HTML <th> tag

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope

The HTML (hypertext markup language) <th> tag is short for table head and used to designate a cell as a column header in a table. It is useful for storing information about a set of rows or columns. The following sections contain information about the <th> tag, including an example of it in use, and related attributes and browser compatibility.

Tip

More advanced tables may include the <caption>, <col>, <colgroup>, <tbody>, <tfoot>, or <thead> elements.

Example of <th> code

<table class="mtable2 tab">
  <tr>
    <th>Month</th>
    <th>Savings</th>
  </tr>
  <tr class="tcw">
    <td>March</td>
    <td>$200</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="tcw">
    <td>April</td>
    <td>$300</td>
  </tr>
  <tr class="tcw">
    <td>May</td>
    <td>$250</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Example result

Month	Savings
March	$200
April	$300
May	$250

We have added a few of our own classes to the table using CSS; this action allows us to improve its appearance.

Attributes

All HTML tags support standard attributes that define the settings of an HTML element. In addition to the standard settings, the <th> tag has the following unique attributes.

Attribute	Description
abbr	Designates an abbreviated version of the content within a header cell.
colspan	Designates how man columns a header cell should span.
headers	Designates one or more header cells that a certain cell has relation.
rowspan	Designates how man rows a header cell should span.
scope	Designates whether a header cell is a header for a column, row, or group of columns or rows.
sorted	Designates the sorting direction of a column.

Deprecated attributes

In addition to the above attributes, the <th> tag had the following deprecated attributes.

Attribute	Description
align	Designates the alignment of content inside an element.
axis	Used to categorize header cells.
bgcolor	Designates the background color of a header cell.
char	Aligns the content in a header cell to a specific character.
charoff	Sets the number of characters to offset the content from the character designated by the char attribute.
height	Designates the height of a header cell.
nowrap	Designates that the content inside a header cell should not wrap.
valign	Alights the content in a header cell vertically.
width	Designates the width of a header cell.

Compatibility

Edge	Internet Explorer	Firefox	Safari	Opera	Chrome
All versions	All versions	All versions	All version	All versions	All versions

Browser, Cell, Class, Column, Compatibility, Computer abbreviations, Container tag, Format, Row, <table>, Table, <td>, <tr>, Web design terms