Elevation is the distance between any two elements along the z-axis.

Overview

Reserved Level

Used for primary, global elements (main/left navs) that need to exist on an independent plane and should rarely if ever be obstructed by other elements.

Elevation 400

Should be primarily used on temporary elements that are intended to interrupt a users workflow or draw their attention. Think alerts, modals, takeovers, tours, etc.

Elevation 300

Should be used for built in tools and recurring UI that is often intentionally accessed and hidden by the user. Think compose, global drawer, help drawer.

Elevation 200

Used for elements that expose additional information to users accessed either intentionally or as a result of another action. Think layer, menu, tooltip.

Elevation 100

Reserved for optional hover interactions and focus states.

Base

The lowest level, visible container.

Background

The app’s background color.

Relative Positioning

When an element is elevated relative to another it retains it’s default elevation value regardless of it’s parent’s value.