HTML <col> Tag

The <col> tag defines the properties of one or more columns in the HTML table defined by the <table> tag. The <col> tag is often used with the <colgroup> tag which specifies a group with common properties.

The <col> tag is placed inside the <table> tag, before the <thead>, <tbody>, <tfoot> and <tr> tags, and after the <caption> tag if it is used (in the <caption> tag we insert the name of the table).

Syntax

The <col> tag is empty, which means that the closing tag isn’t required. But in XHTML, the (<col>) tag must be closed (<col/>).

Example of the HTML <col> tag:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Title of the document</title>
    <style>
      table, th, td {
        border: 1px solid #666;
      }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <table>
      <colgroup>
        <col span="2" style="width:20%; background-color:#eee;">
        <col style="width:10%; background-color:#8ebf42;">
      </colgroup>
      <tr>
        <th>Name</th>
        <th>Gender</th>
        <th>Age</th>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>Mary Nicolson</td>
        <td>female</td>
        <td>19</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>John Johnson</td>
        <td>male</td>
        <td>23</td>
      </tr>
    </table>
  </body>
</html>

Result

col exemple

Attributes

Attribute Value Description
align Sets the alignment of the content of the column.
Not supported in HTML5.
left Aligns to the left.
right Aligns to the right.
center Aligns to the center.
justify Stretches the lines so that each line has equal width.
char Aligns a special character with a minimum offset, which is defined by the char and charoff attributes.
char character Aligns the content related to a <col> element to a character. It is used only if the attribute is align = "char".
Not supported in HTML5.
charoff number Shifts the content of the cell relative to the character specified as the value of the attribute to the right (positive values) or to the left (negative values). It is used only if the attribute is align = "char".
Not supported in HTML5.
span number Sets the quantity of columns, the properties of which are determined by the <col> element. The number must be a positive integer. If the parameter is not specified, the default value is 1.
valign Aligns the content vertically.
top Aligns at the top of the line.
bottom Aligns the bottom edge.
middle Aligns in the middle.
baseline Aligns the baseline.
Not supported in HTML5.
width %
pixels
relative_length
Sets the width of the column.
Not supported in HTML5.

The <col> tag also supports the Global Attributes and the Event Attributes.

Browser support

chrome edge firefox safari opera

Practice Your Knowledge

What does the HTML <col> tag do in an HTML document?

Quiz Time: Test Your Skills!

Ready to challenge what you've learned? Dive into our interactive quizzes for a deeper understanding and a fun way to reinforce your knowledge.

Do you find this helpful?