Default Style Sheet for HTML Elements

Below is the complete CSS of each element, which can help you understand the default behavior of elements when no CSS rules are applied to them. This is essential knowledge for web developers who want to understand how browsers render HTML elements by default.

Default CSS for HTML Elements

html, address, blockquote, body, dd, div, dl, dt, fieldset, form, frame, frameset, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, noframes, ol, p, ul, center, dir, hr, menu, pre { display: block; unicode-bidi: embed }
li { display: list-item }
head { display: none }
table { display: table }
tr { display: table-row }
thead { display: table-header-group }
tbody { display: table-row-group }
tfoot { display: table-footer-group }
col { display: table-column }
colgroup { display: table-column-group }
td, th { display: table-cell }
caption { display: table-caption }
th { font-weight: bolder; text-align: center }
caption { text-align: center }
body { margin: 8px }
h1 { font-size: 2em; margin: .67em 0 }
h2 { font-size: 1.5em; margin: .75em 0 }
h3 { font-size: 1.17em; margin: .83em 0 }
h4, p, blockquote, ul, fieldset, form, ol, dl, dir, menu { margin: 1.12em 0 }
h5 { font-size: .83em; margin: 1.5em 0 }
h6 { font-size: .75em; margin: 1.67em 0 }
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, b, strong { font-weight: bolder }
blockquote { margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px }
i, cite, em, var, address { font-style: italic }
pre, tt, code, kbd, samp { font-family: monospace }
pre { white-space: pre }
button, textarea, input, select { display: inline-block }
big { font-size: 1.17em }
small, sub, sup { font-size: .83em }
sub { vertical-align: sub }
sup { vertical-align: super }
table { border-spacing: 2px; }
thead, tbody, tfoot { vertical-align: middle }
td, th, tr { vertical-align: inherit }
s, strike, del { text-decoration: line-through }
hr { border: 1px inset }
ol, ul, dir, menu, dd { margin-left: 40px }
ol { list-style-type: decimal }
ol ul, ul ol, ul ul, ol ol { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 }
u, ins { text-decoration: underline }
br:before { content: "A"; white-space: pre-line }
center { text-align: center }
:link, :visited { text-decoration: underline }
:focus { outline: thin dotted invert }

/* Begin bidirectionality settings (do not change) */
BDO[DIR="ltr"] { direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: bidi-override }
BDO[DIR="rtl"] { direction: rtl; unicode-bidi: bidi-override }
*[DIR="ltr"] { direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed }
*[DIR="rtl"] { direction: rtl; unicode-bidi: embed }

@media print {
h1 { page-break-before: always }
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 { page-break-after: avoid }
ul, ol, dl { page-break-before: avoid }
}

Key Takeaways

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• Block Elements: Elements such as <div>, <p>, <h1> to <h6>, and <blockquote> are displayed as block elements by default.
• Inline Elements: Elements like <button>, <textarea>, <input>, and <select> are displayed as inline-block by default.
• Text Formatting: Elements such as <strong> and headings have bolder font weights, while <em> and <cite> have italic styles.
• List Items: <li> elements are displayed as list items by default.
• Table Elements: <table>, <tr>, <td>, <th>, and other table-related elements have specific display properties to render tables correctly.

Why Understanding Default Styles is Important

Knowing the default styles applied by browsers helps developers create more predictable and consistent layouts. It allows for better debugging and ensures that overriding default styles is done correctly.

Conclusion

By understanding these default CSS properties, you can better control the appearance and behavior of your web elements. This foundational knowledge is critical for creating well-structured and visually appealing web pages.