Stiffness
Also called tension or spring stiffness
A spring setting for how hard the spring pulls toward its target, where higher values feel fast and snappy and lower values feel loose and slow.
import { Switch } from '@base-ui/react/switch';
import { motion, type HTMLMotionProps } from 'motion/react';
// How hard the spring pulls toward its target. 500 snaps a small knob into
// place; try 150 to feel a loose, slow pull. Damping keeps it from bouncing.
const STIFFNESS = 500;
const DAMPING = 32;
export function AutosaveSwitch() {
return (
<label className='flex items-center gap-3 text-sm font-medium'>
<Switch.Root
defaultChecked
className='flex h-6 w-11 rounded-full bg-muted p-0.5 transition-colors data-checked:bg-primary'
>
<Switch.Thumb
className='size-5 rounded-full bg-background shadow-sm'
render={(props, state) => (
<motion.span
{...(props as HTMLMotionProps<'span'>)}
initial={false}
animate={{ x: state.checked ? 20 : 0 }}
transition={{
type: 'spring',
stiffness: STIFFNESS,
damping: DAMPING
}}
/>
)}
/>
</Switch.Root>
Autosave
</label>
);
}Make the toggle knob spring into place with stiffness 500 and damping 32 so it feels snappy, and make the bottom sheet slide up with stiffness 200 and damping 26 so it feels heavier and calmer. Neither should bounce noticeably.
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What is Stiffness?
Stiffness is the strength of the spring. A stiff spring yanks the element to its target almost at once, while a soft spring lets it drift there slowly. Motion’s spring defaults to stiffness: 100, and values from about 100 to 500 cover most interface motion.
Stiffness works together with damping. With the same damping, a stiffer spring also overshoots more. To make something faster without making it bouncier, raise damping along with stiffness.
Use high stiffness for small, direct responses like toggles and buttons, and lower stiffness for large, gentle movements like sheets and panels. React Spring calls this setting tension.
Often confused with
- Damping
- Damping drains energy from the spring and decides how much it bounces. Stiffness decides how hard it pulls.
Related terms
All termsSpring animation
An animation driven by simulated spring physics in place of a fixed duration and curve, so motion can overshoot, settle, and react naturally.
Damping
A spring setting that works like friction, deciding whether motion bounces and wobbles on arrival or settles smoothly without overshooting.
Mass
A spring setting for how heavy the moving object is, where heavier objects start slower, swing further past the target, and settle later.
Duration
The length of time an animation takes from start to finish, usually set in milliseconds. It decides whether motion feels snappy or sluggish.
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