CSS max-width Property
Topic: CSS3 Properties ReferencePrev|Next
Description
The max-width CSS property specifies the maximum width of the content area of an element. This maximum width does not include padding, borders, or margins — see the CSS box model.
The following table summarizes the usages context and the version history of this property.
| Default value: | none |
|---|---|
| Applies to: | All elements except non-replaced inline elements, table rows, and row groups |
| Inherited: | No |
| Animatable: | Yes. See animatable properties. |
| Version: | CSS 2, 3 |
Syntax
The syntax of the property is given with:
The example below shows the max-width property in action.
Example
Try this code »p {
max-width: 400px;
}
div {
width: 300px;
max-width: 200px;
}
Property Values
The following table describes the values of this property.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| length | Specifies the maximum width as a length value in px, pt, cm, em, etc. Negative length values are not allowed. |
| percentage | The maximum width in percentage. The percentage is calculated with respect to the width of the element's containing block. Negative percentage values are not allowed. |
none |
The width has no maximum value. This is default value. |
initial |
Sets this property to its default value. |
inherit |
If specified, the associated element takes the computed value of its parent element max-width property. |
Browser Compatibility
The max-width property is supported in all major modern browsers.
Basic Support—
|
Further Reading
See tutorial on: CSS Box Model, CSS Dimension.
Related properties: width, min-width.

