CSS Border
The CSS border properties allow you to specify the style, width, and color of an element's border.
CSS Border Style
The border-style property specifies what kind of border to display.
The following values are allowed:
dotted - Defines a dotted borderdashed - Defines a dashed bordersolid - Defines a solid borderdouble - Defines a double bordergroove - Defines a 3D grooved border. The effect depends on the border-color valueridge - Defines a 3D ridged border. The effect depends on the border-color valueinset - Defines a 3D inset border. The effect depends on the border-color valueoutset - Defines a 3D outset border. The effect depends on the border-color valuenone - Defines no borderhidden - 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
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
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;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>The border-style Property</h2>
<p>This property specifies what kind of border to display:</p>
<p class="dotted">A dotted border.</p>
<p class="dashed">A dashed border.</p>
<p class="solid">A solid border.</p>
<p class="double">A double border.</p>
<p class="groove">A groove border.</p>
<p class="ridge">A ridge border.</p>
<p class="inset">An inset border.</p>
<p class="outset">An outset border.</p>
<p class="none">No border.</p>
<p class="hidden">A hidden border.</p>
<p class="mix">A mixed border.</p>
</body>
</html>
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
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
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;
}
p.five {
border-style: double;
border-width: 15px;
}
p.six {
border-style: double;
border-width: thick;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>The border-width Property</h2>
<p>This property specifies the width of the four borders:</p>
<p class="one">Some text.</p>
<p class="two">Some text.</p>
<p class="three">Some text.</p>
<p class="four">Some text.</p>
<p class="five">Some text.</p>
<p class="six">Some text.</p>
<p><b>Note:</b> The "border-width" property does not work if it is used alone.
Always specify the "border-style" property to set the borders first.</p>
</body>
</html>
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
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p.one {
border-style: solid;
border-color: red;
}
p.two {
border-style: solid;
border-color: green;
}
p.three {
border-style: dotted;
border-color: blue;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>The border-color Property</h2>
<p>This property specifies the color of the four borders:</p>
<p class="one">A solid red border</p>
<p class="two">A solid green border</p>
<p class="three">A dotted blue border</p>
<p><b>Note:</b> The "border-color" property does not work if it is used alone. Use the "border-style" property to set the borders first.</p>
</body>
</html>
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
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p {
border-top-style: dotted;
border-right-style: solid;
border-bottom-style: dotted;
border-left-style: solid;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Individual Border Sides</h2>
<p>2 different border styles.</p>
</body>
</html>
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
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
body {
text-align: center;
}
/* Four values */
p.four {
border-style: dotted solid double dashed;
}
/* Three values */
p.three {
border-style: dotted solid double;
}
/* Two values */
p.two {
border-style: dotted solid;
}
/* One value */
p.one {
border-style: dotted;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Individual Border Sides</h2>
<p class="four">4 different border styles.</p>
<p class="three">3 different border styles.</p>
<p class="two">2 different border styles.</p>
<p class="one">1 border style.</p>
</body>
</html>
CSS Border - Shorthand Property
The border property is a shorthand property for the following individual border properties:
border-widthborder-style (required)border-color
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p {
border: 5px solid red;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>The border Property</h2>
<p>This property is a shorthand property for border-width, border-style, and border-color.</p>
</body>
</html>
You can also specify all the individual border properties for just one side:
Left Border
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p {
border-left: 6px solid red;
background-color: lightgrey;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>The border-left Property</h2>
<p>This property is a shorthand property for border-left-width, border-left-style, and border-left-color.</p>
</body>
</html>
CSS Rounded Borders
The border-radius property is used to add rounded borders to an element:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
p.normal {
border: 2px solid red;
}
p.round1 {
border: 2px solid red;
border-radius: 5px;
}
p.round2 {
border: 2px solid red;
border-radius: 8px;
}
p.round3 {
border: 2px solid red;
border-radius: 12px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h2>The border-radius Property</h2>
<p>This property is used to add rounded borders to an element:</p>
<p class="normal">Normal border</p>
<p class="round1">Round border</p>
<p class="round2">Rounder border</p>
<p class="round3">Roundest border</p>
</body>
</html>
