CSS margin-block Property

Posted in CSS Tutorial

Updated on Oct 03, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 14 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The margin-block property in CSS is a shorthand property that allows you to set the margin on the block start and block end sides of an element. In a block-level context, the block start refers to the top, and the block end refers to the bottom. However, in a writing mode where text flows vertically, these terms adapt accordingly.

This property provides a convenient way to control vertical margins in layouts, respecting the text direction and writing mode of the document.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the margin-block property allows you to specify values for both the block start and block end margins.

Syntax

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element {
  margin-block: <margin-start> <margin-end>;
}

<margin-start>: The margin for the block start side (top in horizontal writing modes).
<margin-end>: The margin for the block end side (bottom in horizontal writing modes).

If only one value is provided, it applies to both the block start and block end sides.

🎛️ Default Value

The default value for the margin-block property is 0, meaning there is no margin applied unless specified otherwise.

🏠 Property Values

Value	Description
length	Specifies the margin using units like px, em, rem, etc.
percentage	Specifies the margin as a percentage of the containing block's width.
percentage	The browser calculates the margin.
percentage	Inherits the margin value from the parent element.
initial	Sets the property to its default value.
unset	Resets the property to either inherit or initial, depending on the context.

📄 Example

In this example, we'll set a margin of 20px at the top and 10px at the bottom of a paragraph element.

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>CSS margin-block Example</title>
  <style>
    p {
      margin-block: 20px 10px;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Using margin-block Property</h1>
  <p>This paragraph has a margin of 20px at the top and 10px at the bottom.</p>
</body>
</html>

🖥️ Browser Compatibility

The margin-block property is supported in most modern browsers, including the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. As always, it is advisable to test your website across different browsers to ensure consistent behavior.

🎉 Conclusion

The margin-block property is a useful shorthand for setting vertical margins on block-level elements, especially in documents with diverse writing modes and directions.

It simplifies layout management by providing a unified way to handle block margins, adapting to the document's writing mode. By using this property, you can create more adaptable and responsive layouts.