---
category: Layout
created: '2019-11-16'
description: Create a holy grail layout with CSS flexbox
keywords: css flexbox, css holy grail layout, css layout
thumbnail: /assets/css-layout/thumbnails/holy-grail.png
title: Holy grail
---

## HTML

```html index.html
<div class="holy-grail">
    <header>...</header>
    <main class="holy-grail__main">
        <!-- Left sidebar -->
        <aside class="holy-grail__left">...</aside>

        <!-- Main content -->
        <article class="holy-grail__middle">...</article>

        <!-- Right sidebar -->
        <nav class="holy-grail__right">...</nav>
    </main>
    <footer>...</footer>
</div>
```

## CSS

```css styles.css
.holy-grail {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
}

.holy-grail__main {
    /* Take the remaining height */
    flex-grow: 1;

    /* Layout the left sidebar, main content and right sidebar */
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: row;
}

.holy-grail__left {
    width: 25%;
}

.holy-grail__middle {
    /* Take the remaining width */
    flex-grow: 1;
}

.holy-grail__right {
    width: 20%;
}
```

<Playground>
```css placeholders.css hidden
.lines {
    padding: 0.25rem 0;
    width: 100%;
    align-items: center;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    flex-direction: column;
}
.line {
    background: #d1d5db;
    height: 1px;
    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
}
.line.line--20 {
    width: 20%;
}
.line.line--40 {
    width: 40%;
}
.line.line--60 {
    width: 60%;
}
.line.line--80 {
    width: 80%;
}
.line.line--100 {
    width: 100%;
}
.rectangle {
    background: #d1d5db;
    border-radius: 0.25rem;
    height: var(--rectangle-height);
    width: var(--rectangle-width);
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--20 {
    --rectangle-width: 20%;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--40 {
    --rectangle-width: 40%;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--60 {
    --rectangle-width: 60%;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--80 {
    --rectangle-width: 80%;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--100 {
    --rectangle-width: 100%;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--sm {
    --rectangle-height: 0.5rem;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--md {
    --rectangle-height: 2rem;
}
.rectangle--hor.rectangle--lg {
    --rectangle-height: 4rem;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--20 {
    --rectangle-height: 20%;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--40 {
    --rectangle-height: 40%;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--60 {
    --rectangle-height: 60%;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--80 {
    --rectangle-height: 80%;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--100 {
    --rectangle-height: 100%;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--sm {
    --rectangle-width: 0.5rem;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--md {
    --rectangle-width: 2rem;
}
.rectangle--ver.rectangle--lg {
    --rectangle-width: 4rem;
}
```

```css styles.css hidden
body {
    height: 24rem;
}

.holy-grail {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;

    /* Demo */
    border: 1px solid #d1d5db;
    border-radius: 0.25rem;
    height: 100%;
    width: 100%;
}

.holy-grail__header,
.holy-grail__footer {
    padding: 0.25rem;
}

.holy-grail__main {
    border-top: 1px solid #d1d5db;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #d1d5db;

    /* Take the remaining height */
    flex-grow: 1;

    /* Layout the left sidebar, main content and right sidebar */
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: row;
}

.holy-grail__left {
    width: 25%;
}

.holy-grail__middle {
    border-left: 1px solid #d1d5db;
    border-right: 1px solid #d1d5db;

    /* Take the remaining width */
    flex-grow: 1;
}

.holy-grail__right {
    width: 20%;
}
```

```html index.html hidden
<div class="holy-grail">
    <div class="holy-grail__header"><div class="rectangle rectangle--hor rectangle--sm rectangle--100"></div></div>
    <div class="holy-grail__main">
        <div class="holy-grail__left">
            <div class="lines">
                <div class="line line--20"></div>
                <div class="line line--80"></div>
                <div class="line line--40"></div>
                <div class="line line--60"></div>
                <div class="line line--20"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="holy-grail__middle">
            <div class="lines">
                <div class="line line--20"></div>
                <div class="line line--80"></div>
                <div class="line line--40"></div>
                <div class="line line--60"></div>
                <div class="line line--20"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="holy-grail__right">
            <div class="lines">
                <div class="line line--20"></div>
                <div class="line line--80"></div>
                <div class="line line--40"></div>
                <div class="line line--60"></div>
                <div class="line line--20"></div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="holy-grail__footer"><div class="rectangle rectangle--hor rectangle--sm rectangle--100"></div></div>
</div>
```
</Playground>