border-top

The border-top CSS property is a shorthand that sets the values of border-top-width, border-top-style and border-top-color. These properties set an element's top border.

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.

As with all shorthand properties, border-top always sets the values of all of the properties that it can set, even if they are not specified. It sets those that are not specified to their default values. This means that ...

border-top-style: dotted;
border-top: thick green;

... is actually the same as ...

border-top-style: dotted;
border-top: none thick green;

... and the value of border-top-style given before border-top is ignored. Since the default value of border-top-style is none, not specifying the border-style part results in no border.

Syntax

border-top: 1px;
border-top: 2px dotted;
border-top: medium dashed green;

The three values of the shorthand property can be specified in any order, and one or two of them may be omitted.

Values

<br-width>

See border-top-width.

<br-style>

See border-top-style.

<color>

See border-top-color.

Formal syntax

<line-width> || <line-style> || <color>
where 
<line-width> = <length> | thin | medium | thick
<line-style> = none | hidden | dotted | dashed | solid | double | groove | ridge | inset | outset
<color> = <rgb()> | <rgba()> | <hsl()> | <hsla()> | <hex-color> | <named-color> | currentcolor | <deprecated-system-color>
where 
<rgb()> = rgb( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgb( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgb( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )
<rgba()> = rgba( <percentage>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <number>{3} [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | rgba( <percentage>#{3} , <alpha-value>? ) | rgba( <number>#{3} , <alpha-value>? )
<hsl()> = hsl( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsl( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )
<hsla()> = hsla( <hue> <percentage> <percentage> [ / <alpha-value> ]? ) | hsla( <hue>, <percentage>, <percentage>, <alpha-value>? )
where 
<alpha-value> = <number> | <percentage>
<hue> = <number> | <angle>

Example

<div>
  This box has a border on the top side.
</div>

div {
  border-top: 4px dashed blue;
  background-color: gold;
  height: 100px;
  width: 100px;
  font-weight: bold;
  text-align: center;
}

Specifications

Browser compatibility