`column-gap` CSS property

The column-gap CSS property sets the size of the gap (gutter) between an element's columns in multi-column, flexible box, and grid layouts.

Try it

column-gap: 0;

column-gap: 10%;

column-gap: 1em;

column-gap: 20px;

<section class="default-example" id="default-example">
  <div class="example-container">
    <div class="transition-all" id="example-element">
      <div>One</div>
      <div>Two</div>
      <div>Three</div>
      <div>Four</div>
      <div>Five</div>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

#example-element {
  border: 1px solid #c5c5c5;
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
  width: 200px;
}

#example-element > div {
  background-color: rgb(0 0 255 / 0.2);
  border: 3px solid blue;
}

Syntax

/* Keyword value */
column-gap: normal;

/* <length-percentage> value */
column-gap: 3px;
column-gap: 2.5em;
column-gap: 3%;
column-gap: calc(3% - 6px);

/* <line-width> keyword value */
column-gap: thin;
column-gap: medium;
column-gap: thick;

/* Global values */
column-gap: inherit;
column-gap: initial;
column-gap: revert;
column-gap: revert-layer;
column-gap: unset;

Values

This property is specified as a single value from the following list:

normal

For multi-column layout, sets the gap to 1em; otherwise 0. This is the default value.

<line-width>

Sets the size of the gap using the keywords thin, medium, or thick, or a positive <length> value.

<length-percentage>

Sets a non-negative <length> or <percentage> value. Percentages are relative to the inline-size of the content box.

Description

The column-gap property sets the size of the gap between an element's columns. The property specifies a fixed-length gutter between items in a container, separating boxes in the container's inline axis. Negative values are invalid. Column gaps in multi-col containers are 1em wide by default, while no gap is added between grid columns or flex items or rows.

Percentages are calculated against the content box size of the container element's inline axis when this size is definite, against 0 otherwise, except in grid layout, for which cyclic percentage sizes resolve against zero for determining intrinsic size contributions but resolve against the element's content box when laying out the contents.

The column gap may contain a visible separator as a gap decoration. To draw a rule between the columns, use the column-rule or the rule shorthand. The rule appears in the middle of the gap but has no effect on the size of the gap between the columns.

The column-gap property, along with the row-gap property, can also be set by using the gap shorthand, which sets both row-gap and column-gap in one declaration, in that order.

The column-gap property replaced the grid-column-gap property, which was was initially defined in CSS grid layout for creating gaps between grid columns. grid-column-gap is now an alias for column-gap.

Formal definition

Formal syntax

column-gap = 
  normal |
  <length-percentage>

<length-percentage> = 
  <length> |
  <percentage>

Examples

Flex layout

This example demonstrates using the column-gap property to create horizontal space between adjacent flex items.

HTML

We include six items in a container element:

<div class="flexbox">
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
</div>

CSS

We set the display property to flex and the flex-flow property to row wrap to create a flex container with rows of items. This allows the items to flow onto new lines if needed. The flex items are each given a flex basis of either 200px or 300px.

We define a column rule with the column-rule property. The column-gap value is set to 20px on the flex container, creating a 20px gap between the adjacent flex items in each row. The column rule is drawn in the middle of the gap.

.flexbox {
  display: flex;
  flex-flow: row wrap;
  column-rule: 1px solid magenta;

  column-gap: 20px;
}

.flexbox > div {
  border: 1px solid green;
  background-color: lime;
  height: 35px;
  flex: 200px;
}
div:nth-of-type(3n) {
  flex: 300px;
}

Result

To set vertical space between flex rows, specify a non-zero value for the row-gap property, optionally setting both row-gap and column-gap by using the gap shorthand.

Grid layout

This example demonstrates using the column-gap property with a <percentage> value in a grid layout. It also demonstrates how the column-gap size is not affected by the size of the column rule.

HTML

We include seven items in a container element:

<div id="grid">
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
  <div></div>
</div>

CSS

We set the display to grid, the width to 400px and the grid-template-columns to repeat(3, 1fr) to create a 400px-wide grid container with three columns and as many rows as needed. Each row is 100px tall, as defined by the grid-auto-rows property. Every odd grid item has a lime background color and the even grid items are semi-opaque.

We've also set a very wide, semi-opaque column-rule to demonstrate how the rule is painted behind the content, with the width of the rule having no impact on the size of the gap. The column-gap is set to 5%, which creates a gap that is 20px wide.

#grid {
  display: grid;
  width: 400px;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
  grid-auto-rows: 100px;
  column-rule: 30px solid #ff00ff33;

  column-gap: 5%;
}

#grid > div {
  outline: 1px solid green;
  background-color: lime;
}
#grid > div:nth-of-type(even) {
  background-color: #00ff0033;
}

@layer no-support {
  @supports not (column-gap: 5%) {
    body::before {
      content: "Your browser doesn't support percent values";
      background-color: wheat;
      display: block;
      text-align: center;
      padding: 1rem 0;
    }
  }
}

Result

The column rule is wider than the column gap, and is visible only where the items drawn on top are semi-transparent.

Multi-column layout

This example demonstrates using the column-gap property with a <line-width> keyword value in a multi-col layout.

HTML

<p class="content-box">
  This is some multi-column text with a thin column gap created with the CSS
  `column-gap` property. The `normal` default value for the `column-gap`
  property in multi-col layout is 1em.
</p>

CSS

.content-box {
  column-count: 3;
  column-gap: thin;
}

@layer no-support {
  @supports not (column-gap: thick) {
    body::before {
      content: "Your browser doesn't support the <line-width> keyword values";
      background-color: wheat;
      display: block;
      text-align: center;
      padding: 1rem 0;
    }
  }
}

Result

Specifications

Browser compatibility

See also

• row-gap
• gap
• column-rule
• rule
• Basic concepts of grid layout: gutters
• Styling Columns
• CSS gaps module