Use margin to control space outside an element’s border. Set every side with the shorthand, adjust a particular side with a longhand, and use logical properties when spacing should follow text direction. If two vertical margins seem not to add up, they may be collapsing.
What a CSS margin controls
The margin is the space outside a box’s border. Padding is inside the border, between the border and the content. Use margin to position or separate an element from surrounding elements; use padding when you want space within the element itself. See the W3C CSS Box Model Level 3 and MDN’s box model guide.
Set margins with shorthand or longhands
The margin shorthand accepts one to four values. Values map to the physical sides in this order:
| Values | Mapping | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One | All four sides | margin: 1rem; |
| Two | Top and bottom; left and right | margin: 1rem 2rem; |
| Three | Top; left and right; bottom | margin: 1rem 2rem 3rem; |
| Four | Top, right, bottom, left | margin: 1rem 2rem 3rem 4rem; |
For example:
.card {
margin: 1rem; /* all sides */
margin: 1rem 2rem; /* vertical, then horizontal */
margin: 1rem 2rem 3rem; /* top, horizontal, bottom */
margin: 1rem 2rem 3rem 4rem; /* top, right, bottom, left */
}
.notice {
margin-top: 0.5rem;
margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
}Use margin-top, margin-right, margin-bottom, and margin-left when the design refers to a particular physical side or only one side needs adjustment. The shorthand mapping and accepted values are described in the CSS 2.2 box model reference.
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Understand margin values, percentages, and auto
- Lengths: Values such as
1remor16pxset a definite margin. - Percentages: A margin percentage is calculated from the containing block’s width, including for top and bottom margins. A vertical percentage therefore does not mean a percentage of the container’s height.
auto: The layout algorithm resolves it using available space and the formatting context; it is not a fixed spacing amount. In common block layouts, a constrained width withmargin-inline: auto(or left and right auto margins) can center an element.- Negative values: CSS permits negative margins. They can pull an element toward or over neighboring space, so use them deliberately and check the resulting layout.
.content {
max-width: 65ch;
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
}
.overlap {
margin-top: -1rem;
}Auto margins do not center every kind of element in every layout. Their result depends on the layout algorithm and available space.
Use logical margins for writing direction and flow
Physical properties such as margin-left name a screen side. Logical properties name a side relative to the inline or block axis, so their physical mapping can change with writing mode and text direction. For example, margin-inline-start means the start side of the inline axis, while margin-block sets both block-axis margins.
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.article {
margin-block: 1.5rem;
margin-inline: auto;
max-inline-size: 65ch;
}Prefer logical properties for reusable components that may appear in right-to-left text or vertical writing modes. Physical properties remain useful when a design intentionally targets a fixed screen edge. See the W3C CSS Box Model Level 4 and MDN’s margin-block reference.
Choose between margin, logical properties, and gap
| Approach | Best fit | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
margin shorthand |
Setting the same spacing on several or all sides concisely | Less explicit when sides have different purposes |
| Physical longhands | A layout deliberately tied to top, right, bottom, or left | Does not adapt semantically to writing direction |
| Logical margin properties | Components that should follow writing mode and direction | Requires thinking in block and inline axes |
gap in flex or grid |
Consistent spacing between layout items | Controls spacing between container items, not an individual item’s outside edge |
Use margin when spacing belongs to an element’s outer edge. For a regular gap between children in a flex or grid layout, consider the container’s gap.
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Why vertical margins may not add together
In relevant block layouts, adjoining vertical margins can collapse into one margin. For two positive adjoining margins, the resulting gap is the larger value rather than their sum: a bottom margin of 24px next to a top margin of 16px typically produces a 24px gap. This behavior is limited to adjoining margins in applicable block layout; horizontal margins do not collapse.
When positive and negative margins collapse together, the largest negative magnitude is subtracted from the largest positive margin. If all adjoining margins are negative, the most negative value determines the result. See the CSS 2.2 margin-collapse rules and MDN’s margin-collapsing guide.
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Common situations where margins can collapse
- The bottom margin of one in-flow block sibling adjoins the top margin of the next.
- A parent’s margin can adjoin the margin of its first or last in-flow child under specified conditions.
Situations where they do not collapse
- Margins of floats, absolutely positioned boxes, and inline-block boxes do not collapse in the described cases.
- Margins between flex or grid items do not collapse.
- A border, padding, inline content, clearance, or formatting-context boundary can affect whether margins are adjoining.
Debug a gap that looks too small
- Inspect the computed
margin-topandmargin-bottomvalues for both neighboring elements in your browser’s developer tools. - Check whether the boxes are in normal block flow and whether the two margins are adjoining.
- Look for borders, padding, inline content, clearance, or a formatting-context boundary that changes the collapse conditions.
- If the intended design is a consistent gap between flex or grid children, set
gapon the container instead of relying on adjoining child margins.
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