padding property

Definition and Usage

The padding CSS property sets the required padding space on all sides of an element. The padding area is the space between the content of the element and its border. Negative values are not allowed.

The padding property is a shorthand to avoid setting each side separately (padding-top, padding-right, padding-bottom, padding-left).

• Initialthe concatenation of the initial values of its longhand properties:
  • padding-bottom: is itself a shorthand, its initial value is the concatenation of its own longhand properties
  • padding-left: is itself a shorthand, its initial value is the concatenation of its own longhand properties
  • padding-right: is itself a shorthand, its initial value is the concatenation of its own longhand properties
  • padding-top: is itself a shorthand, its initial value is the concatenation of its own longhand properties
• Applies toall elements except table-row-group, table-header-group, table-footer-group, table-row, table-column-group and table-column
• Inheritedno
• Percentagesrefer to the width of the containing block
• Mediavisual
• Computed Valueas each of the properties of the shorthand:
  • padding-bottom: the percentage as specified or the absolute length
  • padding-left: the percentage as specified or the absolute length
  • padding-right: the percentage as specified or the absolute length
  • padding-top: the percentage as specified or the absolute length
• Animatableyes, as a length
• Canonical orderthe unique non-ambiguous order defined by the formal grammar

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Syntax

Formal syntax: [ <length> | <percentage> ]{1,4}

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Values

Specifies one, two, three or four of the following values:

<length>

Specifies a non-negative fixed width. See <length> for details.

<percentage>

With respect to the width of the containing block.

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Examples

• One single value applies to all 4 sides
• Two values apply to 1. top and bottom and 2. to the left and right side
• Three values apply to 1. top, 2. right and left and 3. to the bottom side
• Four values apply to 1. top, 2. right, 3. bottom and 4. to the left side

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Compatibility

Desktop browsers

Mobile browsers