Tailwind CSS Spacing Utilities

Complete reference for Tailwind CSS v4.1 spacing utilities: margin, padding, and space-between.

Quick Reference

Margin Classes

• m-{size}: All sides margin
• mx-{size}: Horizontal (left + right)
• my-{size}: Vertical (top + bottom)
• mt-{size}: Top margin
• mr-{size}: Right margin
• mb-{size}: Bottom margin
• ml-{size}: Left margin
• -m-{size}: Negative margin
• m-auto: Auto margin (centering)

Padding Classes

• p-{size}: All sides padding
• px-{size}: Horizontal (left + right)
• py-{size}: Vertical (top + bottom)
• pt-{size}: Top padding
• pr-{size}: Right padding
• pb-{size}: Bottom padding
• pl-{size}: Left padding

Space Between Children

• space-x-{size}: Horizontal spacing between flex/grid children
• space-y-{size}: Vertical spacing between flex/grid children

Spacing Scale

Tailwind CSS v4.1 uses a configurable spacing scale where --spacing is the base unit (default: 0.25rem/4px).

Class	Value
0	0
px	1px
0.5	calc(var(--spacing) * 2) = 0.5rem
1	calc(var(--spacing) * 4) = 1rem
2	calc(var(--spacing) * 8) = 2rem
3	calc(var(--spacing) * 12) = 3rem
4	calc(var(--spacing) * 16) = 4rem
6	calc(var(--spacing) * 24) = 6rem
8	calc(var(--spacing) * 32) = 8rem
12	calc(var(--spacing) * 48) = 12rem
16	calc(var(--spacing) * 64) = 16rem

Common Patterns

Centered Container

<div class="mx-auto">Centered content</div>

Card with Padding

<div class="p-6 bg-white rounded-lg shadow">Card content</div>

Flex Items with Spacing

<div class="flex space-x-4">
  <div>Item 1</div>
  <div>Item 2</div>
  <div>Item 3</div>
</div>

Stack with Vertical Spacing

<div class="space-y-4">
  <p>Paragraph 1</p>
  <p>Paragraph 2</p>
  <p>Paragraph 3</p>
</div>

See detailed references:

• Margin utilities →
• Padding utilities →