Grid system
Bootstrap 4 grid system
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Use the powerful mobile-first flexbox grid to build layouts of all shapes and sizes thanks to a twelve column system, five default responsive tiers, Sass variables and mixins, and dozens of predefined classes.
Note: Besides bootstrap grid structure you can use default CSS Grid layout. You can learn about that in this tutorial.
How it works
Bootstrap’s grid system uses a series of containers, rows, and columns to layout and align content. It’s built with flexbox and is fully responsive. Below is an example and an in-depth look at how the grid comes together.
New to or unfamiliar with flexbox? Read our CSS flexbox guide.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col-sm">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col-sm">
One of three columns
</div>
</div>
</div>
The above example creates three equal-width columns on small, medium, large, and extra large devices using our predefined
grid classes. Those columns are centered in the page with the parent .container.
Breaking it down, here’s how it works:
- Containers provide a means to center your site’s contents. Use
.containerfor fixed width or.container-fluidforwidth: 100%across all viewport and device sizes. - Rows are wrappers for columns. Each column has horizontal
padding(called a gutter) for controlling the space between them. Thispaddingis then counteracted on the rows with negative margins. This way, all the content in your columns is visually aligned down the left side. - In a grid layout, content must be placed within columns and only columns may be immediate children of rows.
- Thanks to flexbox, grid columns without a specified
widthwill automatically layout as equal width columns. For example, four instances of.col-smwill each automatically be 25% wide from the small breakpoint and up. See the auto-layout columns section for more examples. - Column classes indicate the number of columns you’d like to use out of the possible 12 per row. So, if you want
three equal-width columns, you can use
.col-sm-4. - Column
widths are set in percentages, so they’re always fluid and sized relative to their parent element. - Columns have horizontal
paddingto create the gutters between individual columns, however, you can remove themarginfrom rows andpaddingfrom columns with.no-gutterson the.row. - To make the grid responsive, there are five grid breakpoints, one for each responsive breakpoint: all breakpoints (extra small), small, medium, large, and extra large.
- Grid breakpoints are based on minimum width media queries, meaning they apply to that one breakpoint and all those above it (e.g.,
.col-sm-4applies to small, medium, large, and extra large devices, but not the firstxsbreakpoint). - You can use predefined grid classes (like
.col-4) or Sass mixins for more semantic markup.
However, please be aware of the limitations and bugs around flexbox, like the inability to use some HTML elements as flex containers.
Grid options
While Bootstrap uses ems or rems for defining most sizes, pxs are used for
grid breakpoints and container widths. This is because the viewport width is in pixels and does not change with
the font size.
You can see how aspects of the Bootstrap grid system work across multiple devices with a handy table.
|
Extra small
<576px |
Small
≥576px |
Medium
≥768px |
Large
≥992px |
Extra large
≥1200px |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid behavior | Horizontal at all times | Collapsed to start, horizontal above breakpoints | |||
| Container width | None (auto) | 540px | 720px | 960px | 1140px |
| Class prefix | .col- |
.col-sm- |
.col-md- |
.col-lg- |
.col-xl- |
| # of columns | 12 | ||||
| Gutter width | 30px (15px on each side of a column) | ||||
| Nestable | Yes | ||||
| Column ordering | Yes | ||||
Auto-layout columns
You can utilize breakpoint-specific column classes for easy column sizing without an explicit numbered class like .col-sm-6.
Equal-width
For example, here are two grid layouts that apply to every device and viewport, from xs to xl.
Add any number of unit-less classes for each breakpoint you need and every column will be the same width.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
1 of 2
</div>
<div class="col">
2 of 2
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
1 of 3
</div>
<div class="col">
2 of 3
</div>
<div class="col">
3 of 3
</div>
</div>
</div>
Equal-width columns can be broken into multiple lines, but there is a Safari flexbox bug that prevents this from working without an explicit flex-basis or border. There are workarounds for older browser versions, but they shouldn’t be necessary if you’re up-to-date.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col col-example">Column</div>
<div class="col col-example">Column</div>
<div class="w-100"></div>
<div class="col col-example">Column</div>
<div class="col col-example">Column</div>
</div>
</div>
Setting a single column width
Auto-layout for flexbox grid columns also means you can set the width of one column and have the sibling columns automatically resize around it. You may use predefined grid classes (as shown below), grid mixins, or inline widths. Note that the other columns will resize no matter the width of the center column.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
1 of 3
</div>
<div class="col-6">
2 of 3 (wider)
</div>
<div class="col">
3 of 3
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
1 of 3
</div>
<div class="col-5">
2 of 3 (wider)
</div>
<div class="col">
3 of 3
</div>
</div>
</div>
Variable width content
Using the col-{breakpoint}-auto classes, columns can size itself based on the natural width of its content.
This is particularly handy when dealing with single line content (like inputs, numbers, etc.) or in conjunction horizontal alignment classes,
when centering layouts with uneven column sizes as viewport width changes.
<div class="container">
<div class="row justify-content-md-center">
<div class="col col-lg-2">
1 of 3
</div>
<div class="col-12 col-md-auto">
Variable width content
</div>
<div class="col col-lg-2">
3 of 3
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
1 of 3
</div>
<div class="col-12 col-md-auto">
Variable width content
</div>
<div class="col col-lg-2">
3 of 3
</div>
</div>
</div>
Equal-width multi-row
You can create equal-width columns that
span multiple rows by inserting a .w-100 where class you want the columns to break to a new line. You may also make the breaks
responsive by mixing the .w-100 class with some responsive display utilities.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col">col</div>
<div class="col">col</div>
<div class="w-100"></div>
<div class="col">col</div>
<div class="col">col</div>
</div>
</div>
Responsive classes
Bootstrap’s grid includes five tiers of predefined classes for building complex responsive layouts. Customize the size of your columns on extra small, small, medium, large, or extra large devices however you see fit.
All breakpoints
For grids that are the same from the smallest of devices to the largest, use the .col and .col-* classes. Specify a numbered class when you need a particularly sized column; otherwise, feel free to stick to
.col.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
col
</div>
<div class="col">
col
</div>
<div class="col">
col
</div>
<div class="col">
col
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-8">
col-8
</div>
<div class="col-4">
col-4
</div>
</div>
</div>
Stacked to horizontal
Using a single set of .col-sm-* classes, you can create a basic grid system that starts out stacked
before becoming horizontal on desktop (medium) devices.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-8">col-sm-8</div>
<div class="col-sm-4">col-sm-4</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm">col-sm</div>
<div class="col-sm">col-sm</div>
<div class="col-sm">col-sm</div>
</div>
<div>
Mix and match
Don’t want your columns to simply stack in some grid tiers? Use a combination of different classes for each tier as needed. See the example below for a better idea of how it all works.
<div class="container">
<!-- Stack the columns on mobile by making one full-width and the other half-width -->
<div class="row">
<div class="col col-md-8">
.col .col-md-8
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-md-4">
.col-6 .col-md-4
</div>
</div>
<!-- Columns start at 50% wide on mobile and bump up to 33.3% wide on desktop -->
<div class="row">
<div class="col-6 col-md-4">
.col-6 .col-md-4
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-md-4">
.col-6 .col-md-4
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-md-4">
.col-6 .col-md-4
</div>
</div>
<!-- Columns are always 50% wide, on mobile and desktop -->
<div class="row">
<div class="col-6">
.col-6
</div>
<div class="col-6">
.col-6
</div>
</div>
</div>
Gutters
Gutters can be responsively adjusted by breakpoint-specific padding and negative margin utility classes. To change the gutters in a given row, pair a negative margin utility on the .row and matching padding utilities on the .cols. The .container or .container-fluid parent may need to be adjusted too to avoid unwanted overflow, using again matching padding utility.
Here’s an example of customizing the Bootstrap grid at the large (lg) breakpoint and above. We’ve increased the .col padding with .px-lg-5, counteracted that with .mx-lg-n5 on the parent .row and then adjusted the .container wrapper with .px-lg-5.
<div class="container px-lg-5">
<div class="row mx-lg-n5">
<div class="col py-3 px-lg-5">
Custom column padding
</div>
<div class="col py-3 px-lg-5">
Custom column padding
</div>
</div>
</div>
Row columns
Use the responsive .row-cols-* classes to quickly set the number of columns that best render your content and layout. Whereas normal .col-* classes apply to the individual columns (e.g., .col-md-4), the row columns classes are set on the parent .row as a shortcut.
Use these row columns classes to quickly create basic grid layouts or to control your card layouts.
<div class="container">
<div class="row row-cols-2">
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row row-cols-3">
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row row-cols-1 row-cols-sm-2 row-cols-md-4">
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
<div class="col">Column</div>
</div>
</div>
You can also use the accompanying Sass mixin, row-cols():
.element {
// Three columns to start
@include row-cols(3);
// Five columns from medium breakpoint up
@include media-breakpoint-up(md) {
@include row-cols(5);
}
}
Alignment
Use flexbox alignment utilities to vertically and horizontally align columns.
Vertical alignment
For grids that are the same from the smallest of devices to the largest, use the .col and .col-* classes. Specify
a numbered class when you need a particularly sized column; otherwise, feel free to stick to .col.
Align items start
Align items center
Align items end
<div class="container">
<div class="row align-items-start">
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
</div>
<div class="row align-items-center">
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
</div>
<div class="row align-items-end">
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col">
One of three columns
</div>
</div>
</div>
Align self
Use align-self utilities on flexbox items to individually change their alignment on the cross axis (the y-axis to start, x-axis if flex-direction: column).
Choose from the same options as align-items: start, end, center.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col align-self-start">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col align-self-center">
One of three columns
</div>
<div class="col align-self-end">
One of three columns
</div>
</div>
</div>
Horizontal alignment
Change the alignment of flex items on the main axis. Choose from start, end, center, between, or around.
<div class="container">
<div class="row justify-content-start">
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
</div>
<div class="row justify-content-center">
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
</div>
<div class="row justify-content-end">
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
</div>
<div class="row justify-content-around">
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
</div>
<div class="row justify-content-between">
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
<div class="col-4">
One of two columns
</div>
</div>
</div>
No gutters
The gutters between columns in our predefined grid classes can be removed with .no-gutters. This removes
the negative margins from .row and the horizontal
padding from all immediate children columns.
Here’s the source code for creating these styles. Note that column overrides are scoped to only the first children columns and are targeted via attribute selector. While this generates a more specific selector, column padding can still be further customized with spacing utilities.
Need an edge-to-edge design? Drop the parent .container or .container-fluid.
.no-gutters {
margin-right: 0;
margin-left: 0;
> .col,
> [class*="col-"] {
padding-right: 0;
padding-left: 0;
}
}
In practice, here’s how it looks. Note you can continue to use this with all other predefined grid classes (including column widths, responsive tiers, reorders, and more).
<div class="container">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-12 col-sm-6 col-md-8">
.col-12 .col-sm-6 .col-md-8
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-md-4">
.col-6 .col-md-4
</div>
</div>
</div>
Column wrapping
If more than 12 columns are placed within a single row, each group of extra columns will, as one unit, wrap onto a new line.
Since 9 + 4 = 13 > 12, this 4-column-wide div gets wrapped onto a new line as one contiguous unit.
Subsequent columns continue along the new line.
<div class="row">
<div class="col-9">
.col-9
</div>
<div class="col-4">
.col-4<br>
Since 9 + 4 = 13 > 12, this 4-column-wide div gets wrapped onto a new line as one contiguous unit.
</div>
<div class="col-6">
.col-6<br>
Subsequent columns continue along the new line.
</div>
</div>
Column breaks
Breaking columns to a new line in flexbox requires a small hack: add an element with width: 100% wherever
you want to wrap your columns to a new line. Normally this is accomplished with multiple .rows, but not every implementation method can account for this.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-6 col-sm-3">
.col-6 .col-sm-3
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-3">
.col-6 .col-sm-3
</div>
<!-- Force next columns to break to new line -->
<div class="w-100"></div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-3">
.col-6 .col-sm-3
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-3">
.col-6 .col-sm-3
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
<!-- Force next columns to break to new line at md breakpoint and up -->
<div class="w-100 d-none d-md-block"></div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
</div>
Column resets
With the handful of grid tiers available, you’re bound to run into issues where, at certain breakpoints, your columns
don’t clear quite right as one is taller than the other. To fix that, use a combination of a .clearfix and our responsive utility classes.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
<!-- Force next columns to break to new line at md breakpoint and up -->
<div class="w-100 d-none d-md-block"></div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
<div class="col-6 col-sm-4">
.col-6 .col-sm-4
</div>
</div>
</div>
Reordering
Order classes
Use .order- classes for controlling the visual order of your content. These classes
are responsive, so you can set the order by breakpoint (e.g.,
.order-1.order-md-2). Includes support for 1 through 12 across all five
grid tiers.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
First, but unordered
</div>
<div class="col order-12">
Second, but last
</div>
<div class="col order-1">
Third, but second
</div>
</div>
</div>
There are also responsive .order-first and .order-last classes that change the order of an element
by applying order: -1 and order: 13 (order: $columns + 1), respectively. These classes can also be intermixed with the numbered .order-* classes as needed.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col">
First, but unordered
</div>
<div class="col">
Second, but unordered
</div>
<div class="col order-first">
Third, but first
</div>
</div>
</div>
Offsetting columns
You can offset grid columns in two ways: our responsive .offset- grid classes and our margin utilities. Grid classes are sized to match columns while margins are more useful for quick layouts where the width of the offset is variable.
Offset classes
You can easily move columns to the right using .offset-md-* classes. These classes increase the left margin of a column by * columns. For example, .offset-md-4 moves .col-md-4 over four columns.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-4">.col-md-4</div>
<div class="col-md-4 offset-md-4">.col-md-4 .offset-md-4</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-3 offset-md-3">.col-md-3 .offset-md-3</div>
<div class="col-md-3 offset-md-3">.col-md-3 .offset-md-3</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-6 offset-md-3">.col-md-6 .offset-md-3</div>
</div>
</div>
In addition to column clearing at responsive breakpoints, you may need to reset offsets. See this in action in the grid example.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-5 col-md-6">.col-sm-5 .col-md-6</div>
<div class="col-sm-5 offset-sm-2 col-md-6 offset-md-0">.col-sm-5 .offset-sm-2 .col-md-6 .offset-md-0</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-5 col-lg-6">
.col .col-sm-6 .col-md-5 .col-lg-6
</div>
<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-5 offset-md-2 col-lg-6 offset-lg-0">
.col-sm-6 .col-md-5 .offset-md-2 .col-lg-6 .offset-lg-0
</div>
</div>
</div>
Margin utilities
With the move to flexbox in v4, you can use margin utilities like .mr-auto to force sibling columns away from one another.
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-4">.col-md-4</div>
<div class="col-md-4 ml-auto">.col-md-4 .ml-auto</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-3 ml-md-auto">.col-md-3 .ml-md-auto</div>
<div class="col-md-3 ml-md-auto">.col-md-3 .ml-md-auto</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-auto mr-auto">.col-auto .mr-auto</div>
<div class="col-auto">.col-auto</div>
</div>
</div>
Nesting
To nest your content with the default grid, add a new .row and set of .col-sm-* columns
within an existing .col-sm-* column. Nested rows should include a set of columns that add up to
12 or fewer (it is not required that you use all 12 available columns).
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-9">
Level 1: .col-sm-9
<div class="row">
<div class="col-8 col-sm-6">
Level 2: .col-8 .col-sm-6
</div>
<div class="col-4 col-sm-6">
Level 2: .col-4 .col-sm-6
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Sass mixins
When using Bootstrap’s source Sass files, you have the option of using Sass variables and mixins to create custom, semantic, and responsive page layouts. Our predefined grid classes use these same variables and mixins to provide a whole suite of ready-to-use classes for a fast, responsive layout.
Variables
Variables and maps determine the number of columns, the gutter width, and the media query point at which to begin floating columns. We use these to generate the predefined grid classes documented above, as well as for the custom mixins listed below.
$grid-columns: 12;
$grid-gutter-width: 30px;
$grid-breakpoints: (
// Extra small screen / phone
xs: 0,
// Small screen / phone
sm: 576px,
// Medium screen / tablet
md: 768px,
// Large screen / desktop
lg: 992px,
// Extra large screen / wide desktop
xl: 1200px
);
$container-max-widths: (
sm: 540px,
md: 720px,
lg: 960px,
xl: 1140px
);
Mixins
Mixins are used in conjunction with the grid variables to generate semantic CSS for individual grid columns.
// Creates a wrapper for a series of columns
@include make-row();
// Make the element grid-ready (applying everything but the width)
@include make-col-ready();
@include make-col($size, $columns: $grid-columns);
// Get fancy by offsetting, or changing the sort order
@include make-col-offset($size, $columns: $grid-columns);
Example usage
You can modify the variables to your own custom values, or just use the mixins with their default values. Here’s an example of using the default settings to create a two-column layout with a gap between.
<div class="example-container">
<div class="example-row">
<div class="example-content-main">Main content</div>
<div class="example-content-secondary">Secondary content</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
.example-container {
width: 800px;
@include make-container();
}
.example-row {
@include make-row();
}
.example-content-main {
@include make-col-ready();
@include media-breakpoint-up(sm) {
@include make-col(6);
}
@include media-breakpoint-up(lg) {
@include make-col(8);
}
}
.example-content-secondary {
@include make-col-ready();
@include media-breakpoint-up(sm) {
@include make-col(6);
}
@include media-breakpoint-up(lg) {
@include make-col(4);
}
}
Customizing the grid
Using our built-in grid Sass variables and maps, it’s possible to completely customize the predefined grid classes. Jus change the number of tiers, the media query dimensions, and the container widths—then recompile.
Columns and gutters
The number of grid columns and their horizontal padding (aka, gutters) can be modified via
Sass variables. The variable
$grid-columns
is used to generate the widths (in percent) of each individual column, whereas
$grid-gutter-widths allows breakpoint-specific widths that are divided evenly across
padding-left and
padding-right for the column gutters.
$grid-columns: 12 !default;
$grid-gutter-width: 30px !default;
Grid tiers
Moving beyond the columns themselves, you may also customize the number of grid tiers. If you
wanted just three grid tiers,
you’d update the
$grid-breakpoints and
$container-max-widths to something like this:
$grid-breakpoints: (
xs: 0,
sm: 480px,
md: 768px,
lg: 1024px
);
$container-max-widths: (
sm: 420px,
md: 720px,
lg: 960px
);
When making any changes to Sass variables or maps, you’ll need to save your changes and recompile. Doing so
will output
a brand new set of predefined grid classes for column widths, offsets, and ordering. Responsive visibility
utilities
will also be updated to use the custom breakpoints. Therefore, please make sure to set grid values in
px (not
rem,
em, or
%).