CSS border-end-start-radius Property

Beginner
⏱️ 6 min read
📚 Updated: Jun 2026
🎯 4 Examples
Logical Properties

What You’ll Learn

The border-end-start-radius property rounds the logical end-start corner of an element — where the block-end edge meets the inline-end edge. It is ideal for layouts that must work in both LTR and RTL text directions.

01

Logical Corner

End-end, not physical.

02

Length Values

px, em, rem.

03

Percentages

Relative to box size.

04

Elliptical

Two-value syntax.

05

RTL Ready

Adapts to direction.

06

Logical Family

Part of border-radius.

Definition and Usage

The border-end-start-radius CSS property controls the rounding of the logical end-start corner of an element’s border box. This corner sits at the intersection of the block-end side and the inline-end side.

In standard left-to-right horizontal writing, end-start usually maps to the bottom-left corner. In right-to-left layouts, the same property rounds the bottom-right corner instead — without changing your CSS. That makes it especially useful for multilingual and bidirectional designs.

💡
Beginner Tip

Think of end-start as “the corner where the block end meets the inline start.” Start with border-end-start-radius: 20px; on a colored box and compare it in both direction: ltr; and direction: rtl;.

📝 Syntax

The syntax for border-end-start-radius lets you use one value for a circular corner or two values for an elliptical corner:

syntax.css
selector {
  border-end-start-radius: <length> | <percentage>;
}

/* elliptical corner */
selector {
  border-end-start-radius: <horizontal> / <vertical>;
}

Basic Example

border-end-start-radius.css
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 100px;
  background-color: lightblue;
  border: 2px solid blue;
  border-end-start-radius: 20px;
}

A length value such as 10px or 1em sets a fixed curve. A percentage is relative to the element’s width and height.

Syntax Rules

  • This property affects only the logical end-start corner.
  • The default value is 0, which means a square corner.
  • One value creates a circular corner radius on both axes.
  • Two values separated by / create an elliptical corner.
  • The mapped physical corner changes with direction and writing-mode.

⚡ Quick Reference

QuestionAnswer
Initial value0
Applies toLogical end-start corner only
InheritedNo
AnimatableYes, as a length
Common useRTL layouts, multilingual UI, writing-mode-aware cards

Default Value

The default value of border-end-start-radius is 0. That means the end-start corner is not rounded unless you set a radius value.

💎 Property Values

border-end-start-radius accepts length, percentage, and elliptical values.

ValueExampleMeaning
Lengthborder-end-start-radius: 20px;Fixed corner radius such as px, em, or rem
Percentageborder-end-start-radius: 50%;Radius relative to the element’s dimensions
Ellipticalborder-end-start-radius: 40px / 10px;Different horizontal and vertical radii
initialborder-end-start-radius: initial;Resets to the default value of 0
inheritborder-end-start-radius: inherit;Inherits the value from the parent element
unsetborder-end-start-radius: unset;Resets to inherited or initial value depending on context
10px 20px 50%

Common Value Types

fixed px
percentage
elliptical

Logical End-Start Corner and Writing Modes

border-end-start-radius follows the inline and block axes instead of fixed top, right, bottom, and left sides. In horizontal LTR text, end-start is usually the bottom-left corner. In RTL, the same rule rounds the bottom-right corner.

LTR (direction: ltr)

RTL (direction: rtl)

Square corner (default)

Rounded end-start

border-end-start-radius vs related properties

PropertyTargetsBest for
border-end-start-radiusLogical end-start cornerMultilingual, RTL, and writing-mode-aware layouts
border-bottom-left-radiusPhysical bottom-left cornerSimple LTR-only layouts with one rounded corner
border-end-end-radiusLogical end-end cornerThe opposite end corner on the same block edge
border-radiusAll four corners togetherCards, buttons, and fully rounded boxes

👀 Live Preview

A box with a rounded logical end-start corner in LTR layout:

Uses width: 10rem;, height: 6rem;, background: #2563eb;, and border-end-start-radius: 20px;.

Examples Gallery

Try border-end-start-radius with fixed lengths, percentages, elliptical corners, and RTL-friendly cards.

📚 Basic Corner Rounding

Start with a single length value to round the logical end-start corner of a box.

Example 1 — 20px End-Start Radius

Create a block with a rounded end-start corner using a fixed pixel value, as shown in the reference tutorial.

border-end-start-radius-basic.html
<style>
  .box {
    width: 200px;
    height: 100px;
    background-color: lightblue;
    border: 2px solid blue;
    border-end-start-radius: 20px;
  }
</style>

<div class="box"></div>
Try It Yourself

How It Works

The browser draws a circular arc on the logical end-start corner. The other three corners stay square because they were not given a radius value.

Example 2 — 50% Circular End-Start Corner

Use a percentage value on a square box to create a deeply curved end-start corner.

border-end-start-radius-percent.css
.box {
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  background-color: lightcoral;
  border-end-start-radius: 50%;
}
Try It Yourself

How It Works

On a square element, 50% creates a large quarter-circle curve on the end-start corner.

🎨 Advanced Corner Shapes

Use elliptical syntax and direction-aware styling for more expressive UI shapes.

Example 3 — Elliptical End-Start Corner

Create a stretched corner with different horizontal and vertical radii.

border-end-start-radius-ellipse.css
.panel {
  width: 14rem;
  height: 5rem;
  background: #059669;
  border-end-start-radius: 40px / 10px;
}
Try It Yourself

How It Works

The slash syntax sets horizontal radius first and vertical radius second. This creates an oval-shaped corner instead of a perfect quarter circle.

Example 4 — RTL Card with One Logical Rounded Corner

Round only the end-start corner on a card that adapts when text direction changes to RTL.

border-end-start-radius-rtl.css
.card {
  border: 2px solid #cbd5e1;
  padding: 1rem;
  background: #fff;
  border-end-start-radius: 1.5rem;
  max-width: 16rem;
}

[dir="rtl"] .card {
  text-align: right;
}
Try It Yourself

How It Works

Because border-end-start-radius is logical, the rounded corner stays on the trailing end of the block edge in both LTR and RTL. You do not need separate left and right radius rules.

🧠 How border-end-start-radius Works

1

You choose a radius value

Set a length, percentage, or elliptical value with border-end-start-radius.

CSS rule
2

The browser finds the logical corner

It maps end-start to the correct physical corner based on writing mode and text direction.

Logical mapping
3

The corner is curved

Only the end-start corner gets a rounded arc. The other three corners stay unchanged.

One corner
=

Direction-aware rounded corner

Your layout keeps the same CSS while the rounded corner follows the logical end of the box.

Modern Browser Support

The border-end-start-radius property is supported in modern browsers that implement CSS Logical Properties. Test in the browsers your audience uses, especially for RTL layouts.

Baseline · Modern browsers

Logical corner rounding in today’s browsers

Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari support border-end-start-radius in current versions.

92% Modern browser support
Google Chrome89+ · Desktop & Mobile
Full support
Mozilla Firefox66+ · Desktop & Mobile
Full support
Apple Safari15+ · macOS & iOS
Full support
Microsoft Edge89+ · Chromium
Full support
Opera76+ · Modern versions
Full support

Fallback behavior

When unsupported, the corner stays square. Use physical longhands only if you must support very old browsers.

💻
Internet Explorer No support · Use border-bottom-left-radius as fallback
None
border-end-start-radius property 92% supported

Bottom line: Use border-end-start-radius for modern multilingual layouts. Pair with physical fallbacks only when legacy browser support is required.

Conclusion

The border-end-start-radius property gives you precise control over one logical corner while keeping your CSS adaptable across text directions and writing modes. It is a strong choice for bidirectional layouts where a physical bottom-left rule would break in RTL.

Experiment with pixel values, percentages, and elliptical syntax to see how this property can enhance the visual appeal and flexibility of your web projects.

💡 Best Practices

✅ Do

  • Use logical radius properties in multilingual or RTL interfaces
  • Start with small radius values and increase gradually
  • Combine with overflow: hidden when clipping inner content to the curve
  • Test the same component in both LTR and RTL
  • Prefer logical corners when building reusable layout components

❌ Don’t

  • Use physical corner properties when logical ones would stay correct in RTL
  • Assume percentage radii behave like fixed pixel values
  • Forget that writing mode can change which physical corner is affected
  • Mix too many different corner radii in one small UI without a clear design reason
  • Skip browser testing for direction-aware layouts

Key Takeaways

Knowledge Unlocked

Five things to remember about border-end-start-radius

Use these points when rounding the logical end-start corner.

5
Core concepts
02

Default 0

Square corner.

Default
📏03

px or %

Fixed or relative.

Values
🖼️04

RTL Ready

Adapts to direction.

Logical
🛠05

Longhand

Part of border-radius.

Family

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

The border-end-start-radius property rounds the logical end-start corner of an element — the corner where the block-end edge meets the inline-start edge. In left-to-right horizontal text, that is usually the bottom-left corner.
The initial value is 0, which means the end-start corner is square with no rounding.
border-bottom-left-radius always targets the physical bottom-left corner. border-end-start-radius follows writing direction and writing mode, so the same rule can stay correct in RTL or vertical layouts.
Yes. Percentage values are calculated relative to the element's width and height, so the same percentage can produce different curves on different box sizes.
Use it when you want one rounded corner on the inline-start side of the block end, especially in multilingual sites, RTL interfaces, or logical layout systems.

Practice in the Live Editor

Open the HTML editor, try border-end-start-radius, and preview logical rounded corners instantly.

HTML Editor →

About the author

Mari Selvan M P
Mari Selvan M P 🔗

Developer, cloud engineer, and technical writer

  • Experience 12 years building web and cloud systems
  • Focus Full Stack Development, AWS, and Developer Education

I write practical tutorials so students and working developers can learn by doing—from databases and APIs to deployment on AWS.

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