Web/CSS/table-layout

The table-layout CSS property sets the algorithm used to lay out <table> cells, rows, and columns.

The source for this interactive example is stored in a GitHub repository. If you'd like to contribute to the interactive examples project, please clone https://github.com/mdn/interactive-examples and send us a pull request.

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
table-layout: auto;
table-layout: fixed;

/* Global values */
table-layout: inherit;
table-layout: initial;
table-layout: unset;

Values

auto: By default, most browsers use an automatic table layout algorithm. The widths of the table and its cells are adjusted to fit the content.
fixed: Table and column widths are set by the widths of table and col elements or by the width of the first row of cells. Cells in subsequent rows do not affect column widths.; Under the "fixed" layout method, the entire table can be rendered once the first table row has been downloaded and analyzed. This can speed up rendering time over the "automatic" layout method, but subsequent cell content might not fit in the column widths provided. Cells use the overflow property to determine whether to clip any overflowing content, but only if the table has a known width; otherwise, they won't overflow the cells.

Formal definition

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	`table` and `inline-table` elements
Inherited	no
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	discrete

Formal syntax

auto | fixed

Examples

Fixed-width tables with text-overflow

This example uses a fixed table layout, combined with the width property, to restrict the table's width. The text-overflow property is used to apply an ellipsis to words that are too long to fit. If the table layout were auto, the table would grow to accomodate its contents, despite the specified width.

HTML

<table>
  <tr><td>Ed</td><td>Wood</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Albert</td><td>Schweitzer</td></tr>
  <tr><td>Jane</td><td>Fonda</td></tr>
  <tr><td>William</td><td>Shakespeare</td></tr>
</table>

CSS

table {
  table-layout: fixed;
  width: 120px;
  border: 1px solid red;
}

td {
  border: 1px solid blue;
  overflow: hidden;
  white-space: nowrap;
  text-overflow: ellipsis;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Level 2 (Revision 1)The definition of 'table-layout' in that specification.	Recommendation	Initial definition.

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
`table-layout`	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support 5	Opera Full support 7	Safari Full support 1	WebView Android Full support 1.5	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 10.1	Safari iOS Full support 3	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0

Legend

Full support: Full support