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CSS min-inline-size Set Minimum Size Along Inline Axis
CSS min-inline-size sets the minimum size of an element along its inline axis for different writing modes.

Options include lengths, percentages, and keywords like auto, min-content, and max-content.
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Introduction

The CSS min-inline-size property sets the minimum size of an element along its inline axis, depending on the writing mode. This property is particularly useful for creating flexible and responsive designs, especially when dealing with different text orientations. The min-inline-size property has been widely supported across major browsers since September 2021.

What is min-inline-size?

The min-inline-size CSS property defines the minimum size of an element along its inline axis, depending on its writing mode. In horizontal writing modes, min-inline-size is equivalent to the min-width property. In vertical writing modes, it corresponds to the min-height property. This adaptability makes min-inline-size a versatile tool for ensuring that elements maintain a minimum size, regardless of the text direction.

Syntax

The min-inline-size property in CSS allows you to specify the minimum size of an element along its inline axis. The syntax for this property is straightforward and supports a variety of values, including lengths, percentages, and keywords.

min-inline-size: <length> | <percentage> | auto | none | min-content | max-content | fit-content | inherit | initial | unset;

Values

The min-inline-size property accepts a variety of values, providing flexibility for defining the minimum size of an element along its inline axis.

  • <length>: Specifies a fixed value for the minimum size, using units such as pixels (px), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).
  • <percentage>: Sets the minimum size as a percentage of the containing block’s size.
  • auto: Allows the browser to determine the minimum size based on the content and layout constraints.
  • none: Specifies that there is no minimum size constraint.
  • min-content: Sets the minimum size to the smallest possible size that can contain the content.
  • max-content: Sets the minimum size to the largest possible size that can contain the content.
  • fit-content: Allows the size to be determined by the content size, with the option to specify a fallback length.
  • inherit: Inherits the min-inline-size value from the parent element.
  • initial: Resets the property to its default value.
  • unset: Resets the property to its natural value.
  • revert: Resets the property to the browser’s default value.
  • revert-layer: Resets the property to the value that would have been applied if the current layer of cascade had not been applied.

Formal Definition

The min-inline-size property is formally defined to set the minimum size of an element along its inline axis, depending on the writing mode.

PropertyValue
Initial Value0
Applies toSame as [width]WebsiteUrl and [height]WebsiteUrl
InheritedNo
PercentagesRelative to the inline-size of the containing block
Computed ValueSame as [min-width]WebsiteUrl and [min-height]WebsiteUrl
Animation TypeA [length]WebsiteUrl, [percentage]WebsiteUrl, or calc()

Formal Syntax

min-inline-size =
<'min-width'>
<'min-width'> =
auto /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
<length-percentage [0,]> /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
min-content /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
max-content /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
fit-content( <length-percentage [0,]> ) /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
<calc-size()> /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
<anchor-size()>
<length-percentage> =
[<length>]WebsiteUrl /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
[<percentage>]WebsiteUrl
<calc-size()> =
calc-size( <calc-size-basis> , <calc-sum> )
<anchor-size()> =
anchor-size( [[ <anchor-element> || <anchor-size> ]? , <length-percentage>? )
<calc-size-basis> =
[<intrinsic-size-keyword>]WebsiteUrl /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
<calc-size()> /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
any /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
<calc-sum>
<calc-sum> =
<calc-product> [ [ '+' | '-' ] <calc-product> ]*
<anchor-element> =
[<dashed-ident>]WebsiteUrl
<anchor-size> =
width /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
height /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
block /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
inline /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
self-block /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
self-inline
<calc-product> =
<calc-value> [ [ '*' | '/' ] <calc-value> ]*
<calc-value> =
[<number>]WebsiteUrl /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
[<dimension>]WebsiteUrl /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
[<percentage>]WebsiteUrl /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
<calc-keyword> /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
( <calc-sum> )
<calc-keyword> =
e /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
pi /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
infinity /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
-infinity /* Single bar: exactly one of the entities must be present */
NaN

Examples

Setting Minimum Inline Size for Horizontal Text

HTML

<div class="horizontal-text">
This is some horizontal text.
</div>

CSS

.horizontal-text {
writing-mode: horizontal-tb;
min-inline-size: 200px;
border: 1px solid black;
}

Setting Minimum Inline Size for Vertical Text

HTML

<div class="vertical-text">
This is some vertical text.
</div>

CSS

.vertical-text {
writing-mode: vertical-lr;
min-inline-size: 100px;
border: 1px solid black;
}

Using Percentages

HTML

<div class="percentage-text">
This is some text with a percentage-based minimum size.
</div>

CSS

.percentage-text {
min-inline-size: 50%;
border: 1px solid black;
}

Using Keywords

HTML

<div class="keyword-text">
This is some text with a keyword-based minimum size.
</div>

CSS

.keyword-text {
min-inline-size: min-content;
border: 1px solid black;
}

Browser Compatibility

The min-inline-size property is widely supported across modern web browsers:

  • Firefox: Supported since version 41+
  • Google Chrome: Supported since version 57+
  • Edge: Supported since version 79+
  • Opera: Supported since version 44+
  • Safari: Supported since version 12.1+

See Also

  • [min-width]WebsiteUrl: Sets the minimum width of an element.
  • [min-height]WebsiteUrl: Sets the minimum height of an element.
  • [writing-mode]WebsiteUrl: Defines the writing mode of an element.
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