margin-top

The margin-top CSS property sets the margin area on the top of an element. A positive value places it farther from its neighbors, while a negative value places it closer.

This property has no effect on non-replaced inline elements, such as <span> or <code>.

Syntax

/* <length> values */
margin-top: 10px;  /* An absolute length */
margin-top: 1em;   /* relative to the text size */
margin-top: 5%;    /* relative to the nearest block container's width */

/* Keyword values */
margin-top: auto;

/* Global values */
margin-top: inherit;
margin-top: initial;
margin-top: revert;
margin-top: unset;

The margin-top property is specified as the keyword auto, or a <length>, or a <percentage>. Its value can be positive, zero, or negative.

Values

<length>: The size of the margin as a fixed value.
<percentage>: The size of the margin as a percentage, relative to the inline size (width in a horizontal language, defined by writing-mode) of the containing block.
auto: The browser selects a suitable value to use. See margin.

Formal definition

Initial value	`0`
Applies to	all elements, except elements with table `display` types other than `table-caption`, `table` and `inline-table`. It also applies to `::first-letter` and `::first-line`.
Inherited	no
Percentages	refer to the width of the containing block
Computed value	the percentage as specified or the absolute length
Animation type	a length

Formal syntax

<length> | <percentage> | auto

Examples

Setting positive and negative top margins

.content { margin-top:   5%; }
.sidebox { margin-top: 10px; }
.logo    { margin-top: -5px; }
#footer  { margin-top:  1em; }

Specifications

Specification
CSS Box Model Module Level 3 # margin-physical

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser