CSS padding Property
Example
Set the padding for all four sides of a <p> element to 35 pixels:
p {
padding: 35px;
}
Try it Yourself »
More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
An element's padding is the space between its content and its border.
The padding property is a shorthand property for:
Note: Padding creates extra space within an element, while margin creates extra space around an element.
This property can have from one to four values.
If the padding property has four values:
- padding:10px 5px 15px 20px;
- top padding is 10px
- right padding is 5px
- bottom padding is 15px
- left padding is 20px
If the padding property has three values:
- padding:10px 5px 15px;
- top padding is 10px
- right and left padding are 5px
- bottom padding is 15px
If the padding property has two values:
- padding:10px 5px;
- top and bottom padding are 10px
- right and left padding are 5px
If the padding property has one value:
- padding:10px;
- all four paddings are 10px
Note: Negative values are not allowed.
| Default value: | 0 |
|---|---|
| Inherited: | no |
| Animatable: | yes, see individual properties. Read about animatable Try it |
| Version: | CSS1 |
| JavaScript syntax: | object.style.padding="100px 20px" Try it |
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.
| Property | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| padding | 1.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 |
CSS Syntax
padding: length|initial|inherit;
Property Values
| Value | Description | Demo |
|---|---|---|
| length | Specifies the padding in px, pt, cm, etc. Default value is 0. Read about length units | Demo ❯ |
| % | Specifies the padding in percent of the width of the containing element | Demo ❯ |
| initial | Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial | |
| inherit | Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit |
More Examples
Example
Set the padding for a <p> element to 35 pixels for top and bottom, and to 70 pixels for right and left:
p {
padding: 35px 70px;
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Set the padding for a <p> element to 35 pixels for top, 70 pixels for right and left, and to 50 pixels for bottom:
p {
padding: 35px 70px 50px;
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Set the padding for a <p> element to 35 pixels for top, 70 pixels for right, 50 pixels for bottom, and to 90 pixels for left:
p {
padding: 35px 70px 50px 90px;
}
Try it Yourself »
Related Pages
CSS tutorial: CSS Padding
CSS tutorial: CSS Box Model
HTML DOM reference: padding property