CSS Borders

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The CSS border properties allow you to specify the style, width, and color of an element’s border.

I have borders on all sides.

I have a red bottom border.

I have rounded borders.

I have a blue left border.

CSS Border Style

The border-style property specifies what kind of border to display.

The following values are allowed:

  • dotted – Defines a dotted border
  • dashed – Defines a dashed border
  • solid – Defines a solid border
  • double – Defines a double border
  • groove – Defines a 3D grooved border. The effect depends on the border-color value
  • ridge – Defines a 3D ridged border. The effect depends on the border-color value
  • inset – Defines a 3D inset border. The effect depends on the border-color value
  • outset – Defines a 3D outset border. The effect depends on the border-color value
  • none – Defines no border
  • hidden – Defines a hidden border

The border-style property can have from one to four values (for the top border, right border, bottom border, and the left border).

Example

Demonstration of the different border styles:

p.dotted {border-style: dotted;}
p.dashed {border-style: dashed;}
p.solid {border-style: solid;}
p.double {border-style: double;}
p.groove {border-style: groove;}
p.ridge {border-style: ridge;}
p.inset {border-style: inset;}
p.outset {border-style: outset;}
p.none {border-style: none;}
p.hidden {border-style: hidden;}
p.mix {border-style: dotted dashed solid double;}

Result:

A dotted border.

A dashed border.

A solid border.

A double border.

A groove border. The effect depends on the border-color value.

A ridge border. The effect depends on the border-color value.

An inset border. The effect depends on the border-color value.

An outset border. The effect depends on the border-color value.

No border.

A hidden border.

A mixed border.

Try it Yourself »

Note: None of the OTHER CSS border properties (which you will learn more about in the next chapters) will have ANY effect unless the border-style property is set!

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CSS Border Width

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CSS Border Width

The border-width property specifies the width of the four borders.

The width can be set as a specific size (in px, pt, cm, em, etc) or by using one of the three pre-defined values: thin, medium, or thick:

Example

Demonstration of the different border widths:

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-width: 5px;
}

p.two {
  border-style: solid;
  border-width: medium;
}

p.three {
  border-style: dotted;
  border-width: 2px;
}

p.four {
  border-style: dotted;
  border-width: thick;
}

Result:

5px border-width

medium border-width

2px border-width

thick border-width

Try it Yourself »

Specific Side Widths

The border-width property can have from one to four values (for the top border, right border, bottom border, and the left border):

Example

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-width: 5px 20px; /* 5px top and bottom, 20px on the sides */
}

p.two {
  border-style: solid;
  border-width: 20px 5px; /* 20px top and bottom, 5px on the sides */
}

p.three {
  border-style: solid;
  border-width: 25px 10px 4px 35px; /* 25px top, 10px right, 4px bottom and 35px left */
}

Try it Yourself »

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CSS Border Color

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CSS Border Color

The border-color property is used to set the color of the four borders.

The color can be set by:

  • name – specify a color name, like “red”
  • HEX – specify a HEX value, like “#ff0000”
  • RGB – specify a RGB value, like “rgb(255,0,0)”
  • HSL – specify a HSL value, like “hsl(0, 100%, 50%)”
  • transparent

Note: If border-color is not set, it inherits the color of the element.

Example

Demonstration of the different border colors:

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-color: red;
}

p.two {
  border-style: solid;
  border-color: green;
}

p.three {
  border-style: dotted;
  border-color: blue;
}

Result:

Red border

Green border

Blue border

Try it Yourself »

Specific Side Colors

The border-color property can have from one to four values (for the top border, right border, bottom border, and the left border). 

Example

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-color: red green blue yellow; /* red top, green right, blue bottom and yellow left */
}

Try it Yourself »

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HEX Values

The color of the border can also be specified using a hexadecimal value (HEX):

Example

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-color: #ff0000; /* red */
}

Try it Yourself »

RGB Values

Or by using RGB values:

Example

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-color: rgb(255, 0, 0); /* red */
}

Try it Yourself »

HSL Values

You can also use HSL values:

Example

p.one {
  border-style: solid;
  border-color: hsl(0, 100%, 50%); /* red */
}

Try it Yourself »

You can learn more about HEX, RGB and HSL values in our CSS Colors chapters.

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CSS Border Sides

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CSS Border – Individual Sides

From the examples on the previous pages, you have seen that it is possible to specify a different border for each side.

In CSS, there are also properties for specifying each of the borders (top, right, bottom, and left):

Example

p {
  border-top-style: dotted;
  border-right-style: solid;
  border-bottom-style: dotted;
  border-left-style: solid;
}

Result:

Different Border Styles

Try it Yourself »

The example above gives the same result as this:

Example

p {
  border-style: dotted solid;
}

Try it Yourself »

So, here is how it works:

If the border-style property has four values:

  • border-style: dotted solid double dashed;
    • top border is dotted
    • right border is solid
    • bottom border is double
    • left border is dashed

If the border-style property has three values:

  • border-style: dotted solid double;
    • top border is dotted
    • right and left borders are solid
    • bottom border is double

If the border-style property has two values:

  • border-style: dotted solid;
    • top and bottom borders are dotted
    • right and left borders are solid

If the border-style property has one value:

  • border-style: dotted;
    • all four borders are dotted

Example

/* Four values */
p {
  border-style: dotted solid double dashed;
}

/* Three values */
p {
  border-style: dotted solid double;
}

/* Two values */
p {
  border-style: dotted solid;
}

/* One value */
p {
  border-style: dotted;
}

Try it Yourself »

The border-style property is used in the example above. However, it also works with border-width and border-color.

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CSS Shorthand Border Property

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CSS Border – Shorthand Property

Like you saw in the previous page, there are many properties to consider when dealing with borders.

To shorten the code, it is also possible to specify all the individual border properties in one property.

The border property is a shorthand property for the following individual border properties:

  • border-width
  • border-style (required)
  • border-color

Example

p {
  border: 5px solid red;
}

Result:

Some text

Try it Yourself »

You can also specify all the individual border properties for just one side:

Left Border

p {
  border-left: 6px solid red;
}

Result:

Some text

Try it Yourself »

Bottom Border

p {
  border-bottom: 6px solid red;
}

Result:

Some text

Try it Yourself »

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CSS Rounded Borders

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CSS Rounded Borders

The border-radius property is used to add rounded borders to an element:

Normal border

Round border

Rounder border

Roundest border

Example

p {
  border: 2px solid red;
  border-radius: 5px;
}

Try it Yourself »

More Examples

All the top border properties in one declaration
This example demonstrates a shorthand property for setting all of the properties for the top border in one declaration.

Set the style of the bottom border
This example demonstrates how to set the style of the bottom border.

Set the width of the left border
This example demonstrates how to set the width of the left border.

Set the color of the four borders
This example demonstrates how to set the color of the four borders. It can have from one to four colors.

Set the color of the right border
This example demonstrates how to set the color of the right border.

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Test Yourself With Exercises

Exercise:

Use the border shorthand property to set a “4px”, “dotted”, “red” border for the <p> elements.

<style>
p {
  : ;
}
</style>

<body>
  <h1>This is a heading</h1>
  <p>This is a paragraph</p>
  <p>This is a paragraph</p>
</body>

Submit Answer »

Start the Exercise

All CSS Border Properties

PropertyDescription
borderSets all the border properties in one declaration
border-bottomSets all the bottom border properties in one declaration
border-bottom-colorSets the color of the bottom border
border-bottom-styleSets the style of the bottom border
border-bottom-widthSets the width of the bottom border
border-colorSets the color of the four borders
border-leftSets all the left border properties in one declaration
border-left-colorSets the color of the left border
border-left-styleSets the style of the left border
border-left-widthSets the width of the left border
border-radiusSets all the four border-*-radius properties for rounded corners
border-rightSets all the right border properties in one declaration
border-right-colorSets the color of the right border
border-right-styleSets the style of the right border
border-right-widthSets the width of the right border
border-styleSets the style of the four borders
border-topSets all the top border properties in one declaration
border-top-colorSets the color of the top border
border-top-styleSets the style of the top border
border-top-widthSets the width of the top border
border-widthSets the width of the four borders

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