Property Reference - CSS Reference - page 179

Name
column-width
Values:
<length> | auto
Initial value:
auto
Applies to:
Nonreplaced block-level elements (except table elements), table cells, and inline-block ele-
ments
Inherited:
No
Computed value:
Absolute length
Description:
Defines the optimal widths of the columns in an element laid out with multiple columns. Note
that this describes an optimalwidth, and as such, user agents may modify or ignore the value
if they see fit. The obvious example is if the sum total of the width of the columns and their
gaps does not equal the width of the multicolumn element. In such cases, the column widths
will be altered to make the columns fit the element. This is somewhat similar in nature to al-
tering the width of table cells so that the table columns fit the table's total width.
Length values must be greater than zero. For some reason, percentages are not permitted.
Examples:
body {column-width: 23em;}