You don’t have to build your website entirely with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). There are other languages you can use as well, including Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). CSS allows you to customize the presentation of HTML elements. When using CSS, though, you should know the differences between padding and margin. Both padding and margin are used to create space around HTML elements, but they each serve a unique purpose in CSS.
What Is Padding?
Padding is the space between the content of an HTML element and the element’s border. With the exception of empty HTML elements, all HTML elements have content. Content is defined with tags. HTML elements typically have an opening and closing tag. The text, images or videos within these tags is the HTML element’s content.
HTML elements can be customized with a border in CSS. A border is a perimeter around the content. Padding is another way in which you can customize HTML elements in CSS. Padding represents the space between the content itself and the border. You can increase or decrease this space by applying CSS to the HTML element. If an HTML element doesn’t have a border, padding is the space between the content and where the border would normally appear.
What Is Margin?
Margin is the space that surrounds an HTML element’s border from the outside. Padding can be described as the inner space of an HTML element, whereas margin can be described as the outer space of an HTML element.
You can customize HTML elements with margin. In CSS, margin is the space outside of the content and border of an HTML element. Increasing an HTML element’s margin will push it away from other adjacent HTML elements. Decreasing the HTML element’s margin will move it closer to other adjacent HTML elements.
Whether you’re customizing an HTML element with padding or margin, you can define different sizes for different directions. The “margin-top” and “padding-top” properties, for instance, will allow you to define the margin and padding above the HTML element. The “margin-bottom” and “padding-bottom” properties, on the other hand, will allow you to define the margin and padding below the HTML element.
Differences Between Padding and Margin
Padding and margin are used in the CSS box model. The CSS box model is a visual representation for CSS-customized HTML elements. It consists of the HTML element’s content in the center, which is surrounded by padding. The border then surrounds the padding, and the margin surrounds the border.
Margin is always transparent. You won’t be able to see an HTML element’s margin. Padding, conversely, will retain the background color of the HTML element with which it’s used. If you customize an HTML element to feature a particular background color, its padding will be displayed in that color.
Margin properties support the “auto” value, whereas the padding properties do not. The “auto” value will align the HTML element horizontally in the center of the container. It ensures that the left and right margin properties are equal. You can only use the “auto” value for margin properties. It’s not supported by padding properties.
Padding will change the size of an HTML element. Increasing an HTML element’s padding will force it to expand. A higher padding value means more space between the content and the border. Therefore, the HTML element will become larger. Margin won’t change the size of an HTML element.
Another difference between padding and margin is that the latter allows for negative property values. You can define margin properties with either positive or negative values. Generally speaking, positive values will increase the space between an HTML element an adjacent HTML element, whereas negative values will decrease this space.
The concept of negative margin property values can be confusing. After all, using a lower positive value will result in less space between two HTML elements just like using a higher negative value. Negative values simply collapse HTML elements. They pull adjacent HTML elements toward the HTML elements with which the negative values are used. Using a lower positive value will only decrease the space between the HTML elements.
Like with the “auto” value,” only margin properties support negative values. You’ll have to use positive values to define padding properties. You can define margin properties with either positive or negative values.
Should You Use Padding or Margin?
To change the space between an HTML element’s content and its border, you should use padding. HTML elements often feature a border. Whether it’s a block of text or an image, you may want to visually separate the content from the border. Padding will create this visual separation. When you increase an HTML element’s padding, the border will push farther away from the content.
For HTML elements without a border, you probably won’t need to use padding. The only time when padding is useful for borderless HTML elements is to make them appear larger.
To separate an HTML element from other adjacent HTML elements, you should use margin. Margin allows you to move HTML elements without changing their appearance. If an HTML element is too close to another HTML element, you can use margin to separate them. HTML elements will retain their original size, as well as the spacing between their content and border, when styled with margin. Margin is simply filler space around an HTML element.
You can also use margin for centering purposes. If an HTML element is off-centered, the “auto” margin value will center it. The HTML element will automatically move to the center of the container when styled with the “auto” margin value. With that said, the “auto” margin value only supports horizontal centering. For vertical centering, you’ll have to create flex containers.
CSS offers multiple ways to change the presentation of HTML elements, two of which include padding and margin. Padding consists of CSS properties that govern the space between an HTML element’s content and its border. In comparison, margin consists of CSS properties that govern the outer space around an HTML element’s border, thus separating it from other adjacent HTML elements.
