diff --git a/lib/context2d.js b/lib/context2d.js
index 1857f2c34..b0ee81d50 100644
--- a/lib/context2d.js
+++ b/lib/context2d.js
@@ -16,16 +16,14 @@ var canvas = require('./bindings')
   , CanvasPattern = canvas.CanvasPattern
   , ImageData = canvas.ImageData;
 
-var parseCssFont = require('parse-css-font');
-
-var unitsCss = require('units-css');
-
 /**
  * Export `Context2d` as the module.
  */
 
 var Context2d = exports = module.exports = Context2d;
 
+var parseFont = exports.parseFont = require('./parse-font.js');
+
 /**
  * Cache color string RGBA values.
  */
@@ -38,62 +36,6 @@ var cache = {};
 
 var baselines = ['alphabetic', 'top', 'bottom', 'middle', 'ideographic', 'hanging'];
 
-/**
- * Parse font `str`.
- *
- * @param {String} str
- * @return {Object}
- * @api private
- */
-
-var parseFont = exports.parseFont = function(str) {
-  var parsedFont;
-
-  // Try to parse the font string using parse-css-font.
-  // It will throw an exception if it fails.
-  try {
-    parsedFont = parseCssFont(str);
-  }
-  catch (e) {
-    // Invalid
-    return;
-  }
-
-  // Cached
-  if (cache[str]) return cache[str];
-
-  // Parse size into value and unit using units-css
-  var size = unitsCss.parse(parsedFont.size);
-
-  // TODO: dpi
-  // TODO: remaining unit conversion
-  switch (size.unit) {
-    case 'pt':
-      size.value /= .75;
-      break;
-    case 'in':
-      size.value *= 96;
-      break;
-    case 'mm':
-      size.value *= 96.0 / 25.4;
-      break;
-    case 'cm':
-      size.value *= 96.0 / 2.54;
-      break;
-  }
-
-  // Populate font object
-  var font = {
-    weight: parsedFont.weight,
-    style: parsedFont.style,
-    size: size.value,
-    unit: size.unit,
-    family: parsedFont.family[0]
-  };
-
-  return cache[str] = font;
-};
-
 /**
  * Enable or disable image smoothing.
  *
diff --git a/lib/parse-font.js b/lib/parse-font.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf91b6e61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/parse-font.js
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+'use strict'
+
+/**
+ * Font RegExp helpers.
+ */
+
+const weights = 'bold|bolder|lighter|[1-9]00'
+  , styles = 'italic|oblique'
+  , variants = 'small-caps'
+  , stretches = 'ultra-condensed|extra-condensed|condensed|semi-condensed|semi-expanded|expanded|extra-expanded|ultra-expanded'
+  , units = 'px|pt|pc|in|cm|mm|%|em|ex|ch|rem|q'
+  , string = '\'([^\']+)\'|"([^"]+)"|[\\w-]+'
+
+// [ [ <‘font-style’> || <font-variant-css21> || <‘font-weight’> || <‘font-stretch’> ]?
+//    <‘font-size’> [ / <‘line-height’> ]? <‘font-family’> ]
+// https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-3/#font-prop
+const weightRe = new RegExp(`(${weights}) +`, 'i')
+const styleRe = new RegExp(`(${styles}) +`, 'i')
+const variantRe = new RegExp(`(${variants}) +`, 'i')
+const stretchRe = new RegExp(`(${stretches}) +`, 'i')
+const sizeFamilyRe = new RegExp(
+  '([\\d\\.]+)(' + units + ') *'
+  + '((?:' + string + ')( *, *(?:' + string + '))*)')
+
+/**
+ * Cache font parsing.
+ */
+
+const cache = {}
+
+const defaultHeight = 16 // pt, common browser default
+
+/**
+ * Parse font `str`.
+ *
+ * @param {String} str
+ * @return {Object} Parsed font. `size` is in device units. `unit` is the unit
+ *   appearing in the input string.
+ * @api private
+ */
+
+module.exports = function (str) {
+  // Cached
+  if (cache[str]) return cache[str]
+
+  // Try for required properties first.
+  const sizeFamily = sizeFamilyRe.exec(str)
+  if (!sizeFamily) return // invalid
+
+  // Default values and required properties
+  const font = {
+    weight: 'normal',
+    style: 'normal',
+    stretch: 'normal',
+    variant: 'normal',
+    size: parseFloat(sizeFamily[1]),
+    unit: sizeFamily[2],
+    family: sizeFamily[3].replace(/["']/g, '').replace(/ *, */g, ',')
+  }
+
+  // Optional, unordered properties.
+  let weight, style, variant, stretch
+  // Stop search at `sizeFamily.index`
+  let substr = str.substring(0, sizeFamily.index)
+  if ((weight = weightRe.exec(substr))) font.weight = weight[1]
+  if ((style = styleRe.exec(substr))) font.style = style[1]
+  if ((variant = variantRe.exec(substr))) font.variant = variant[1]
+  if ((stretch = stretchRe.exec(substr))) font.stretch = stretch[1]
+
+  // Convert to device units. (`font.unit` is the original unit)
+  // TODO: ch, ex
+  switch (font.unit) {
+    case 'pt':
+      font.size /= 0.75
+      break
+    case 'pc':
+      font.size *= 16
+      break
+    case 'in':
+      font.size *= 96
+      break
+    case 'cm':
+      font.size *= 96.0 / 2.54
+      break
+    case 'mm':
+      font.size *= 96.0 / 25.4
+      break
+    case '%':
+      // TODO disabled because existing unit tests assume 100
+      // font.size *= defaultHeight / 100 / 0.75
+      break
+    case 'em':
+    case 'rem':
+      font.size *= defaultHeight / 0.75
+      break
+    case 'q':
+      font.size *= 96 / 25.4 / 4
+      break
+  }
+
+  return (cache[str] = font)
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9147fa674..01d644f9a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -29,9 +29,7 @@
     "test-server": "node test/server.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "nan": "^2.4.0",
-    "parse-css-font": "^2.0.2",
-    "units-css": "^0.4.0"
+    "nan": "^2.4.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "body-parser": "^1.13.3",
diff --git a/test/canvas.test.js b/test/canvas.test.js
index f29945900..bce102da5 100644
--- a/test/canvas.test.js
+++ b/test/canvas.test.js
@@ -27,59 +27,69 @@ describe('Canvas', function () {
 
   it('.parseFont()', function () {
     var tests = [
-        '20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '20pt Arial'
-      , { size: 26.666666666666668, unit: 'pt', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '20.5pt Arial'
-      , { size: 27.333333333333332, unit: 'pt', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '20% Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: '%', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '20mm Arial'
-      , { size: 75.59055118110237, unit: 'mm', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '20px serif'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'serif' }
-      , '20px sans-serif'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'sans-serif' }
-      , '20px monospace'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'monospace' }
-      , '50px Arial, sans-serif'
-      , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial' }
-      , 'bold italic 50px Arial, sans-serif'
-      , { style: 'italic', weight: 'bold', size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '50px Helvetica ,  Arial, sans-serif'
-      , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica' }
-      , '50px "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif'
-      , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica Neue' }
-      , '50px "Helvetica Neue", "foo bar baz" , sans-serif'
-      , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica Neue' }
-      , "50px 'Helvetica Neue'"
-      , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica Neue' }
-      , 'italic 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', style: 'italic', family: 'Arial' }
-      , 'oblique 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', style: 'oblique', family: 'Arial' }
-      , 'normal 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', style: 'normal', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '300 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: '300', family: 'Arial' }
-      , '800 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: '800', family: 'Arial' }
-      , 'bolder 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: 'bolder', family: 'Arial' }
-      , 'lighter 20px Arial'
-      , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: 'lighter', family: 'Arial' }
-    ];
+      '20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial' }
+    , '20pt Arial'
+    , { size: 26.666666666666668, unit: 'pt', family: 'Arial' }
+    , '20.5pt Arial'
+    , { size: 27.333333333333332, unit: 'pt', family: 'Arial' }
+    , '20% Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: '%', family: 'Arial' } // TODO I think this is a bad assertion - ZB 23-Jul-2017
+    , '20mm Arial'
+    , { size: 75.59055118110237, unit: 'mm', family: 'Arial' }
+    , '20px serif'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'serif' }
+    , '20px sans-serif'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'sans-serif' }
+    , '20px monospace'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'monospace' }
+    , '50px Arial, sans-serif'
+    , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial,sans-serif' }
+    , 'bold italic 50px Arial, sans-serif'
+    , { style: 'italic', weight: 'bold', size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial,sans-serif' }
+    , '50px Helvetica ,  Arial, sans-serif'
+    , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif' }
+    , '50px "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif'
+    , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica Neue,sans-serif' }
+    , '50px "Helvetica Neue", "foo bar baz" , sans-serif'
+    , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica Neue,foo bar baz,sans-serif' }
+    , "50px 'Helvetica Neue'"
+    , { size: 50, unit: 'px', family: 'Helvetica Neue' }
+    , 'italic 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', style: 'italic', family: 'Arial' }
+    , 'oblique 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', style: 'oblique', family: 'Arial' }
+    , 'normal 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', style: 'normal', family: 'Arial' }
+    , '300 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: '300', family: 'Arial' }
+    , '800 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: '800', family: 'Arial' }
+    , 'bolder 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: 'bolder', family: 'Arial' }
+    , 'lighter 20px Arial'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', weight: 'lighter', family: 'Arial' }
+    , 'normal normal normal 16px Impact'
+    , { size: 16, unit: 'px', weight: 'normal', family: 'Impact', style: 'normal', variant: 'normal' }
+    , 'italic small-caps bolder 16px cursive'
+    , { size: 16, unit: 'px', style: 'italic', variant: 'small-caps', weight: 'bolder', family: 'cursive' }
+    , '20px "new century schoolbook", serif'
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'new century schoolbook,serif' }
+    , '20px "Arial bold 300"' // synthetic case with weight keyword inside family
+    , { size: 20, unit: 'px', family: 'Arial bold 300', variant: 'normal' }
+  ];
 
     for (var i = 0, len = tests.length; i < len; ++i) {
       var str = tests[i++]
-        , obj = tests[i]
+        , expected = tests[i]
         , actual = parseFont(str);
 
-      if (!obj.style) obj.style = 'normal';
-      if (!obj.weight) obj.weight = 'normal';
+      if (!expected.style) expected.style = 'normal';
+      if (!expected.weight) expected.weight = 'normal';
+      if (!expected.stretch) expected.stretch = 'normal';
+      if (!expected.variant) expected.variant = 'normal';
 
-      assert.deepEqual(obj, actual);
+      assert.deepEqual(actual, expected, 'Failed to parse: ' + str);
     }
   });