border-color

The border-color shorthand CSS property sets the color of an element’s border.

{{InteractiveExample("CSS Demo: border-color")}}

border-color: red;

border-color: red #32a1ce;

border-color: red rgb(170 50 220 / 0.6) green;

border-color: red yellow green hsl(60 90% 50% / 0.8);

border-color: red yellow green transparent;

<section class="default-example" id="default-example">
  <div class="transition-all" id="example-element">
    This is a box with a border around it.
  </div>
</section>

#example-element {
  background-color: #eeeeee;
  color: black;
  border: 0.75em solid;
  padding: 0.75em;
  width: 80%;
  height: 100px;
}

Each side can be set individually using {{CSSxRef("border-top-color")}} , {{CSSxRef("border-right-color")}} , {{CSSxRef("border-bottom-color")}} , and {{CSSxRef("border-left-color")}} ; or using the writing mode-aware {{CSSxRef("border-block-start-color")}} , {{CSSxRef("border-block-end-color")}} , {{CSSxRef("border-inline-start-color")}} , and {{CSSxRef("border-inline-end-color")}} .

You can find out more information about border colors in Applying colors to HTML elements.

Constituent properties

This property is a shorthand for the following CSS properties:

Syntax

/* <color> values */
border-color: red;

/* top and bottom | left and right */
border-color: red #f015ca;

/* top | left and right | bottom */
border-color: red rgb(240 30 50 / 70%) green;

/* top | right | bottom | left */
border-color: red yellow green blue;

/* Global values */
border-color: inherit;
border-color: initial;
border-color: revert;
border-color: revert-layer;
border-color: unset;

The border-color property may be specified using one, two, three, or four values.

When one value is specified, it applies the same color to all four sides.
When two values are specified, the first color applies to the top and bottom, the second to the left and right.
When three values are specified, the first color applies to the top, the second to the left and right, the third to the bottom.
When four values are specified, the colors apply to the top, right, bottom, and left in that order (clockwise).

Values

{{CSSxRef("<color>")}}
- : Defines the color of the border.

Formal definition

{{CSSInfo}}

Formal syntax

{{csssyntax}}

Examples

Complete border-color usage

HTML

<div id="justone">
  <p><code>border-color: red;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: red;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="horzvert">
  <p><code>border-color: gold red;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: gold;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: gold;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: red;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="topvertbott">
  <p><code>border-color: red cyan gold;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: cyan;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: gold;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: cyan;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="trbl">
  <p><code>border-color: red cyan black gold;</code> is equivalent to</p>
  <ul>
    <li><code>border-top-color: red;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-right-color: cyan;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-bottom-color: black;</code></li>
    <li><code>border-left-color: gold;</code></li>
  </ul>
</div>

CSS

#justone {
  border-color: red;
}

#horzvert {
  border-color: gold red;
}

#topvertbott {
  border-color: red cyan gold;
}

#trbl {
  border-color: red cyan black gold;
}

/* Set width and style for all divs */
div {
  border: solid 0.3em;
  width: auto;
  margin: 0.5em;
  padding: 0.5em;
}

ul {
  margin: 0;
  list-style: none;
}

Result

{{EmbedLiveSample("Complete_border-color_usage", 600, 700)}}

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

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