diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/package.json b/packages/tailwindcss/package.json
index 6d6c67c7f237..05907861abd8 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/package.json
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/package.json
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@
     "@jridgewell/remapping": "^2.3.5",
     "@tailwindcss/oxide": "workspace:^",
     "@types/node": "catalog:",
+    "brace-expansion": "^5.0.4",
     "dedent": "1.7.1",
     "lightningcss": "catalog:",
     "magic-string": "^0.30.21",
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.test.ts
index bab93ac434a8..7cda2eeb9f59 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.test.ts
@@ -19,9 +19,12 @@ describe('expand(…)', () => {
     ['a/{10..0..5}/b', ['a/10/b', 'a/5/b', 'a/0/b']],
     ['a/{10..0..-5}/b', ['a/0/b', 'a/5/b', 'a/10/b']],
 
-    // Numeric range with padding (we do not support padding)
-    ['a/{00..05}/b', ['a/0/b', 'a/1/b', 'a/2/b', 'a/3/b', 'a/4/b', 'a/5/b']],
-    ['a{001..9}b', ['a1b', 'a2b', 'a3b', 'a4b', 'a5b', 'a6b', 'a7b', 'a8b', 'a9b']],
+    // Numeric range with zero-padding
+    ['a/{00..05}/b', ['a/00/b', 'a/01/b', 'a/02/b', 'a/03/b', 'a/04/b', 'a/05/b']],
+    [
+      'a{001..9}b',
+      ['a001b', 'a002b', 'a003b', 'a004b', 'a005b', 'a006b', 'a007b', 'a008b', 'a009b'],
+    ],
 
     // Numeric range with step
     ['a/{0..5..2}/b', ['a/0/b', 'a/2/b', 'a/4/b']],
@@ -61,15 +64,15 @@ describe('expand(…)', () => {
       ],
     ],
 
-    // Should not try to expand ranges with decimals
-    ['{1.1..2.2}', ['1.1..2.2']],
+    // Decimal ranges are not expanded; braces are preserved as a literal
+    ['{1.1..2.2}', ['{1.1..2.2}']],
   ])('should expand %s (%#)', (input, expected) => {
     expect(expand(input).sort()).toEqual(expected.sort())
   })
 
-  test('throws on unbalanced braces', () => {
-    expect(() => expand('a{b,c{d,e},{f,g}h}x{y,z')).toThrowErrorMatchingInlineSnapshot(
-      `[Error: The pattern \`x{y,z\` is not balanced.]`,
+  test('gracefully handles unbalanced braces', () => {
+    expect(expand('a{b,c{d,e},{f,g}h}x{y,z').sort()).toEqual(
+      ['abx{y,z', 'acdx{y,z', 'acex{y,z', 'afhx{y,z', 'aghx{y,z'].sort(),
     )
   })
 
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.ts
index ee382cd82a29..3db5b9e7f6cc 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utils/brace-expansion.ts
@@ -1,91 +1,10 @@
-import { segment } from './segment'
+import { expand as braceExpand } from 'brace-expansion'
 
-const NUMERICAL_RANGE = /^(-?\d+)\.\.(-?\d+)(?:\.\.(-?\d+))?$/
+const ZERO_STEP = /\{-?\d+\.\.-?\d+\.\.0+\}/
 
 export function expand(pattern: string): string[] {
-  let index = pattern.indexOf('{')
-  if (index === -1) return [pattern]
-
-  let result: string[] = []
-  let pre = pattern.slice(0, index)
-  let rest = pattern.slice(index)
-
-  // Find the matching closing brace
-  let depth = 0
-  let endIndex = rest.lastIndexOf('}')
-  for (let i = 0; i < rest.length; i++) {
-    let char = rest[i]
-    if (char === '{') {
-      depth++
-    } else if (char === '}') {
-      depth--
-      if (depth === 0) {
-        endIndex = i
-        break
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (endIndex === -1) {
-    throw new Error(`The pattern \`${pattern}\` is not balanced.`)
-  }
-
-  let inside = rest.slice(1, endIndex)
-  let post = rest.slice(endIndex + 1)
-  let parts: string[]
-
-  if (isSequence(inside)) {
-    parts = expandSequence(inside)
-  } else {
-    parts = segment(inside, ',')
-  }
-
-  parts = parts.flatMap((part) => expand(part))
-
-  let expandedTail = expand(post)
-
-  for (let tail of expandedTail) {
-    for (let part of parts) {
-      result.push(pre + part + tail)
-    }
-  }
-  return result
-}
-
-function isSequence(str: string): boolean {
-  return NUMERICAL_RANGE.test(str)
-}
-
-/**
- * Expands a sequence string like "01..20" (optionally with a step).
- */
-function expandSequence(seq: string): string[] {
-  let seqMatch = seq.match(NUMERICAL_RANGE)
-  if (!seqMatch) {
-    return [seq]
-  }
-  let [, start, end, stepStr] = seqMatch
-  let step = stepStr ? parseInt(stepStr, 10) : undefined
-  let result: string[] = []
-
-  if (/^-?\d+$/.test(start) && /^-?\d+$/.test(end)) {
-    let startNum = parseInt(start, 10)
-    let endNum = parseInt(end, 10)
-
-    if (step === undefined) {
-      step = startNum <= endNum ? 1 : -1
-    }
-    if (step === 0) {
-      throw new Error('Step cannot be zero in sequence expansion.')
-    }
-
-    let increasing = startNum < endNum
-    if (increasing && step < 0) step = -step
-    if (!increasing && step > 0) step = -step
-
-    for (let i = startNum; increasing ? i <= endNum : i >= endNum; i += step) {
-      result.push(i.toString())
-    }
+  if (ZERO_STEP.test(pattern)) {
+    throw new Error('Step cannot be zero in sequence expansion.')
   }
-  return result
+  return braceExpand(pattern)
 }
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index ef88e3b9d1bc..0c88730114e9 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -477,6 +477,9 @@ importers:
       '@types/node':
         specifier: 'catalog:'
         version: 20.19.1
+      brace-expansion:
+        specifier: ^5.0.4
+        version: 5.0.4
       dedent:
         specifier: 1.7.1
         version: 1.7.1
@@ -2855,6 +2858,10 @@ packages:
   balanced-match@1.0.2:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-3oSeUO0TMV67hN1AmbXsK4yaqU7tjiHlbxRDZOpH0KW9+CeX4bRAaX0Anxt0tx2MrpRpWwQaPwIlISEJhYU5Pw==}
 
+  balanced-match@4.0.4:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-BLrgEcRTwX2o6gGxGOCNyMvGSp35YofuYzw9h1IMTRmKqttAZZVU67bdb9Pr2vUHA8+j3i2tJfjO6C6+4myGTA==}
+    engines: {node: 18 || 20 || >=22}
+
   baseline-browser-mapping@2.8.29:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-sXdt2elaVnhpDNRDz+1BDx1JQoJRuNk7oVlAlbGiFkLikHCAQiccexF/9e91zVi6RCgqspl04aP+6Cnl9zRLrA==}
     hasBin: true
@@ -2876,6 +2883,10 @@ packages:
   brace-expansion@2.0.1:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-XnAIvQ8eM+kC6aULx6wuQiwVsnzsi9d3WxzV3FpWTGA19F621kwdbsAcFKXgKUHZWsy+mY6iL1sHTxWEFCytDA==}
 
+  brace-expansion@5.0.4:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-h+DEnpVvxmfVefa4jFbCf5HdH5YMDXRsmKflpf1pILZWRFlTbJpxeU55nJl4Smt5HQaGzg1o6RHFPJaOqnmBDg==}
+    engines: {node: 18 || 20 || >=22}
+
   braces@3.0.3:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-yQbXgO/OSZVD2IsiLlro+7Hf6Q18EJrKSEsdoMzKePKXct3gvD8oLcOQdIzGupr5Fj+EDe8gO/lxc1BzfMpxvA==}
     engines: {node: '>=8'}
@@ -6954,6 +6965,8 @@ snapshots:
 
   balanced-match@1.0.2: {}
 
+  balanced-match@4.0.4: {}
+
   baseline-browser-mapping@2.8.29: {}
 
   baseline-browser-mapping@2.9.11: {}
@@ -6971,6 +6984,10 @@ snapshots:
     dependencies:
       balanced-match: 1.0.2
 
+  brace-expansion@5.0.4:
+    dependencies:
+      balanced-match: 4.0.4
+
   braces@3.0.3:
     dependencies:
       fill-range: 7.1.1