HTML <meter> Tag

The HTML <meter> tag represents a scalar measurement within a known range, or a fractional value.

Also known as a gauge, usage could include displaying disk usage, the relevance of a query result, the fraction of a voting population to have selected a particular candidate, or the amount raised during fundraising activities, or the relevance of a search query result.

The <meter> element is used to represent a range. It is not appropriate to use this element for representing a single number (such as how many children someone has) unless there is a known maximum number.

Syntax

The <meter> tag is written as <meter></meter> with any contents inserted between the start and end tags.

There are six attributes that can be used to determine the semantics of the gauge. These are min, max, low, high, optimum, and value.

Here's an example:

Another example:

Examples

Here are some examples of potential <meter> tag usage.

Attributes

Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.

The <meter> element accepts the following attributes.

AttributeDescription
valueSpecifies the "measured" value.
minSpecifies the lower bound of the range. Default is 0.
lowSpecifies the range that is considered to be a "low" value.
highSpecifies the range that is considered to be a "high" value.
maxSpecifies the upper bound of the range. Default is 1.
optimumSpecifies the value that is considered to be the "optimum", or best, value. If this value is higher than the "high" value then it indicates that the higher the value, the better. If it's lower than the "low" mark then it indicates that lower values are better. If it is in between then it indicates that neither high nor low values are good.

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <meter> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handlers

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.

For more detail, see HTML event handler content attributes.