HTML Block Elements

Modern Web
Block-level elements create the structure of your webpage and naturally stack vertically.

Core Concepts

Essential Knowledge
Block Element Behavior

How blocks work in document flow

Always start on a new line
Take up full available width
Can contain other elements
Basic Example

Simple block structure

<div class="container">
  <h1>Page Title</h1>
  <p>Paragraph content</p>
  <div class="content-block">
    <p>Nested content</p>
  </div>
</div>

Element Reference

divGeneric Container

The most versatile block element

<div class="card">
  <div class="card-body">
    Content goes here
  </div>
</div>

pParagraph

For blocks of text content

<p>This is a paragraph that 
forms a distinct block of text 
in your document flow.</p>

sectionDocument Section

Thematic grouping of content

<section aria-labelledby="about-heading">
  <h2 id="about-heading">About Us</h2>
  <p>Company history...</p>
</section>

articleIndependent Content

Self-contained composition

<article class="blog-post">
  <h2>Post Title</h2>
  <p>Post content...</p>
</article>

h1-h6Headings

Document section headings

<h1>Main Title</h1>
<h2>Section Heading</h2>
<h3>Subsection</h3>
Maintain proper heading hierarchy for accessibility

blockquoteQuotations

Extended quoted content

<blockquote cite="source-url">
  <p>Important quoted text...</p>
  <footer>— Author Name</footer>
</blockquote>

Modern Layout Example

Semantic Page Structure

Modern HTML5 document layout

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Modern Page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <header class="site-header">
    <nav>...</nav>
  </header>
  
  <main class="container">
    <article>
      <h1>Article Title</h1>
      <section class="intro">
        <p>Introduction content...</p>
      </section>
      <section class="content">
        <p>Main content...</p>
      </section>
    </article>
    
    <aside class="sidebar">
      <div class="widget">...</div>
    </aside>
  </main>
  
  <footer class="site-footer">
    <p>Copyright information</p>
  </footer>
</body>
</html>

Block vs Inline

Block Elements

  • Form page structure
  • Stack vertically
  • Full available width

Examples:

divsectionh1-h6p

Inline Elements

  • Flow within text
  • Only necessary width
  • Can't contain blocks

Examples:

spanastrongimg