CSS Grid Form Layout Generator
Paired fields that share a row on desktop and stack on mobile, with full-width fields that always span.
Named areas. The CSS is a picture of the layout, and only the properties that actually change get repeated inside each media query.
.form {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr;
grid-template-rows: auto auto auto auto auto;
gap: 16px;
grid-template-areas:
"first"
"last"
"email"
"city"
"postcode";
}
.form > .first { grid-area: first; }
.form > .last { grid-area: last; }
.form > .email { grid-area: email; }
.form > .city { grid-area: city; }
.form > .postcode { grid-area: postcode; }
@media (min-width: 640px) {
.form {
grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr);
grid-template-rows: auto auto auto;
gap: 20px;
grid-template-areas:
"first last"
"email email"
"city postcode";
}
}
How this layout works
Pair only the fields that belong together — first and last name, city and postcode. Two unrelated fields sharing a row makes the form feel dense without making it faster to complete.
Address and email span both columns at every width. A field whose content is long has no business being half-width, and the varying widths are what give a form its scannable shape.
Everything stacks below about 600px. Two columns of inputs on a phone produce tap targets under the 44px minimum and labels that wrap to three lines.
Every property used here is listed in the CSS Grid cheat sheet, with the reason to reach for it.
Frequently asked questions
Which form fields should share a row?
When should a two column form stack?
How do I center a grid in CSS?
justify-content: center on the grid container to centre the whole grid inside it, and margin-inline: auto with a max-width to centre the container in the page. These are different jobs: the first moves the tracks within the container, the second moves the container itself.How do I center items inside a CSS grid?
place-items: center on the container. That is shorthand for align-items plus justify-items, and it centres every item inside its own cell on both axes. For a single item, use place-self: center on that item instead.How do I make a CSS grid responsive?
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(260px, 1fr)) and it reflows at every width with no media queries at all. Add breakpoints only when the exact column count matters, or when the layout has to change shape rather than just wrap.When should I use CSS Grid instead of Flexbox?
How to use it
-
Open the pattern
The two column form loads into the editor already responsive, with every breakpoint set up.
-
Change the tracks
Edit the column and row sizes in the Tracks panel. Anything valid in a track list works.
-
Redraw at another width
Move the ruler past a breakpoint marker and rearrange. Only the placement changes.
-
Copy the code
Take CSS, HTML, Tailwind or a shadcn component. The media queries are already written.
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