border-collapse

Summary

The border-collapse CSS property determines whether a table's borders are separated or collapsed. In the separated model, adjacent cells each have their own distinct borders. In the collapsed model, adjacent table cells share borders.

The separated model is the traditional HTML table border model. Adjacent cells each have their own distinct borders. The distance between them given by the border-spacing property.

In the collapsed border model, adjacent table cells share borders. In that model, the border-style value of inset behaves like groove, and outset behaves like ridge.

Syntax

border-collapse: collapse;
border-collapse: separate;

border-collapse: inherit;

Values

separate

Is a keyword requesting the use of the separated-border table rendering model. It is the default value.

collapse

Is a keyword requesting the use of the collapsed-border table rendering model.

Formal syntax

collapse | separate

Examples

View a standalone example

View Live Examples

A colorful table of browser engines

HTML

<table class="separate">
    <caption><code>border-collapse: separate</code></caption>
    <tbody>
        <tr><th>Browser</th> <th>Layout Engine</th>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="fx">Firefox</td> <td class="gk">Gecko</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="ie">Internet Explorer</td> <td class="tr">Trident</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="sa">Safari</td> <td class="wk">Webkit</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="ch">Chrome</td> <td class="bk">Blink</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="op">Opera</td> <td class="bk">Blink</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
<table class="collapse">
    <caption><code>border-collapse: collapse</code></caption>
    <tbody>
        <tr><th>Browser</th> <th>Layout Engine</th>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="fx">Firefox</td> <td class="gk">Gecko</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="ie">Internet Explorer</td> <td class="tr">Trident</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="sa">Safari</td> <td class="wk">Webkit</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="ch">Chrome</td> <td class="bk">Blink</td>
        </tr>
        <tr><td class="op">Opera</td> <td class="bk">Blink</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

CSS

.collapse {
    border-collapse: collapse;
}
.separate {
    border-collapse: separate;
}
table {
    display: inline-table;
    margin: 1em;
    border: dashed 6px;
    border-width: 6px;
}
table th, table td {
    border: solid 3px;
}
.fx { border-color: orange blue; }
.gk { border-color: black red; }
.ie { border-color: blue gold; }
.tr { border-color: aqua; }
.sa { border-color: silver blue; }
.wk { border-color: gold blue; }
.ch { border-color: red yellow green blue; }
.bk { border-color: navy blue teal aqua; }
.op { border-color: red; }

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility