---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/webdev-fcp.md
title: "First Contentful Paint (FCP)"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo); prose restated in our own words; footer re-checked live 2026-11-05"
license_family: web.dev
rule_check: "needs rule check (family not in auto-publish rule; check.mjs auto-approves only usgov and arxiv-ccby)"
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Google (web.dev), First Contentful Paint (FCP)  |  Articles  |  web.dev, CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo); Google (web.dev), Web Vitals  |  Articles  |  web.dev, CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo)."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-04
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-05
as_of: 2026-11-05
confidence: medium
untested: "No code was run for this note; only the fetched documentation pages were read."
category: coding-references
topic_area: "web-performance"
tags: ['web-vitals', 'fcp', 'loading']
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "First Contentful Paint (FCP)  |  Articles  |  web.dev"
    publisher: Google (web.dev)
    url: https://web.dev/articles/fcp
    accessed: 2026-11-05
    license: "CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo)"
  - id: S2
    title: "Web Vitals  |  Articles  |  web.dev"
    publisher: Google (web.dev)
    url: https://web.dev/articles/vitals
    accessed: 2026-11-05
    license: "CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo)"
---
# First Contentful Paint (FCP)

**Answer:** First Contentful Paint (FCP) is the time from the start of navigation until the first piece of page content appears on screen. (S1)

## What counts

- Here "content" means text, images (background images included), `<svg>` elements, and any `<canvas>` element that is not plain white. (S1)
- That differs from Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which targets the moment the main content has finished loading. (S1)
- A good FCP is 1.8 seconds or less. (S1)
- Check that target at the 75th percentile of page loads, with mobile and desktop measured separately. (S1)

## Where it sits

- Web Vitals is a Google initiative that gives one set of guidance on the quality signals that matter for user experience. (S2)
- Core Web Vitals are the subset that applies to every web page; all site owners should measure them, and Google tools report them. (S2)

## Claims
- id: C1
  claim: FCP is when any content first renders.
  source: S1
  evidence: "because that's when the first text and image elements are rendered to the screen."
- id: C2
  claim: Content includes text, images, svg and canvas.
  source: S1
  evidence: "<svg> elements, or non-white <canvas> elements"
- id: C3
  claim: Good FCP is 1.8 seconds or less.
  source: S1
  evidence: "sites should strive to have a First Contentful Paint of 1.8 seconds or less."
- id: C4
  claim: Core Web Vitals apply to all pages.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Core Web Vitals are the subset of Web Vitals that apply to all web pages"

## Sources
- [S1] First Contentful Paint (FCP)  |  Articles  |  web.dev. Google (web.dev). https://web.dev/articles/fcp . License: CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo). Accessed 2026-11-05.
- [S2] Web Vitals  |  Articles  |  web.dev. Google (web.dev). https://web.dev/articles/vitals . License: CC BY 4.0 (web.dev live page footer: 'the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License'; cite the page, not the archived repo). Accessed 2026-11-05.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).