`border-color` CSS property

The border-color CSS shorthand property sets the color of an element's border.

Try it

border-color: red;

border-color: red #32a1ce;

border-color: red rgb(170 50 220 / 0.6) green;

border-color: red yellow green hsl(60 90% 50% / 0.8);

border-color: red yellow green transparent;

<section class="default-example" id="default-example">
  <div class="transition-all" id="example-element">
    This is a box with a border around it.
  </div>
</section>

#example-element {
  background-color: #eeeeee;
  color: black;
  border: 0.75em solid;
  padding: 0.75em;
  width: 80%;
  height: 100px;
}

Constituent properties

This property is a shorthand for the following CSS properties:

• border-bottom-color
• border-left-color
• border-right-color
• border-top-color

Syntax

/* <color> values */
border-color: red;

/* top and bottom | left and right */
border-color: red #f015ca;

/* top | left and right | bottom */
border-color: red rgb(240 30 50 / 70%) green;

/* top | right | bottom | left */
border-color: red yellow green blue;

/* Global values */
border-color: inherit;
border-color: initial;
border-color: revert;
border-color: revert-layer;
border-color: unset;

The border-color property may be specified using one, two, three, or four values.

• When one value is specified, it applies the same color to all four sides.
• When two values are specified, the first color applies to the top and bottom, the second to the left and right.
• When three values are specified, the first color applies to the top, the second to the left and right, the third to the bottom.
• When four values are specified, the colors apply to the top, right, bottom, and left in that order (clockwise).

Values

color

Defines the color of the border.

Description

Each side can be set individually using border-top-color, border-right-color, border-bottom-color, and border-left-color; or using the writing mode-aware border-block-start-color, border-block-end-color, border-inline-start-color, and border-inline-end-color.

You can find out more information about border colors in Applying colors to HTML elements.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

border-color = 
  <color>{1,4}

<color> = 
  <color-base> |
  currentColor |
  <system-color> |
  <light-dark()> |
  <deprecated-system-color>

<color-base> = 
  <hex-color> |
  <color-function> |
  <named-color> |
  <color-mix()> |
  transparent

<system-color> = 
  AccentColor |
  AccentColorText |
  ActiveText |
  ButtonBorder |
  ButtonFace |
  ButtonText |
  Canvas |
  CanvasText |
  Field |
  FieldText |
  GrayText |
  Highlight |
  HighlightText |
  LinkText |
  Mark |
  MarkText |
  SelectedItem |
  SelectedItemText |
  VisitedText

<light-dark()> = 
  light-dark( <color>, <color> )

<deprecated-system-color> = 
  ActiveBorder |
  ActiveCaption |
  AppWorkspace |
  Background |
  ButtonHighlight |
  ButtonShadow |
  CaptionText |
  InactiveBorder |
  InactiveCaption |
  InactiveCaptionText |
  InfoBackground |
  InfoText |
  Menu |
  MenuText |
  Scrollbar |
  ThreeDDarkShadow |
  ThreeDFace |
  ThreeDHighlight |
  ThreeDLightShadow |
  ThreeDShadow |
  Window |
  WindowFrame |
  WindowText

<color-function> = 
  <rgb()> |
  <rgba()> |
  <hsl()> |
  <hsla()> |
  <hwb()> |
  <lab()> |
  <lch()> |
  <oklab()> |
  <oklch()> |
  <color()>

<named-color> = 
  aliceblue |
  antiquewhite |
  aqua |
  aquamarine |
  azure |
  beige |
  bisque |
  black |
  blanchedalmond |
  blue |
  blueviolet |
  brown |
  burlywood |
  cadetblue |
  chartreuse |
  chocolate |
  coral |
  cornflowerblue |
  cornsilk |
  crimson |
  cyan |
  darkblue |
  darkcyan |
  darkgoldenrod |
  darkgray |
  darkgreen |
  darkgrey |
  darkkhaki |
  darkmagenta |
  darkolivegreen |
  darkorange |
  darkorchid |
  darkred |
  darksalmon |
  darkseagreen |
  darkslateblue |
  darkslategray |
  darkslategrey |
  darkturquoise |
  darkviolet |
  deeppink |
  deepskyblue |
  dimgray |
  dimgrey |
  dodgerblue |
  firebrick |
  floralwhite |
  forestgreen |
  fuchsia |
  gainsboro |
  ghostwhite |
  gold |
  goldenrod |
  gray |
  green |
  greenyellow |
  grey |
  honeydew |
  hotpink |
  indianred |
  indigo |
  ivory |
  khaki |
  lavender |
  lavenderblush |
  lawngreen |
  lemonchiffon |
  lightblue |
  lightcoral |
  lightcyan |
  lightgoldenrodyellow |
  lightgray |
  lightgreen |
  lightgrey |
  lightpink |
  lightsalmon |
  lightseagreen |
  lightskyblue |
  lightslategray |
  lightslategrey |
  lightsteelblue |
  lightyellow |
  lime |
  limegreen |
  linen |
  magenta |
  maroon |
  mediumaquamarine |
  mediumblue |
  mediumorchid |
  mediumpurple |
  mediumseagreen |
  mediumslateblue |
  mediumspringgreen |
  mediumturquoise |
  mediumvioletred |
  midnightblue |
  mintcream |
  mistyrose |
  moccasin |
  navajowhite |
  navy |
  oldlace |
  olive |
  olivedrab |
  orange |
  orangered |
  orchid |
  palegoldenrod |
  palegreen |
  paleturquoise |
  palevioletred |
  papayawhip |
  peachpuff |
  peru |
  pink |
  plum |
  powderblue |
  purple |
  rebeccapurple |
  red |
  rosybrown |
  royalblue |
  saddlebrown |
  salmon |
  sandybrown |
  seagreen |
  seashell |
  sienna |
  silver |
  skyblue |
  slateblue |
  slategray |
  slategrey |
  snow |
  springgreen |
  steelblue |
  tan |
  teal |
  thistle |
  tomato |
  turquoise |
  violet |
  wheat |
  white |
  whitesmoke |
  yellow |
  yellowgreen

<color-mix()> = 
  color-mix( <color-interpolation-method> , [ <color> && <percentage [0,100]>? ]#{2})

<rgb()> = 
  rgb( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) |
  rgb( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) |
  rgb( [ <number> | <percentage> | none ]{3} [ / [ <alpha-value> | none ] ]? )

<rgba()> = 
  rgba( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) |
  rgba( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) |
  rgba( [ <number> | <percentage> | none ]{3} [ / [ <alpha-value> | none ] ]? )

<hsl()> = 
  hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? ) |
  hsl( [ <hue> | none ] [ <percentage> | <number> | none ] [ <percentage> | <number> | none ] [ / [ <alpha-value> | none ] ]? )

<hsla()> = 
  hsla( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? ) |
  hsla( [ <hue> | none ] [ <percentage> | <number> | none ] [ <percentage> | <number> | none ] [ / [ <alpha-value> | none ] ]? )

<hwb()> = 
  hwb( [ <hue> | none ] [ <percentage> | <number> | none ] [ <percentage> | <number> | none ] [ / [ <alpha-value> | none ] ]? )

<lab()> = 
  lab( [<percentage> | <number> | none] [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ / [<alpha-value> | none] ]? )

<lch()> = 
  lch( [<percentage> | <number> | none] [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ <hue> | none] [ / [<alpha-value> | none] ]? )

<oklab()> = 
  oklab( [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ / [<alpha-value> | none] ]? )

<oklch()> = 
  oklch( [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ <percentage> | <number> | none] [ <hue> | none] [ / [<alpha-value> | none] ]? )

<color()> = 
  color( [ from <color> ]? <colorspace-params> [ / [ <alpha-value> | none ] ]? )

<color-interpolation-method> = 
  in [ <rectangular-color-space> | <polar-color-space> <hue-interpolation-method>? | <custom-color-space> ]

<alpha-value> = 
  <number> |
  <percentage>

<hue> = 
  <number> |
  <angle>

<colorspace-params> = 
  [<custom-params> | <predefined-rgb-params> | <xyz-params>]

<rectangular-color-space> = 
  srgb |
  srgb-linear |
  display-p3 |
  display-p3-linear |
  a98-rgb |
  prophoto-rgb |
  rec2020 |
  lab |
  oklab |
  xyz |
  xyz-d50 |
  xyz-d65

<polar-color-space> = 
  hsl |
  hwb |
  lch |
  oklch

<hue-interpolation-method> = 
  [ shorter | longer | increasing | decreasing ] hue

<custom-color-space> = 
  <dashed-ident>

<custom-params> = 
  <dashed-ident> [ <number> | <percentage> | none ]+

<predefined-rgb-params> = 
  <predefined-rgb> [ <number> | <percentage> | none ]{3}

<xyz-params> = 
  <xyz> [ <number> | <percentage> | none ]{3}

<predefined-rgb> = 
  srgb |
  srgb-linear |
  display-p3 |
  display-p3-linear |
  a98-rgb |
  prophoto-rgb |
  rec2020

<xyz> = 
  xyz |
  xyz-d50 |
  xyz-d65

Examples

Complete border-color usage

HTML

<div id="justone">
  <p><code>border-color: red;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: red;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="horzvert">
  <p><code>border-color: gold red;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: gold;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: gold;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: red;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="topvertbott">
  <p><code>border-color: red cyan gold;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: cyan;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: gold;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: cyan;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="trbl">
  <p><code>border-color: red cyan black gold;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: cyan;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: black;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: gold;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>

CSS

#justone {
  border-color: red;
}

#horzvert {
  border-color: gold red;
}

#topvertbott {
  border-color: red cyan gold;
}

#trbl {
  border-color: red cyan black gold;
}

/* Set width and style for all divs */
div {
  border: solid 0.3em;
  width: auto;
  margin: 0.5em;
  padding: 0.5em;
}

ul {
  margin: 0;
  list-style: none;
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• Border-color related CSS properties: border, border-top-color, border-right-color, border-bottom-color, border-left-color,
• Other border-related CSS properties: border-width, border-style
• The color data type
• Other color-related properties: color, background-color, outline-color, text-decoration-color, text-emphasis-color, text-shadow, caret-color, and column-rule-color
• Applying color to HTML elements using CSS