CSS Height and Width,CSS Box Model

PREPARATIONX December 25, 2021

 The CSS height and width properties are used to set the height and width of an element.

The CSS max-width property is used to set the maximum width of an element.

This element has a height of 50 pixels and a width of 100%.

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CSS Setting height and width

The height and width properties are used to set the height and width of an element.

The height and width properties do not include padding, borders, or margins. It sets the height/width of the area inside the padding, border, and margin of the element.

CSS height and width Values

The height and width properties may have the following values:

  • auto - This is default. The browser calculates the height and width
  • length - Defines the height/width in px, cm etc.
  • % - Defines the height/width in percent of the containing block
  • initial - Sets the height/width to its default value
  • inherit - The height/width will be inherited from its parent value

CSS height and width Examples

This element has a height of 200 pixels and a width of 50%

Example

Set the height and width of a <div> element:

div {
  height: 200px;
  width: 50%;
  background-color: powderblue;
}

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This element has a height of 100 pixels and a width of 500 pixels.

Example

Set the height and width of another <div> element:

div {
  height: 100px;
  width: 500px;
  background-color: powderblue;
}

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Note: Remember that the height and width properties do not include padding, borders, or margins! They set the height/width of the area inside the padding, border, and margin of the element!

Setting max-width

The max-width property is used to set the maximum width of an element.

The max-width can be specified in length values, like px, cm, etc., or in percent (%) of the containing block, or set to none (this is default. Means that there is no maximum width).

The problem with the <div> above occurs when the browser window is smaller than the width of the element (500px). The browser then adds a horizontal scrollbar to the page.

Using max-width instead, in this situation, will improve the browser's handling of small windows.

Tip: Drag the browser window to smaller than 500px wide, to see the difference between the two divs!

This element has a height of 100 pixels and a max-width of 500 pixels.

Note: If you for some reason use both the width property and the max-width property on the same element, and the value of the width property is larger than the max-width property; the max-width property will be used (and the width property will be ignored).

Example

This <div> element has a height of 100 pixels and a max-width of 500 pixels: 

div {
  max-width: 500px;
  height: 100px;
  background-color: powderblue;
}

Try it Yourself »

Try it Yourself - Examples

Set the height and width of elements
This example demonstrates how to set the height and width of different elements.

Set the height and width of an image using percent
This example demonstrates how to set the height and width of an image using a percent value.

Set min-width and max-width of an element
This example demonstrates how to set a minimum width and a maximum width of an element using a pixel value.

Set min-height and max-height of an element
This example demonstrates how to set a minimum height and a maximum height of an element using a pixel value.

Test Yourself With Exercises

Exercise:

Set the height of the <h1> element to "100px".

<style>
h1 {
  : 100px;
}
</style>

<body>
  <h1>This is a heading</h1>
  <p>This is a paragraph</p>
  <p>This is a paragraph</p>
</body>

Start the Exercise

All HTML elements can be considered as boxes.

The CSS Box Model

In CSS, the term "box model" is used when talking about design and layout.

The CSS box model is essentially a box that wraps around every HTML element. It consists of: margins, borders, padding, and the actual content. The image below illustrates the box model:

Explanation of the different parts:

  • Content - The content of the box, where text and images appear
  • Padding - Clears an area around the content. The padding is transparent
  • Border - A border that goes around the padding and content
  • Margin - Clears an area outside the border. The margin is transparent

The box model allows us to add a border around elements, and to define space between elements. 

Example

Demonstration of the box model:

div {
  width: 300px;
  border: 15px solid green;
  padding: 50px;
  margin: 20px;
}
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Width and Height of an Element

In order to set the width and height of an element correctly in all browsers, you need to know how the box model works.

Important: When you set the width and height properties of an element with CSS, you just set the width and height of the content area. To calculate the full size of an element, you must also add padding, borders and margins.

Example

This <div> element will have a total width of 350px: 

div {
  width: 320px;
  padding: 10px;
  border: 5px solid gray;
  margin: 0;
}
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Here is the calculation:

320px (width)
+ 20px (left + right padding)
+ 10px (left + right border)
+ 0px (left + right margin)
= 350px

The total width of an element should be calculated like this:

Total element width = width + left padding + right padding + left border + right border + left margin + right margin

The total height of an element should be calculated like this:

Total element height = height + top padding + bottom padding + top border + bottom border + top margin + bottom margin

Test Yourself With Exercises

Exercise:

Set the width of the <div> element to "200px".

<style>
 {
  : ;
}
</style>

<body>

<div>
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
</div>

</body>

Start the Exercise

All CSS Dimension Properties

An outline is a line drawn outside the element's border.

This element has a black border and a green outline with a width of 10px.

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CSS Outline

An outline is a line that is drawn around elements, OUTSIDE the borders, to make the element "stand out".

CSS has the following outline properties:

  • outline-style
  • outline-color
  • outline-width
  • outline-offset
  • outline

Note: Outline differs from borders! Unlike border, the outline is drawn outside the element's border, and may overlap other content. Also, the outline is NOT a part of the element's dimensions; the element's total width and height is not affected by the width of the outline.

CSS Outline Style

The outline-style property specifies the style of the outline, and can have one of the following values:

  • dotted - Defines a dotted outline
  • dashed - Defines a dashed outline
  • solid - Defines a solid outline
  • double - Defines a double outline
  • groove - Defines a 3D grooved outline
  • ridge - Defines a 3D ridged outline
  • inset - Defines a 3D inset outline
  • outset - Defines a 3D outset outline
  • none - Defines no outline
  • hidden - Defines a hidden outline

The following example shows the different outline-style values:

Example

Demonstration of the different outline styles:

p.dotted {outline-style: dotted;}
p.dashed {outline-style: dashed;}
p.solid {outline-style: solid;}
p.double {outline-style: double;}
p.groove {outline-style: groove;}
p.ridge {outline-style: ridge;}
p.inset {outline-style: inset;}
p.outset {outline-style: outset;}

Result:

A dotted outline.

A dashed outline.

A solid outline.

A double outline.

A groove outline. The effect depends on the outline-color value.

A ridge outline. The effect depends on the outline-color value.

An inset outline. The effect depends on the outline-color value.

An outset outline. The effect depends on the outline-color value.

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Note: None of the other outline properties (which you will learn more about in the next chapters) will have ANY effect unless the outline-style property is set!


PropertyDescription
heightSets the height of an element
max-heightSets the maximum height of an element
max-widthSets the maximum width of an element
min-heightSets the minimum height of an element
min-widthSets the minimum width of an element
widthSets the width of an element


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