CSS margin-top Property
Definition and Usage
The margin-top property sets the top margin of an element.
Note: Negative values are allowed.
| Default value: | 0 |
|---|---|
| Inherited: | no |
| Animatable: | yes, see individual properties. Read about animatable Try it |
| Version: | CSS1 |
| JavaScript syntax: | object.style.marginTop="100px" Try it |
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.
| Property | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| margin-top | 1.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 |
CSS Syntax
margin-top: length|auto|initial|inherit;
Property Values
| Value | Description | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| length | Specifies a fixed top margin in px, pt, cm, etc. Default value is 0px | Play it » |
| % | Specifies a top margin in percent of the width of the containing element | Play it » |
| auto | The browser calculates a top margin | Play it » |
| initial | Sets this property to its default value. Read about initial | Play it » |
| inherit | Inherits this property from its parent element. Read about inherit |
Margin Collapse
Top and bottom margins of elements are sometimes collapsed into a single margin that is equal to the largest of the two margins.
This does not happen on horizontal margins (left and right)! Only vertical margins (top and bottom)!
Look at the following example:
In the example above, the <h1> element has a bottom margin of 30px. The <p> element has a top margin set to 20px.
Common sense would seem to suggest that the vertical margin between the <h1> and the <p> would be a total of 50px (30px + 20px). But due to margin collapse, the actual margin ends up being 30px.
Related Pages
CSS tutorial: CSS Margin
HTML DOM reference: marginTop property
