# Hourglass loader

> Sand pours from the top bulb to the bottom in a thin stream, then the hourglass flips over and starts again.

- Category: [Loaders](https://library.aimran.es/components/loaders)
- Built with: HTML + CSS
- Live editor: https://library.aimran.es/blocks/css-hourglass
- Library: AIMRAN Library (https://library.aimran.es), free, no sign-up, by Aimran Oukham

## Where to use it

An hourglass is honest: it tells people this will take a little while. Use it when a video editor exports a clip, when an accounting tool builds a PDF report or in the virtual waiting room of a concert ticket sale. The sand drains, the thin stream stops and the glass turns over, all in pure CSS.

Save it for waits of several seconds or more; for a quick fetch the flip never even gets a chance to happen. A short note about the expected time, like “About a minute”, pairs nicely with it and takes the edge off.

## Code

### HTML

```html
<div class="ul-hg"><i></i><i></i><b></b></div>
```

### CSS

```css
.ul-hg {
  --c1: #0071e3;
  --c2: #8ec5ff;
  --s: 72px;
  /* tamaño */
  --k: 1;
  /* velocidad */
  --bg: #f5f5f7;
}

.ul-hg {
  position: relative;
  width: calc(var(--s) * .8);
  height: calc(var(--s) * 1.2);
  border-top: calc(var(--s) / 14) solid var(--c1);
  border-bottom: calc(var(--s) / 14) solid var(--c1);
  border-radius: 4px;
  animation: ul-hg calc(3s / var(--k)) cubic-bezier(.65,0,.35,1) infinite;
}

.ul-hg::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 4%;
  background: color-mix(in srgb,var(--c1) 14%,transparent);
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 50%,100% 100%,0 100%,45% 50%);
}

.ul-hg i {
  position: absolute;
  left: 4%;
  right: 4%;
  height: 46%;
  background: var(--c1);
}

.ul-hg i:first-child {
  top: 4%;
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
  animation: ul-hg-t calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

.ul-hg i:nth-child(2) {
  bottom: 4%;
  clip-path: polygon(45% 0,55% 0,100% 100%,0 100%);
  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
  animation: ul-hg-b calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

.ul-hg b {
  position: absolute;
  left: calc(50% - 1px);
  top: 50%;
  width: 2px;
  height: 44%;
  background: var(--c2);
  animation: ul-hg-s calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

@keyframes ul-hg {
  0%,80% {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotate(180deg);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-t {
  0% {
    clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  }
  78%,100% {
    clip-path: polygon(45% 98%,55% 98%,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-b {
  0% {
    clip-path: polygon(50% 100%,50% 100%,50% 100%,50% 100%);
  }
  78%,100% {
    clip-path: polygon(45% 0,55% 0,100% 100%,0 100%);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-s {
  0%,78% {
    opacity: 1;
  }
  80%,100% {
    opacity: 0;
  }
}
```

### React

```tsx
import type { CSSProperties } from "react";

const css = `
.ul-hg {
  position: relative;
  width: calc(var(--s) * .8);
  height: calc(var(--s) * 1.2);
  border-top: calc(var(--s) / 14) solid var(--c1);
  border-bottom: calc(var(--s) / 14) solid var(--c1);
  border-radius: 4px;
  animation: ul-hg calc(3s / var(--k)) cubic-bezier(.65,0,.35,1) infinite;
}

.ul-hg::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 4%;
  background: color-mix(in srgb,var(--c1) 14%,transparent);
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 50%,100% 100%,0 100%,45% 50%);
}

.ul-hg i {
  position: absolute;
  left: 4%;
  right: 4%;
  height: 46%;
  background: var(--c1);
}

.ul-hg i:first-child {
  top: 4%;
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
  animation: ul-hg-t calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

.ul-hg i:nth-child(2) {
  bottom: 4%;
  clip-path: polygon(45% 0,55% 0,100% 100%,0 100%);
  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
  animation: ul-hg-b calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

.ul-hg b {
  position: absolute;
  left: calc(50% - 1px);
  top: 50%;
  width: 2px;
  height: 44%;
  background: var(--c2);
  animation: ul-hg-s calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

@keyframes ul-hg {
  0%,80% {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotate(180deg);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-t {
  0% {
    clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  }
  78%,100% {
    clip-path: polygon(45% 98%,55% 98%,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-b {
  0% {
    clip-path: polygon(50% 100%,50% 100%,50% 100%,50% 100%);
  }
  78%,100% {
    clip-path: polygon(45% 0,55% 0,100% 100%,0 100%);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-s {
  0%,78% {
    opacity: 1;
  }
  80%,100% {
    opacity: 0;
  }
}
`;

export default function LoaderHourglass() {
  return (
    <>
      <style>{css}</style>
      <div
        style={{
          "--c1": "#0071e3",
          "--c2": "#8ec5ff",
          "--s": "72px",
          "--k": "1",
          "--bg": "#f5f5f7",
        } as CSSProperties}
      >
        <div className="ul-hg"><i></i><i></i><b></b></div>
      </div>
    </>
  );
}
```

## Prompt for AI assistants

Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, v0 or Lovable to adapt the block to your stack (Tailwind, Vue, Svelte…):

````text
I want to add the “Hourglass loader” block (Loaders) from AIMRAN Library to my project.

## What it is
Sand pours from the top bulb to the bottom in a thin stream, then the hourglass flips over and starts again.

## Chosen settings
- Main color: #0071e3
- Secondary color: #8ec5ff
- Size: 72px (from 24 to 120px)
- Speed: 1x (from 0.5 to 2x)

## What I need
1. Add it to my project with the same look and animation as the reference code: same sizes, colours, radii, shadows, timings and easing.
2. It is built with plain HTML and CSS (the reference wraps it in a React component with its CSS). If my project uses something else (Vue, Svelte, Astro, plain HTML…), translate it without losing any behaviour. If I use Tailwind, turn the styles into classes; if not, keep the CSS in its own file.
3. Expose the settings above as props (or CSS variables) with those values as defaults.
4. Make it work well on phones: nothing that depends only on hover, touch targets of at least 44 px and no overflow on 320 px screens.
5. Make it look right in light and dark mode.
6. Keep it accessible: semantic HTML, roles and aria-* where needed, visible focus and keyboard support.
7. Respect prefers-reduced-motion: with reduced motion, no big animations but the same end result.

## Reference code
```tsx
import type { CSSProperties } from "react";

const css = `
.ul-hg {
  position: relative;
  width: calc(var(--s) * .8);
  height: calc(var(--s) * 1.2);
  border-top: calc(var(--s) / 14) solid var(--c1);
  border-bottom: calc(var(--s) / 14) solid var(--c1);
  border-radius: 4px;
  animation: ul-hg calc(3s / var(--k)) cubic-bezier(.65,0,.35,1) infinite;
}

.ul-hg::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 4%;
  background: color-mix(in srgb,var(--c1) 14%,transparent);
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 50%,100% 100%,0 100%,45% 50%);
}

.ul-hg i {
  position: absolute;
  left: 4%;
  right: 4%;
  height: 46%;
  background: var(--c1);
}

.ul-hg i:first-child {
  top: 4%;
  clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
  animation: ul-hg-t calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

.ul-hg i:nth-child(2) {
  bottom: 4%;
  clip-path: polygon(45% 0,55% 0,100% 100%,0 100%);
  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
  animation: ul-hg-b calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

.ul-hg b {
  position: absolute;
  left: calc(50% - 1px);
  top: 50%;
  width: 2px;
  height: 44%;
  background: var(--c2);
  animation: ul-hg-s calc(3s / var(--k)) linear infinite;
}

@keyframes ul-hg {
  0%,80% {
    transform: rotate(0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotate(180deg);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-t {
  0% {
    clip-path: polygon(0 0,100% 0,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  }
  78%,100% {
    clip-path: polygon(45% 98%,55% 98%,55% 100%,45% 100%);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-b {
  0% {
    clip-path: polygon(50% 100%,50% 100%,50% 100%,50% 100%);
  }
  78%,100% {
    clip-path: polygon(45% 0,55% 0,100% 100%,0 100%);
  }
}

@keyframes ul-hg-s {
  0%,78% {
    opacity: 1;
  }
  80%,100% {
    opacity: 0;
  }
}
`;

export default function LoaderHourglass() {
  return (
    <>
      <style>{css}</style>
      <div
        style={{
          "--c1": "#0071e3",
          "--c2": "#8ec5ff",
          "--s": "72px",
          "--k": "1",
          "--bg": "#f5f5f7",
        } as CSSProperties}
      >
        <div className="ul-hg"><i></i><i></i><b></b></div>
      </div>
    </>
  );
}
```

Give me the complete final code, ready to paste, and tell me in one line where to put it in my project.
````