How to Add an HTML Table Border Without Using CSS

Tables are a powerful way to organize data on a webpage, especially when dealing with rows and columns of structured content. While styling with CSS is the modern and preferred approach, there are still valid reasons—such as simplicity or email templates—for adding a table border using only HTML.

So, how can you add a border to an HTML table without using CSS?

Table of Contents

The Answer: Use the `border` Attribute in HTML

HTML provides a straightforward way to add borders to a table using the border attribute directly in the <table> tag.

Basic Syntax:

<table border="1">
  <tr>
    <th>Product</th>
    <th>Price</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Apples</td>
    <td>$1.00</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Bananas</td>
    <td>$0.50</td>
  </tr>
</table>

Output:

This will render a table with visible borders around each cell.

About the `border` Attribute

border="1" means a 1-pixel-wide border.
You can increase the number to make the border thicker, e.g., border="2" or border="5".
The border will apply to the entire table and its cells.

⚠️ Note: The border attribute is considered obsolete in modern HTML5 and is primarily used for legacy support or quick prototyping. Use CSS for modern projects.

Additional Table Attributes (Optional)

You can combine the border attribute with other basic HTML attributes for better formatting:

<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0">
  <tr>
    <th>Name</th>
    <th>Email</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>John Doe</td>
    <td>jo**@ex*****.com</td>
  </tr>
</table>

cellpadding adds space inside the cells.
cellspacing controls the space between table cells.

When to Use HTML Table Borders Without CSS

✅ Suitable for:

Email templates that don’t support CSS
Simple demo pages
Legacy projects
Quick tests or prototypes

❌ Not ideal for:

Modern responsive layouts
Styled or dynamic data tables
Long-term production use

Conclusion

To create a table border in HTML without using CSS, simply use the border attribute in the <table> tag. Although it’s outdated in modern standards, it remains a quick and simple way to visualize tables—especially when working in environments where CSS is limited or unavailable.

For best practices and full styling control, consider switching to CSS in production environments.

The Answer: Use the border Attribute in HTML