CSS border-collapse

The CSS border-collapse property allows you to collapse a table's border.

By default, an HTML table uses the "separated borders model". This results in a kind of "double border" effect where there's space between the borders of each cell, as well as the edge of the table (if you also have a border on the table element).

You can use the border-collapse property to switch to the "collapsed borders model". This effectively collapses the borders into one border. So instead of seeing a "double border" you see a single border.

Syntax

Possible Values

collapse

Specifies that the collapsed border model should be used.

separate

Specifies that the separated border model should be used.

In addition, all CSS properties also accept the following CSS-wide keyword values as the sole component of their property value:

initial

Represents the value specified as the property's initial value.

inherit

Represents the computed value of the property on the element's parent.

unset

This value acts as either inherit or initial, depending on whether the property is inherited or not. In other words, it sets all properties to their parent value if they are inheritable or to their initial value if not inheritable.

General Information

Example Code

Official Specifications

• CSS Table Module Level 3 (W3C Working Draft)
• CSS Level 2.1 (W3C Recommendation 07 June 2011)

Browser Support

Browser support for CSS properties can vary, particularly for newer or experimental features. Check current browser compatibility before using a property in production, especially when supporting older browsers.

Initial Value

CSS properties have an initial value that applies when the property has not been explicitly set. The initial value is different from the value inherited from a parent element and may vary between properties.

Inheritance

Some CSS properties inherit their computed value from their parent element by default, while others do not. The inherit, initial, unset, and revert keywords can also be used to control how a property gets its value.

Vendor Prefixes

Most modern CSS properties use the standard, unprefixed syntax. Vendor-prefixed properties such as -webkit- are mainly relevant to older browser versions or specific features and should only be used when required by your browser support targets.