Web/CSS/box-direction

Non-standard This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.

This is a property of the original CSS Flexible Box Layout Module draft, and has been replaced by a newer standard. The -moz-box-direction will only be used for XUL while the previous standard box-direction has been replaced by flex-direction. See flexbox for information about the current standard.

The box-direction CSS property specifies whether a box lays out its contents normally (from the top or left edge), or in reverse (from the bottom or right edge).

/* Keyword values */
box-direction: normal;
box-direction: reverse;

/* Global values */
box-direction: inherit;
box-direction: initial;
box-direction: unset;

Syntax

The box-direction property is specified as one of the keyword values listed below.

Values

normal: The box lays out its contents from the start (the left or top edge).
reverse: The box lays out its contents from the end (the right or bottom edge).

Notes

The edge of the box designated the start for layout purposes depends on the box's orientation:

Horizontal	left
Vertical	top

The edge opposite to the start is designated the end.

If the direction is set using the element's dir attribute, then the style is ignored.

Formal definition

Initial value	`normal`
Applies to	elements with a CSS `display` value of `box` or `inline-box`
Inherited	no
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

normal | reverse | inherit

Examples

Setting box direction

.example {
  /* bottom-to-top layout */
  -moz-box-direction: reverse;      /* Mozilla */
  -webkit-box-direction: reverse;   /* WebKit */
  box-direction: reverse;           /* As specified */
}

Specifications

Not part of any standard.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`box-direction` Deprecated'Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 1 Prefixed' Full support 1 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Edge Full support 12 Prefixed' Full support 12 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Firefox Full support 1 Prefixed' Full support 1 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -moz- Full support 49 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Full support 48 Prefixed' Disabled' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Disabled' From version 48: this feature is behind the `layout.css.prefixes.webkit` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	IE No support No	Opera Full support 15 Prefixed' Full support 15 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Safari Full support 3 Prefixed' Full support 3 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- No support 1.1 — 3 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -khtml-	WebView Android Full support ≤37 Prefixed' Full support ≤37 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Chrome Android Full support 18 Prefixed' Full support 18 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Firefox Android Full support 4 Prefixed' Full support 4 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -moz- Full support 49 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Full support 48 Prefixed' Disabled' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit- Disabled' From version 48: this feature is behind the `layout.css.prefixes.webkit` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android Full support 14 Prefixed' Full support 14 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Safari iOS Full support 1 Prefixed' Full support 1 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 Prefixed' Full support 1.0 Prefixed' Prefixed' Implemented with the vendor prefix: -webkit-

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.': Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.': Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.
User must explicitly enable this feature.': User must explicitly enable this feature.
Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.': Requires a vendor prefix or different name for use.