spreadMethod

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since January 2020.

The spreadMethod attribute determines how a shape is filled beyond the defined edges of a gradient.

You can use this attribute with the following SVG elements:

Context notes

Value pad | reflect | repeat
Initial value pad
Animatable Yes
pad

This value indicates that the final color of the gradient fills the shape beyond the gradient's edges.

reflect

This value indicates that the gradient repeats in reverse beyond its edges.

repeat

This value specifies that the gradient repeats in the original order beyond its edges.

Defining a gradient's edges

By default, a gradient reaches to the edges of the shape being filled. To see the effects of this attribute, you will need to set the size of the gradient smaller than the shape.

In the case of a linear gradient, the edges may be defined as a rectangle by the x1, x2, y1 and y2 attributes. In the case of a radial gradient, the edges may be defined as outer and inner circles by the cx, cy and r (outer) and fx, fy and fr (inner) attributes.

Examples of spreadMethod with linear gradients

SVG

html
<svg width="220" height="150" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <defs>
    <linearGradient id="PadGradient" x1="33%" x2="67%">
      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="fuchsia" />
      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="orange" />
    </linearGradient>
    <linearGradient
      id="ReflectGradient"
      spreadMethod="reflect"
      x1="33%"
      x2="67%">
      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="fuchsia" />
      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="orange" />
    </linearGradient>
    <linearGradient id="RepeatGradient" spreadMethod="repeat" x1="33%" x2="67%">
      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="fuchsia" />
      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="orange" />
    </linearGradient>
  </defs>

  <rect fill="url(#PadGradient)" x="10" y="0" width="200" height="40" />
  <rect fill="url(#ReflectGradient)" x="10" y="50" width="200" height="40" />
  <rect fill="url(#RepeatGradient)" x="10" y="100" width="200" height="40" />
</svg>

Result

Notice that the middle third of each gradient is the same. The outer thirds show the difference between the three spread methods.

Examples of spreadMethod with radial gradients

SVG

html
<svg width="340" height="120" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <defs>
    <radialGradient
      id="RadialPadGradient"
      cx="75%"
      cy="25%"
      r="33%"
      fx="64%"
      fy="18%"
      fr="17%">
      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="fuchsia" />
      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="orange" />
    </radialGradient>
    <radialGradient
      id="RadialReflectGradient"
      spreadMethod="reflect"
      cx="75%"
      cy="25%"
      r="33%"
      fx="64%"
      fy="18%"
      fr="17%">
      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="fuchsia" />
      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="orange" />
    </radialGradient>
    <radialGradient
      id="RadialRepeatGradient"
      spreadMethod="repeat"
      cx="75%"
      cy="25%"
      r="33%"
      fx="64%"
      fy="18%"
      fr="17%">
      <stop offset="0%" stop-color="fuchsia" />
      <stop offset="100%" stop-color="orange" />
    </radialGradient>
  </defs>

  <rect fill="url(#RadialPadGradient)" x="10" y="10" width="100" height="100" />
  <rect
    fill="url(#RadialReflectGradient)"
    x="120"
    y="10"
    width="100"
    height="100" />
  <rect
    fill="url(#RadialRepeatGradient)"
    x="230"
    y="10"
    width="100"
    height="100" />
</svg>

Result

Specifications

Specification
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2
# LinearGradientElementSpreadMethodAttribute
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2
# RadialGradientElementSpreadMethodAttribute

Browser compatibility

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