2 pulls it 0.5rem toward the camera.
Pattern 4: Animated 3D carousel
<div class="perspective-distant overflow-hidden">
<ul class="
flex transform-3d
animate-spin [animation-duration:20s]
[transform-origin:center_center_-300px]
">
<li class="rotate-y-0 translate-z-72 bg-red-500 p-6">Item 1</li>
<li class="rotate-y-60 translate-z-72 bg-blue-500 p-6">Item 2</li>
<li class="rotate-y-120 translate-z-72 bg-green-500 p-6">Item 3</li>
<li class="rotate-y-180 translate-z-72 bg-yellow-500 p-6">Item 4</li>
<li class="-rotate-y-120 translate-z-72 bg-purple-500 p-6">Item 5</li>
<li class="-rotate-y-60 translate-z-72 bg-pink-500 p-6">Item 6</li>
</ul>
</div>
rotate-y-60 (and friends) are not in the default scale ; if not extending the theme, swap to arbitrary rotate-y-[60deg]. The default rotation scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 45, 90, 180) covers degrees ; for arbitrary multiples of 30 or 60 the arbitrary form is required.
Pattern 5: Theme-driven perspective
@import "tailwindcss";
@theme {
--perspective-product: 1500px;
--perspective-portrait: 600px;
}
<section class="perspective-(--perspective-product)">
<article class="transform-3d hover:rotate-y-12 hover:translate-z-3">...</article>
</section>
Now the project's two named perspectives are first-class utilities, swappable per breakpoint or per theme.
Pattern 6: Conditional 3D (disable on mobile)
<div class="perspective-none md:perspective-near">
<div class="md:transform-3d transition-transform md:hover:rotate-y-180">
Flips only on md+ screens.
</div>
</div>
perspective-none removes the depth context ; the rotation still applies but renders flat (effectively a 2D mirror). On md+, the depth re-engages and the flip looks 3D.
Reference Links
references/methods.md: complete API (every perspective keyword + default value, every rotation axis + scale, transform-3d, transform-flat, translate-z, backface-*, perspective-origin).references/examples.md: worked examples for card flip, 3D cube, hover lift, carousel, theme-driven perspectives, responsive disable.references/anti-patterns.md: v3 silent failure, missing perspective parent, missing transform-3d, missing backface-hidden, applying perspective to the rotated element instead of its parent, default rotation scale gotchas.
Verified Sources
- https://tailwindcss.com/docs/perspective (perspective utilities + keyword scale)
- https://tailwindcss.com/docs/rotate (rotate-x-, rotate-y-, rotate-z-* utilities)
- https://tailwindcss.com/docs/transform-style (transform-3d vs transform-flat, backface utilities, translate-z confirmation)
- https://tailwindcss.com/blog/tailwindcss-v4 (3D transform announcement + Oxide engine)
Last verified : 2026-05-19 (Tailwind CSS v4.x current).