CSS Container Query Builder
Build CSS @container rules visually with our free container query builder. Set the container name and type (inline-size, size), add min/max query conditions with custom units, and define responsive styles that apply at specific container widths. Preview your query at any container size from 320px to 1200px with our interactive preview pane. Copy the generated container declaration and @container CSS with one click - no signup required.
Why Use Our Container Query Builder?
Visual Container Query Builder
Build CSS container queries visually with our interactive container query builder. Set container type (inline-size, size, or normal), add query conditions with custom operators and units, and define responsive styles - all without writing a single line of CSS by hand.
Private - No Server Upload Required
The container query builder runs entirely in your browser. Your container configurations, query conditions, and responsive styles never leave your device. All CSS generation is 100% client-side with no data uploads.
Live Preview with Resize Controls
See exactly how your container query behaves with a live resizable preview pane. Use the preset width buttons (320px to 1024px) or the interactive slider to test your query at any container width. The preview updates instantly to show whether the query applies.
Ready-to-Use CSS Output
Copy the generated @container rule, container declaration, or query condition string with one click. The container query builder produces production-ready CSS with proper escaping for container names and correctly formatted media query syntax.
Common Use Cases for Container Query Builder
React Component Responsiveness
React developers use the container query builder to create truly responsive components that adapt to their parent container rather than the viewport. Build card, sidebar, and dashboard components that reorganise their layout based on the available container width - essential for reusable component libraries where the same component appears in different-width containers.
Modern Responsive Layouts
Web designers use the container query builder to create layouts that respond to their containing element instead of the viewport. This is especially powerful for dashboard grids, widget areas, and nested layouts where elements appear in multiple contexts at different sizes - container queries adapt naturally without media query duplication.
Adaptive Widget and Panel Systems
Build widget systems and side panels that adapt their internal layout as the user resizes them. The container query builder helps create responsive sidebar widgets, chat panels, and settings drawers that reorganise content - switching from stacked to side-by-side layouts based on the container width rather than the screen width.
CMS and Page Builder Content
Content editors using WordPress, Drupal, or page builders like Elementor can use the container query builder to create content blocks that respond to their column width. A two-column layout on desktop becomes a single column on mobile - but the same content block adapts differently depending on whether it is in a full-width or sidebar position.
Design System Component Adaptivity
Design system architects use the container query builder to define responsive variants of design system components - cards, tables, navigation bars, and form layouts that adapt based on their parent container. Container queries eliminate the need for brittle responsive props and enable truly autonomous components.
E-Commerce Product Card Grids
E-commerce developers use the container query builder to create product cards that seamlessly transition between grid and list views as the container width changes. Product images, titles, prices, and add-to-cart buttons reorganise automatically when the user adjusts the number of columns in a product grid.
Understanding CSS Container Queries
What are CSS Container Queries?
CSS Container Queries (part of the CSS Containment Module Level 3 specification) allow you to apply styles to an element based on the size of its containing element (container), rather than the viewport. This is a fundamental shift from media queries, which respond to the viewport size. With container queries, a component can adapt its layout, typography, and appearance based on how much space its parent container provides - making the component truly container-responsive. Our container query builder helps you create these rules visually without memorising the exact syntax.
How Our Container Query Builder Works
- Define the Container: Set a
container-nameandcontainer-type. The most common type isinline-size, which makes the element a query container that responds to width changes. Usesizeif you need to query both width and height. Usenormalfor containment without query functionality. - Add Query Conditions: Add one or more conditions using properties like
width,height,inline-size, oraspect-ratiowithmin-ormax-prefixes. Multiple conditions are joined withand. The container query builder supports standard CSS units (px, em, rem) as well as container query units (cqw, cqi, cqh). - Define Responsive Styles and Preview: Add CSS declarations that should apply when the query matches. Use the style presets (Compact Card, Expanded Card, etc.) as starting points, or enter custom property-value pairs. Resize the live preview to see exactly when your query conditions are met.
Container Queries vs. Media Queries
- Scoping: Media queries respond to the viewport size - the width of the browser window. Container queries respond to the size of a specific parent element. This makes container queries ideal for reusable components that appear in different contexts.
- Reusability: A component with container queries works correctly whether it appears in a narrow sidebar (300px), a main content area (800px), or a full-width hero section (1200px). Media queries would require the component to know its viewport context.
- Browser Support: CSS Container Queries are supported in Chrome 105+, Firefox 110+, Safari 16+, and Edge 105+. They are now stable and production-ready in all modern browsers. Use the container query builder to generate progressive enhancement styles.
- Performance: Container queries can be more performant than media queries for component-level responsiveness because they scope style recalculations to the container subtree instead of the entire document.
Container Query Units Reference
CSS container queries introduce new relative units that are calculated based on the container dimensions: cqw (1% of container width), cqi (1% of container inline-size), cqh (1% of container height), cqb (1% of container block-size), cqmin (the smaller of cqi and cqb), and cqmax (the larger of cqi and cqb). These units are especially useful for fluid typography and spacing that scales with the container rather than the viewport. For example, font-size: clamp(0.875rem, 2cqi, 1.5rem) scales the font size smoothly between 0.875rem and 1.5rem as the container grows from approximately 44px to 75px inline-size.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Container Query Builder
A container query builder is a visual tool that helps you create CSS container queries without writing the syntax by hand. Our container query builder lets you define the container name and type, add query conditions with custom operators and units, specify responsive styles, and preview how the query behaves at different container widths - all in real-time. The generated @container CSS is ready to copy and paste into your stylesheets.
container-type: inline-size makes the element a query container that only responds to width (inline-size) changes. This is the most common choice and has better performance because it only triggers re-styling when the width changes. container-type: size responds to both width and height changes, but requires more layout work from the browser. Use size only when you need to query height or block-size conditions.
Media queries respond to the viewport (browser window) size. Container queries respond to the size of a specific parent element. This means a component with container queries will adapt correctly whether it is placed in a narrow sidebar, a wide main content area, or a full-width hero section - without any viewport-based logic. Container queries make components truly reusable and context-independent.
Yes - the container query builder is 100% free with no signup, no account, and no usage limits. Build as many container queries as you need, completely free forever.
CSS Container Queries are supported in Chrome 105+, Firefox 110+, Safari 16+, Edge 105+, and Opera 91+. As of 2024, they are stable and production-ready in all modern browsers. For older browser support, consider using container queries as progressive enhancement alongside a responsive fallback layout using media queries.
Yes. The container query builder supports adding multiple conditions that are joined with the "and" keyword. For example, you can create a query like @container (min-width: 400px) and (max-width: 800px). Add, remove, enable, or disable individual conditions independently. All enabled conditions must be true for the query to match.
Container query units are relative length units based on the container dimensions: cqw = 1% of container width, cqi = 1% of container inline-size, cqh = 1% of container height, cqb = 1% of container block-size, cqmin = the smaller of cqi and cqb, cqmax = the larger of cqi and cqb. These are useful for fluid typography, spacing, and sizing that scales with the container.
The generated CSS has two parts: (1) the container declaration (container-name and container-type) must be applied to the parent element in your HTML, and (2) the @container rule wraps the styles that apply when the query conditions are met. The selectors inside the @container rule target child elements of the container. Paste the container declaration on the parent and the @container rule in your stylesheet.
Container queries complement flexbox and CSS Grid rather than replacing them. Use flexbox and grid for layout structure. Use container queries when the same component needs different visual treatments at different sizes - for example, a product card that shows an image grid at large sizes, a horizontal layout at medium sizes, and a stacked layout at small sizes. Container queries handle the visual treatment changes while flexbox/grid handle the structural layout.