The design tokens spec turned one. What it means
The design tokens specification 2025.10 shipped on October 28, 2025. Here is what it covers, who implements it, and why it is not a W3C standard.
The design tokens specification, version 2025.10, turned one year old on October 28, 2026. It is a stable format for sharing colors, type and spacing between tools. It is also not a W3C standard, and that detail matters more than most posts admit.
Everything below was checked against the spec pages and the announcement as of October 31, 2026.
What is in the design tokens specification 2025.10?
It has three modules: Format, Color and Resolver (designtokens.org, 2025.10).
The Format module defines the file. It recommends the file extensions .tokens or .tokens.json. The preferred media type is application/design-tokens+json, and application/json also works (Format module).
Each token has a required $value. It can also carry $type, $description, $extensions and $deprecated. Groups can set a shared $type, inherit from another group with $extends, and mark a base token with $root.
An alias points at another token with curly braces, such as "{color.brand.600}". Aliases can chain, but circular references are invalid.
The Color module covers 14 color spaces, including srgb, display-p3 and oklch (Color module). A color value is an object with a colorSpace, an array of components, an optional alpha and an optional six-digit hex fallback.
The Resolver module handles tokens that change by context, such as light and dark or screen size. It describes sets, modifiers and the order they apply in (Resolver module).
Is the design tokens spec a W3C standard?
No. It is a report from the W3C Design Tokens Community Group, and the Format module says so itself: "It is not a W3C Standard nor is it on the W3C Standards Track."
The Resolver module is labeled a Final Community Group Report dated 28 October 2025.
The group's FAQ calls the core format stable for production use. It also says the spec is in active development with ongoing refinements (DTCG FAQ). In practice, "stable" here means the group intends to ship changes as new versions, not that a standards body has signed off.
The Format module still links open feedback issues on several types. Font family, stroke style, border, transition, gradient and typography all had open issues on GitHub as of October 31, 2026 (DTCG issues).
Who implements it?
The announcement names three reference implementations: Style Dictionary, Tokens Studio and Terrazzo. It lists Penpot, Figma, Sketch, Framer, Knapsack, Supernova and zeroheight as tools that support or are implementing the spec (W3C DTCG announcement, October 28, 2025).
"Supports" covers a range. Check the version and the types each tool reads before you rely on it.
Two examples from the vendors' own pages, both as of October 2026:
- Style Dictionary 5.7.0, released October 16, 2026, added support for the 2025.10
durationtoken values (release notes). - Figma's help page on modes says imports must be JSON in the DTCG format, and that colors are limited to HSL and sRGB (Figma Help: Modes for variables). An
oklchcolor from a 2025.10 file is a case to test first.
What does a 2025.10 token file look like?
It looks like this. The values are mine, from an example scale at hue 265 that I converted with the standard OKLab matrices:
{
"color": {
"brand": {
"$type": "color",
"600": {
"$value": {
"colorSpace": "oklch",
"components": [0.55, 0.19, 265],
"hex": "#3967df"
}
}
},
"action": {
"primary": { "$type": "color", "$value": "{color.brand.600}" }
}
},
"radius": {
"md": { "$type": "dimension", "$value": { "value": 8, "unit": "px" } }
}
}
Three things to notice. The brand color keeps its OKLCH numbers and carries a hex fallback. The semantic token action.primary is an alias, so changing the brand step changes every use. And a dimension is an object with a number and a unit, either px or rem.
White text on #3967df has a contrast ratio of 5.02:1 using the WCAG 2.2 formula, so this pair clears the 4.5:1 minimum for body text.
How do vendor-specific details travel in a token file?
Through $extensions. The Format module says extension keys should use reverse domain notation, such as org.example.tool-a, and that tools must preserve extension data they do not understand.
Figma's import page shows the pattern in use. It reads com.figma.type to decide whether a number becomes a Boolean, and com.figma.aliasData for aliases that cross collections (Figma Help).
That is the spec doing its job. A tool can add what it needs without breaking the file for another tool. The cost is that those keys only mean something to the tool that wrote them.
Should you move your token files to 2025.10 now?
Move when every tool in your chain reads it. A token file that one tool cannot parse is worse than an old file that all of them can.
Tokens Studio's docs describe a switch between its legacy format and the W3C DTCG format, with an automatic file conversion (Tokens Studio docs). If you use Style Dictionary with DTCG files, those docs say you also need to configure Style Dictionary, and that its SD-Transforms package handles the token type conversions.
I would not wait for a W3C Recommendation. The FAQ does not say whether the spec will ever move to the Standards Track.
UIX Design System exports W3C DTCG tokens on the free plan, and the free generator shows the output for any brand color before you install anything. See Code export for the list of formats. Check which spec version your own toolchain reads before importing.
FAQ
What is the current version of the design tokens specification?
Version 2025.10 is the first stable version, released October 28, 2025. designtokens.org shows no later stable release as of October 31, 2026, and links a living draft.
What file extension do design token files use?
The spec recommends .tokens or .tokens.json. The preferred media type is application/design-tokens+json.
Can a design token be an OKLCH color?
Yes. The Color module lists oklch among its color spaces, with components for lightness, chroma and hue. Some tools read fewer color spaces than the spec allows, so test your import path.
Is the design tokens spec a W3C Recommendation?
No. The spec says it is not a W3C Standard and not on the W3C Standards Track. It is a Community Group report.
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