How it works
Add shadow layers
Start with one shadow, or click Add layer to stack up to 5 for a more realistic, elevated effect.
Adjust offset, blur & spread
Drag the sliders on each layer to set horizontal/vertical offset, blur radius, and spread.
Pick color, opacity & inset
Choose a shadow color and opacity per layer, and toggle inset for a pressed-in look.
Copy the CSS
Copy the ready-to-paste CSS, or switch tabs for a Tailwind arbitrary value or a CSS custom property token.
Using this box shadow in code
Copy your generated shadow into any of these formats:
About the CSS Box Shadow Generator
This CSS box shadow generator builds single or multi-layer box shadows visually — adjust offset, blur, spread, color and opacity per layer, preview on a card, button or circle, and copy production-ready CSS instantly. No sign-up, no uploads, everything runs in your browser.
A well-placed shadow is one of the simplest ways to add depth to a flat interface. It tells the eye which elements sit above the page and which sit below it, without a single extra pixel of image weight — because box-shadow is pure CSS, it scales sharply at any resolution and can be edited instantly.
The five box-shadow values — what each one does
The box-shadow property accepts, in order: horizontal offset (positive moves the shadow right), vertical offset (positive moves it down), blur radius (higher values fade the edge more softly), spread radius (expands or shrinks the shadow before blur is applied), and color. An optional inset keyword flips the shadow inside the element instead of outside it.
Single vs. layered shadows — why stacking looks more realistic
A single flat shadow works fine for subtle depth, but real light rarely produces just one shadow edge. Design systems like Material Design stack a tight, darker shadow close to the element with a larger, softer, lighter shadow further out — this tool lets you stack up to 5 layers and copies the full comma-separated declaration in one click.
| Use case | Typical setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat card | 1 layer, low blur, low opacity | Table rows, list items, subtle borders |
| Elevated card | 2 layers, medium blur/spread | Cards, dropdowns, popovers |
| Modal / dialog | 2 layers, large offset & blur | Modals, dialogs, floating panels |
| Inset / pressed | 1 layer with inset | Input fields, pressed buttons, toggles |
| Neumorphism | 2 opposing layers, matching background | Soft UI dashboards, skeuomorphic controls |
Matching shadow style to UI elevation
💡 Key takeaways
- Free CSS box shadow generator — instant results in your browser
- Stack up to 5 shadow layers with independent offset, blur, spread, color, and opacity
- Built-in elevation, glow, neumorphism, and inset presets
- Export to CSS, a CSS custom property token, or Tailwind arbitrary value
Pro tip: Use rgba() with 10-20% opacity instead of solid black for shadow color — it blends naturally with whatever background sits behind the element instead of looking like a flat gray blob.
Neumorphism and inner shadows
Neumorphism (soft UI) creates the illusion that an element is molded from the same material as its background, by placing a dark shadow on one side and a light highlight on the opposite side of a flat-colored surface. Inset shadows work the same way in reverse — flipping the shadow inside the element's border to suggest a pressed-in or recessed state, commonly used for form inputs, toggle switches, and active button states.
Performance notes
Box shadows are GPU-composited in modern browsers and generally perform well, even when animated on hover or focus. For very large elements or many shadowed items animating at once, transitioning the opacity of a pseudo-element carrying the shadow is a lighter-weight alternative to animating box-shadow directly, since it avoids repeated paint operations on every frame.
Why choose our tool?
100% Private
Everything runs in your browser. Your data never leaves your device — no uploads, no server processing, no tracking.
Instant Results
No loading screens, no waiting, no queues. Results appear the moment you click — powered by client-side JavaScript.
No Sign-Up Ever
No accounts, no emails, no passwords. Just open the page and start using it — forever free, no strings attached.
Works Everywhere
Phone, tablet, laptop, desktop — any browser, any OS. Fully responsive and works offline once loaded.
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