CSS support in popular browsers

by Stephan Nedregaard

Browsers

When a later version of a browser adds support for some CSS-1 properties/values (e.g. Internet Explorer 5.0), the version number (e.g. "5.0") is entered into the table for those properties. (Internet Explorer 5.0 does not add much support for CSS-1. The only noticable change is support for the 'block' and 'inline' values of the display property.)

Platforms

Navigator 4's CSS support is pretty consistent across platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix). The same applies to IE4, as far as I can tell.

Bugs

Some bugs and quirks (mainly mentioned in the footnotes) are linked to related material on this site.

Legend

Green = Supported
Yellow = Partly supported
Red = Not supported

Note: Bugs aren't considered when evaluating whether or not the browser supports a property - at the end of the document you'll find some footnotes describing the most common bugs in the browsers' CSS implementations.

font properties

Property, common values Explorer  NetScape  Opera 
font-family 4.0 4.0 3.5
font-family: serif   4.04.03.5
font-family: sans-serif   4.04.03.5
font-family: cursive   4.0 - 3.5
font-family: fantasy   4.0 - 3.5
font-family: monotype   4.04.03.5
font-size 4.0 4.0 3.5
font-size w/ points, pixels, picas etc. 4.04.03.5
font-size w/ em, percent 4.04.03.5
font-style 4.0 4.0 3.5
normal 4.04.03.5
italic 4.04.03.5
oblique 4.0 - 3.5
font-weight 4.0 4.0 3.5
bold - normal 4.04.03.5
lighter / bolder 1 4.0 - 3.5
100, 300, 500, 700, 900 4.04.03.5
font-variant 4.0 4.0 3.5
small-caps2 - - 3.5
font (shorthand) 4.0 4.0 3.5

text properties

Property, common values Explorer  NetScape  Opera 
text-decoration 4.0 4.0 3.5
none   4.04.03.5
underline   4.04.03.5
blink   - 4.0 -
overline   4.0 - 3.5
line-through   4.04.03.5
text-transform (3) 4.0 4.0 3.5
nOnE 4.04.03.5
cApItAlIzE 4.04.03.5
uPpErCaSe 4.04.03.5
lOwErCaSe 4.04.03.5
text-align 4.0 4.0 3.5
left
4.04.03.5
right
4.04.03.5
center
4.04.03.5
justify
4.04.03.5
text-indent 4.0 4.0 3.5
length (5mm)
4.04.03.5
percent (5%) 4
4.04.03.5
vertical-align 4.0 4.0 3.5
[abc] baseline 4.0 - 3.5
[abc] middle - - 3.5
[abc] sub 4.0 - 3.5
[abc] super 4.0 - 3.5
[abc] text-top - - 3.5
[abc] text-bottom - - 3.5
[abc] top - - 3.5
[abc] bottom - - 3.5
word-spacing 4.0 4.0 3.5
(5mm) word spacing   - - 3.5
letter-spacing 4.0 4.0 3.5
(4px) letter spacing   4.0 - 3.5
line-height 4.0 4.0 3.5
(2em)   4.04.03.5
(200%)   4.04.03.5
(2)   4.04.03.5
normal   4.04.03.5

Colour & background properties

Property, common values Explorer  NetScape  Opera 
color, background-color 4.0 4.0 3.5
Colour names 4.04.03.5
rgb(r,g,b) 4.04.03.5
#rrggbb 4.04.03.5
#rgb 4.04.03.5
background-image 4.0 4.0 3.5
url() 4.04.03.5
none 4.04.03.5
background-repeat 4.0 4.0 3.5
repeat 4.04.03.5
repeat-x 4.04.03.5
repeat-y 4.04.03.5
no-repeat 4.04.03.5
background-attachment 4.0 4.0 3.5
scroll / fixed 4.0 - -
background-position 4.0 4.0 3.5
percent / direction 4.0 - 3.5
background (shorthand) 4.0 4.0 3.5

Box properties

Property, common values Explorer  NetScape  Opera 
margin 4.0 4.05 3.5
margin-top 4.04.03.5
margin-right 4.04.03.5
margin-bottom 4.04.053.5
margin-left 4.04.03.5
margin (shorthand) 4.04.03.5
padding 4.0 4.06 3.5
padding-top 4.04.03.5
padding-right 4.04.03.5
padding-bottom 4.04.063.5
padding-left 4.04.03.5
padding (shorthand) 4.04.03.5
border-width 4.0 4.0 3.5
border-width 4.04.03.5
border-left-width 4.04.03.5
border-bottom-width 4.04.03.5
border-right-width 4.04.03.5
border-top-width 4.04.03.5
border-style 4.0 4.07 3.5
solid 4.04.03.5
dotted - - 3.5
dashed - - 3.5
double4.04.03.5
groove4.04.03.5
ridge 4.04.03.5
inset 4.04.03.5
outset4.04.03.5
none 4.04.03.5
border-...-style 4.0 4.0 3.5
border-top-style 4.0 - 3.5
border-right-style 4.0 - 3.5
border-bottom-style 4.0 - 3.5
border-left-style 4.0 - 3.5
border-color 4.0 4.07 3.5
border-color 4.04.073.5
border-top-color 4.0 - 3.5
border-right-color 4.0 - 3.5
border-bottom-color 4.0 - 3.5
border-left-color 4.0 - 3.5
border shorthands 4.0 4.0 3.5
border 4.04.03.5
border-top 4.0 - 3.5
border-right 4.0 - 3.5
border-bottom4.0 - 3.5
border-left 4.0 - 3.5
width, height, float, clear 4.0 4.0 3.5
width 4.04.03.5
height 4.0-3.5
float 4.04.03.5
clear 4.04.083.58

Classification properties

Property, common values Explorer  NetScape  Opera 
display 4.0 4.0 3.5
block 5.04.093.5
inline 5.0104.0113.512
list-item- - -
none 4.04.03.5
white-space 4.0 4.0 3.5
pre - 4.0 -
nowrap - - -
normal - 4.0 -
list properties 4.0 4.0 3.5
list-style-type 4.04.03.5
list-style-image 4.0 - 3.5
list-style-position 4.0 - 3.5
list-style (shorthand) 4.04.03.5

Pseudo elements

Property, common values Explorer  NetScape  Opera 
pseudo elements 4.0 4.0 3.5
:link 4.04.03.5
:active 4.04.03.5
:visited 4.04.03.5
:first-line - - 3.5
:first-letter - - 3.5

 

Notes

1
Test sequence: <bold><lighter></lighter><bolder></bolder></bold>. As far as I can see, Netscape 4 interprets "bolder" as bold.
2
Not only does IE (4.0 and 5.0) not support font-variant, it misinterprets it, transforming to uppercase instead.
3
In the source, letters 1,3,5,7,9 and so on are lowercase, 2,4,6,8,10 etc. uppercase
4
Netscape 4.x and Explorer 4.x/5.x do not calculate text-indent percentages correctly
5
Netscape 4.x does not allow automatic header bottom margins to be removed, adding margin-bottom values to them instead of replacing them. [more about this]
6
Bottom paddings result in extra top margins (of the same size as the bottom padding). [more about this]
7
Netscape does not allow different style and/or colour for different parts of borders
8
Netscape 4 and Opera 3.5: Clear does not work well when used with float.
9
In Netscape 4, "display: block;" only works correctly if you set a bottom margin.
10
Works, but ends parent block element. (Test result: H1 within P ends P when H1 is set as inline, does not end P when P too is set as inline.)
11
A linebreak is inserted after the block element with the "display: inline" declaration applied to it.
12
A linebreak is inserted before the block element with the "display: inline" declaration applied to it.