Quick Reference
Element Code: PE-014
Issue: CSS files contain rules that are not used on the page
Impact: Larger file sizes, longer parsing time
Fix: Identify and remove or defer unused CSS
Detection: Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools Coverage
What Is This Issue?
Large CSS frameworks or accumulated styles often result in significant unused CSS. Removing unused rules reduces file size and improves parsing performance.
Why This Matters for Your Website
Unused CSS still needs to be downloaded and parsed, blocking rendering while providing no benefit.
How to Fix This Issue
- Use Coverage tool: DevTools Coverage identifies unused CSS
- Use PurgeCSS: Automatically removes unused styles
- Split CSS: Load only styles needed for each page
Tools for Detection
- DevTools Coverage: Shows used vs unused CSS
- PurgeCSS: Removes unused styles
TL;DR (The Simple Version)
Your CSS has styles that are never used on this page. Use the Coverage tool in DevTools to find them, then remove or defer loading unused styles.
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