The <table> Element

Technical Summary

Definition / Content model

The table content model has this order. Script-supporting elements can be interspersed where the model permits them. Neither the table start tag nor its end tag is omissible.

Table model

The table model is not simply a copy of the source markup's visual nesting. Rows and columns form a grid, and cells occupy slots in that grid.

source markup
  ↓ rows / columns / cells
table grid
  ↓ cell slots and spanning relationships
table model

• GridRows and columns form a two-dimensional grid.
• CellsCells cover the grid without overlapping one another.
• SpanAll branches involving rowspan and colspan require further detailed review.

Header / Data cell relationships

Heading relationships are structural; they are not created by bold text or borders. In a simple table, scope is a readable starting point. In a complex table, simplify the structure where possible and use id and headers when an explicit association is needed.

Parser recovery boundary

The HTML parser does not always copy source nesting directly into the DOM. For example, a td directly under tbody is a parse error. In the table-body context, the tree builder can insert an implied tr and then reprocess the td token through a recovery branch.

<table>
  <tbody>
    <td>source cell</td>
  </tbody>
</table>

possible DOM shape after recovery:
table → tbody → tr → td

Source-markup parentage and the DOM tree after parsing are therefore separate inspection targets. Conformance and observed parser recovery should not be treated as the same claim.

DOM interface

A table element is exposed through the HTMLTableElement interface. The interface defines surfaces such as caption, tHead, tFoot, tBodies, and rows, as well as operations such as createTBody() and insertRow().

const table = document.querySelector('table');
table.caption;
table.tBodies;
table.rows;
table.insertRow(-1);

DOM API results depend on the DOM tree constructed by the parser and on the runtime state created by later operations, not only on the original source text.

Fact / Evidence

Key facts are mapped to their conditions, review status, and evidence locations. Unresolved scope remains visible in the Coverage section below.

Evidence

1. HTML Standard: The table element — meaning, content model, table model, layout-table boundary, and DOM interface
2. HTML Standard: Forming a table — formation of table grids, rows, columns, cells, and slots
3. HTML Standard: Header and data cell semantics — header and data-cell relationships
4. HTML Standard: The table-body insertion mode — token processing and recovery boundaries in table contexts
5. HTML Accessibility API Mappings: table — an entry point for platform accessibility mapping

Implementation Evidence

Implementation observations are recorded separately from normative claims. Unrun items are not treated as reviewed.

Shared fixture / environment: A table omitting tbody with scoped headers, rowspan="2", and headers. Chrome 152.0.0.0 / Windows NT 10.0 / checked 2026-09-13.

Use the WPT repository for test mapping and HTML-AAM for accessibility criteria.

Coverage / Open Issues

• ReviewedThe element's meaning, content model, basic table grid, simple header/data relationships, and the main HTMLTableElement surface
• ReviewedThe implied-row parser recovery boundary in the table-body context
• OpenAll rowspan/colspan branches, the complete table-model algorithm, and complex header association
• OpenThis AX observation covers one Chrome environment only. Complete HTML-AAM mapping, assistive-technology observations, browser divergence, WPT, and historical changes remain unregistered.
• OpenThe implementation boundary between CSS table layout and the HTML table model, compatibility, and Expert-gap Review

This page is initial coverage. It does not claim that every fact about the table element has been verified or that every implementation produces the same result.

Related surface

For a minimal example, headings, and responsive-table guidance, see the table element page in Yugien.