How to Style an hr Element with CSS?
Last Updated :
23 Jul, 2025
The <hr> element in HTML is used to create a horizontal line or thematic break between sections of a webpage. By default, it shows as a solid, thin line that spans the width of its container. You can easily customize the appearance of the <hr> element using CSS to match your website's design and style. This allows you to adjust the thickness, color, and style of the line for a more personalized look.
These are the following approaches:
Using the border property
The border property is a shorthand property that allows you to set the style, width, and color of an element's border in a single declaration.
Syntax:
border: border-width border-style border-color;
Parameter:
- border-width: Specifies the thickness of the border. It can be a length value (e.g., 2px, 0.5rem) or one of the predefined values (thin, medium, thick).
- border-style: Specifies the line style of the border. Possible values include solid, dashed, dotted, double, groove, ridge, inset, and outset.
- border-color: Specifies the color of the border. It can be a named color (e.g., red), a hexadecimal value (e.g., #333), an RGB value (e.g., rgb(51, 51, 51)), or a CSS color keyword (e.g., transparent).
Example: In this example, different border styles (solid, dashed, and dotted) are applied to <hr> elements to create visually distinct horizontal lines for section separation.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport"
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Styling HR Elements</title>
<style>
/* Example 1: Solid line */
.border-hr-solid {
border: 2px solid #333;
}
/* Example 2: Dashed line */
.border-hr-dashed {
border: 3px dashed #ff6347;
}
/* Example 3: Dotted line */
.border-hr-dotted {
border: 1px dotted #008000;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Using the border property</h1>
<h2>Example 1: Solid line</h2>
<hr class="border-hr-solid">
<h2>Example 2: Dashed line</h2>
<hr class="border-hr-dashed">
<h2>Example 3: Dotted line</h2>
<hr class="border-hr-dotted">
</body>
</html>
Output:
.png)
OutputUsing the background property
The background property can be used to set the color and thickness of the <hr> by combining background-color and height.
Syntax:
background-color: color;
height: height-value;
Parameter:
- background-color: Specifies the background color of the element. It can be a named color, a hexadecimal value, an RGB value, or a CSS color keyword.
- height: Specifies the height of the element. For the <hr> element, it determines the thickness of the horizontal rule.
Example: In this example, the background color and height of <hr> elements are customized to create distinct horizontal lines (dark gray, light blue, and red) for better visual separation.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport"
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Styling HR Elements</title>
<style>
/* Example 1: Dark gray line */
.background-hr-dark {
background-color: #333;
height: 5px;
}
/* Example 2: Light blue line */
.background-hr-light-blue {
background-color: #87cefa;
height: 10px;
}
/* Example 3: Red line */
.background-hr-red {
background-color: #ff0000;
height: 3px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Using the background property</h1>
<h2>Example 1: Dark gray line</h2>
<hr class="background-hr-dark">
<h2>Example 2: Light blue line</h2>
<hr class="background-hr-light-blue">
<h2>Example 3: Red line</h2>
<hr class="background-hr-red">
</body>
</html>
Output:
.png)
OutputUsing the height and background-color properties
For better readability and maintenance, you can style the <hr> using separate height and background-color properties.
Syntax:
height: height-value;
background-color: color;
Example: In this example, the height and background color of <hr> elements are customized to create visually distinct lines (green, orange, and purple), adding separation and enhancing layout structure.
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport"
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Styling HR Elements</title>
<style>
/* Example 1: Green line */
.height-background-hr-green {
height: 8px;
background-color: #008000;
}
/* Example 2: Orange line */
.height-background-hr-orange {
height: 6px;
background-color: #ffa500;
}
/* Example 3: Purple line */
.height-background-hr-purple {
height: 4px;
background-color: #800080;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>
Using the height and
background-color properties
</h1>
<h2>Example 1: Green line</h2>
<hr class="height-background-hr-green">
<h2>Example 2: Orange line</h2>
<hr class="height-background-hr-orange">
<h2>Example 3: Purple line</h2>
<hr class="height-background-hr-purple">
</body>
</html>
Output:
.png)
Output
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