Use our 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.
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? for background, terminology, guidelines, and code snippets.
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
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
Column
Column
Column
Column
9.Breaking it down, here’s how it works:
- Containers provide a means to center and horizontally pad your site’s contents. Use
Column
Column
Column
Column
9 for a responsive pixel width or1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 for1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
2 across all viewport and device sizes. - Rows are wrappers for columns. Each column has horizontal
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
3 (called a gutter) for controlling the space between them. This1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
3 is 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
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
5 will automatically layout as equal width columns. For example, four instances of1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
6 will each automatically be 25% wide from the small breakpoint and up. See the 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 across, you can use
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
7. - Column
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
5s are set in percentages, so they’re always fluid and sized relative to their parent element. - Columns have horizontal
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
3 to create the gutters between individual columns, however, you can remove the1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
0 from rows and1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
3 from columns with1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
2 on the1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
3. - To make the grid responsive, there are five grid breakpoints, one for each : 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.,
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
4 applies to small, medium, large, and extra large devices, but not the first1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
5 breakpoint). - You can use predefined grid classes (like
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
7) or for more semantic markup.
Be aware of the limitations and bugs around flexbox, like the .
Grid options
While Bootstrap uses
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
7s or
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
8s for defining most sizes,
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
9s are used for grid breakpoints and container widths. This is because the viewport width is in pixels and does not change with the .See how aspects of the Bootstrap grid system work across multiple devices with a handy table.
Extra small<576pxSmall
≥576pxMedium
≥768pxLarge
≥992pxExtra large
≥1200pxMax container widthNone (auto)540px720px960px1140pxClass prefix
col
col
col
col
0
col
col
col
col
1
col
col
col
col
2
col
col
col
col
3
col
col
col
col
4# of columns12Gutter width30px (15px on each side of a column)NestableYesColumn orderingYesAuto-layout columns
Utilize breakpoint-specific column classes for easy column sizing without an explicit numbered class like
col
col
col
col
5.Equal-width
For example, here are two grid layouts that apply to every device and viewport, from
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
5 to
col
col
col
col
7. Add any number of unit-less classes for each breakpoint you need and every column will be the same width.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
Equal-width columns can be broken into multiple lines, but there was a that prevented this from working without an explicit
col
col
col
col
8 or
col
col
col
col
9. There are workarounds for older browser versions, but they shouldn’t be necessary if you’re up-to-date.
Column
Column
Column
Column
Setting one 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.
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
Variable width content
Use
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
0 classes to size columns based on the natural width of their content.
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
Equal-width multi-row
Create equal-width columns that span multiple rows by inserting a
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
1 where you want the columns to break to a new line. Make the breaks responsive by mixing the
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
1 with some responsive display utilities.
col
col
col
col
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
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
3 and
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
4 classes. Specify a numbered class when you need a particularly sized column; otherwise, feel free to stick to
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
3.
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
Stacked to horizontal
Using a single set of
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
6 classes, you can create a basic grid system that starts out stacked before becoming horizontal with at the small breakpoint (
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
7).
col-sm-8
col-sm-4
col-sm
col-sm
col-sm
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.
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
Alignment
Use flexbox alignment utilities to vertically and horizontally align columns.
Vertical alignment
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
0Horizontal alignment
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
1No gutters
The gutters between columns in our predefined grid classes can be removed with
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
2. This removes the negative
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
0s from
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
3 and the horizontal
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
3 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
Column
Column
Column
Column
9 or
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
2In 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).
.col-12 .col-sm-6 .col-md-8
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
3Column 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.
.col-4
Since 9 + 4 = 13 > 12, this 4-column-wide div gets wrapped onto a new line as one contiguous unit.
.col-6
Subsequent columns continue along the new line.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
4Column breaks
Breaking columns to a new line in flexbox requires a small hack: add an element with
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
1 of 3
2 of 3 (wider)
3 of 3
2 wherever you want to wrap your columns to a new line. Normally this is accomplished with multiple
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
3s, but not every implementation method can account for this.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
5You may also apply this break at specific breakpoints with our responsive display utilities.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
6Reordering
Order classes
Use
col-sm-8
col-sm-4
col-sm
col-sm
col-sm
6 classes for controlling the visual order of your content. These classes are responsive, so you can set the
col-sm-8
col-sm-4
col-sm
col-sm
col-sm
7 by breakpoint (e.g.,
col-sm-8
col-sm-4
col-sm
col-sm
col-sm
8). Includes support for
col-sm-8
col-sm-4
col-sm
col-sm
col-sm
9 through
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
0 across all five grid tiers.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
7There are also responsive
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
1 and
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
2 classes that change the
col-sm-8
col-sm-4
col-sm
col-sm
col-sm
7 of an element by applying
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
4 and
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
5 (
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
6), respectively. These classes can also be intermixed with the numbered
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
7 classes as needed.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
8Offsetting columns
You can offset grid columns in two ways: our responsive
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
8 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
Move columns to the right using
.col-12 .col-md-8
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6 .col-md-4
.col-6
.col-6
9 classes. These classes increase the left margin of a column by
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
0 columns. For example,
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
1 moves
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
2 over four columns.
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
9In addition to column clearing at responsive breakpoints, you may need to reset offsets. See this in action in the grid example.
.col-sm-5 .offset-sm-2 .col-md-6 .offset-md-0
.col-sm-6 .col-md-5 .col-lg-6
.col-sm-6 .col-md-5 .offset-md-2 .col-lg-6 .offset-lg-0
Column
Column
Column
Column
0Margin utilities
With the move to flexbox in v4, you can use margin utilities like
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
3 to force sibling columns away from one another.
Column
Column
Column
Column
1Nesting
To nest your content with the default grid, add a new
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
3 and set of
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
6 columns within an existing
col
col
col
col
col-8
col-4
6 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).Level 1: .col-sm-9
Level 2: .col-8 .col-sm-6
Level 2: .col-4 .col-sm-6
Column
Column
Column
Column
2Sass 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 fast responsive layouts.
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.
Column
Column
Column
Column
3Mixins
Mixins are used in conjunction with the grid variables to generate semantic CSS for individual grid columns.
Column
Column
Column
Column
4Example 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.
Column
Column
Column
Column
5
Column
Column
Column
Column
6Customizing the grid
Using our built-in grid Sass variables and maps, it’s possible to completely customize the predefined grid classes. Change the number of tiers, the media query dimensions, and the container widths—then recompile.
Columns and gutters
The number of grid columns can be modified via Sass variables.
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
7 is used to generate the widths (in percent) of each individual column while
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
8 allows breakpoint-specific widths that are divided evenly across
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
One of three columns
9 and
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
00 for the column gutters.
Column
Column
Column
Column
7Grid tiers
Moving beyond the columns themselves, you may also customize the number of grid tiers. If you wanted just four grid tiers, you’d update the
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
01 and
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
02 to something like this:
Column
Column
Column
Column
8When making any changes to the 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. Make sure to set grid values in
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
9 (not
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
8,
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
1 of 3
Variable width content
3 of 3
7, or
1 of 2
2 of 2
1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
06).