# Metal Rates design language

The source of truth is `src/styles/metals.css`. The rendered reference is the `/design` page, which reads the live stylesheet and measures contrast, so it cannot drift. Where this file and the stylesheet disagree, the stylesheet wins.

Calm, cool, exact. One Card per section, colour reserved for meaning, the interface eases and the data steps.

## Colour

Cool neutrals only: `frame`, `canvas`, `surface`, `wash`, `wash-2`, `ink`, `ink-2`, `ink-3`, `hair`, `hair-2`, `other`. Light and dark are tuned separately, never inverted.

Roles, one job each: `gold` (the gold series), `hawk` (up), `dove` (down), `accent` (you and now). Silver is drawn in `ink-2`. Palettes: `clay` (default) and `claret`. Do not invent hues. Text uses `ink`, `ink-2` or `ink-3`, never a series colour. Direction is also carried by glyph and sign, so colour is never the only cue.

## Type

Inter Variable for words and numbers inside sentences. Geist Mono Variable only for numbers that stand alone and chart axes. Tabular figures. Value 76/80 650; finding 17/25 600; body 14/22 ink-2; label 12/16 500 ink-3.

## Components

The shell and components are the Policy Rate Atlas's (`atlas.css`), adapted: dark frame with a section rail, rolling crumb and a metal switcher (⌘K) on desktop; round buttons, a section dock and a bottom sheet on phones.

Card (kick = the question, finding = a computed sentence, body = the evidence, optional footer), segmented control, movement mark and move pill, metal disc (`Au`, `Ag`, or the karat), insight tile, glance line, rate ladder rung (each rate against its own range), step chart, day cell, data table, inverted tooltip. No nested cards, no status pills.

## Findings

Lead with the last real move. A day that did not move never leads a card: it is printed as a quiet `±0`, never as a 0.0% chip. Every sentence is computed from the record and suppressed when it would be trivial. No fill under a line whose baseline is not zero.

## Motion

Hover and press 100 to 150 ms; sliding thumb 200 ms; value change 70 ms out and 160 ms in with a 9 px shift; chart morph 420 ms on one clock. Cursors, scrubbing and keyboard stepping are instant. Reduced motion shows final states only.

## Copy

Lead with the answer. Sentence case. Whole rupees with Indian grouping. Dates like `Fri 14 Nov`. `-` for unknown. No en or em dashes.