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In CSS, padding adds space between an element’s content and its border. Use the shorthand to set all four sides at once, or to give different amounts of space to each side.
How the padding shorthand works
The padding shorthand accepts one to four nonnegative length or percentage values. With four values, read clockwise from the top:
.card {
padding: 16px; /* all four sides */
padding: 12px 20px; /* top/bottom | left/right */
padding: 8px 16px 24px; /* top | left/right | bottom */
padding: 8px 12px 16px 20px; /* top | right | bottom | left */
}| Values | Side assignment |
|---|---|
| One | All four sides |
| Two | Top and bottom; left and right |
| Three | Top; left and right; bottom |
| Four | Top; right; bottom; left |
For example, padding: 12px 20px gives the element 12 pixels of space above and below its content, and 20 pixels on the left and right. If you need to set only one physical side, use padding-top, padding-right, padding-bottom, or padding-left. See MDN’s padding property reference.
Padding versus margin
Padding is inside the border; margin is outside it. From the center of the box outward, the box model is content, padding, border, then margin. Padding creates breathing room around the content within the element’s border, while margin separates the bordered element from surrounding elements. MDN explains the layers in its CSS box model guide.
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Choosing a value and unit
Lengths such as px, rem, and em let you set spacing using a fixed or type-relative scale. Percentages are also valid, but they are based on the containing block’s inline size—not the padded element’s own height. In ordinary horizontal writing, that means even top and bottom percentage padding is calculated from the containing block’s width. The CSS 2.1 specification describes percentage padding in relation to the containing block’s width; see the W3C box model specification.
Choose a length for predictable spacing or a percentage when you intentionally want padding to scale with the containing block’s inline dimension. Negative padding values are invalid.
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How padding affects a declared width
Padding is part of the CSS box model, so it can affect the rendered dimensions when an element has a declared width. The box-sizing property determines how the content and padding contribute to that specified box dimension. If a box looks wider than expected, check both its padding and its box-sizing value.
Use logical padding for flow-relative layouts
Physical properties such as padding-left always target the left side. If spacing should follow the text direction or writing mode instead, use flow-relative properties such as padding-inline and padding-block, or their -start and -end longhands. These describe the inline and block directions rather than hard-coding left/right or top/bottom. Keep physical properties when a particular physical side is what you intend. MDN’s logical properties guide covers these options.
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Common padding problems
- The spacing appears on the wrong sides: Check shorthand order. Four values go top, right, bottom, left; two and three values use paired sides as described above.
- Negative padding does not work: Padding values cannot be negative. Use a suitable margin or another layout technique if you need elements to overlap.
- Vertical percentage padding seems unexpectedly large or small: In horizontal writing, top and bottom percentages use the containing block’s width, not its height.
- The element is wider than its declared width: Check how
box-sizingtreats padding alongside the specified width.
Browser support
MDN marks the established padding shorthand as Baseline Widely available and reports browser availability since July 2015; that broad support statement is for the shorthand, not a guarantee about every browser version or newer related CSS feature.
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