The HTML <section> element represents a generic section of a document, i.e., a thematic grouping of content, typically with a heading. Each <section> should be identified, typically by including a heading (<h1>-<h6> element) as a child of the <section> element.

Usage notes :

  • If it makes sense to separately syndicate the content of a <section> element, use an <article> element instead.
  • Do not use the <section> element as a generic container; this is what <div> is for, especially when the sectioning is only for styling purposes. A rule of thumb is that a section should logically appear in the outline of a document.
Content categories Flow content, Sectioning content, palpable content.
Permitted content Flow content.
Tag omission None, both the starting and ending tag are mandatory.
Permitted parent elements Any element that accepts flow content. Note that a <section> element must not be a descendant of an <address> element.
DOM interface HTMLElement

Attributes

This element only includes the global attributes.

Examples

<section>
  <h1>Heading</h1>
  <p>Bunch of awesome content</p>
</section>

Example 2

Before

<div>
  <h2>Heading</h2>
  <img src="bird.jpg" alt="bird">
</div>

After

<section>
  <h2>Heading</h2>
  <img src="bird.jpg" alt="bird">
</section>

Specifications

Specification Status Comments
WHATWG HTML Living Standard
The definition of '<section>' in that specification.		 Living Standard  
HTML5.1
The definition of '<section>' in that specification.		 Working Draft  
HTML5
The definition of '<section>' in that specification.		 Recommendation  

Browser compatibility

Feature Chrome Firefox (Gecko) Internet Explorer Opera Safari
Basic support 5 4.0 (2.0) 9.0 11.10 4.1
Feature Android Firefox Mobile (Gecko) IE Mobile Opera Mobile Safari Mobile
Basic support 2.2 4.0 (2.0) 9.0 11.0 5.0 (iOS 4.2)

See also

Document Tags and Contributors

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 Contributors to this page: jsx, teoli, Sebastianz, Jeremie, MusikAnimal, georgebatalinski, SteveFaulkner, kscarfone, justleroy, ethertank, tregagnon, Sheppy, pepita96, medicdude, dhodder, fscholz, McGurk, hobophobe, jswisher
 Last updated by: jsx,