HTML Borders

The best way to create HTML borders is to actually use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Using CSS, you can create a border around any HTML element.

There are a range of CSS properties that you can use to define borders but the shorthand border property is the most concise way.

Below are some examples of what you can do with HTML, borders, and CSS.

Solid Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:1px solid blue;"> HTML borders are best created with CSS. </div>

This code results in:

Dotted Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px dotted blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Dashed Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px dashed blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Outset Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px outset blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Inset Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px inset blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Grooved Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px groove blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Double Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px double blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Ridged Border

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border:2px ridge blue;"> HTML border code - or should that read CSS border code? </div>

This code results in:

Mixed Border

You can combine different border types and styles for each side of the HTML element.

<div style="width:200px;height:100px;border-width:6px;border-color:blue;border-style:dotted dashed solid double;"> Create borders for any HTML element. </div>

This code results in:

Inline, Embedded, or External?

All of the above examples use "inline" styles to create the borders. You can also use "embedded" style sheets or "external" style sheets. In fact, embedded style sheets are more powerful than inline styles. And external style sheets are more powerful than embedded style sheets.

Use embedded style sheets if you need to apply the same border to multiple objects on the same page. Use external style sheets if you need to apply the same border to multiple objects on multiple pages (or across your whole site).

To learn more, see Inline Style Sheets, Embedded Style Sheets, and External Style Sheets.

For more info, check out the various border properties on the CSS Properties list.