cssgridgenerator
Page shells

CSS 12 Column Grid Generator

The bootstrap-style twelve-column grid, written in real CSS Grid with no row or col classes.

Open in
1080px

Drag across the grid to draw an area. Arrow keys nudge, Shift + arrows resize.

space to pan · ⌘scroll to zoom
1minmax(0, 1fr)2minmax(0, 1fr)3minmax(0, 1fr)4minmax(0, 1fr)5minmax(0, 1fr)6minmax(0, 1fr)7minmax(0, 1fr)8minmax(0, 1fr)9minmax(0, 1fr)10minmax(0, 1fr)11minmax(0, 1fr)12minmax(0, 1fr)13
1auto2auto3
full1 / 1 / 2 / 13
half-a2 / 1 / 3 / 7
half-b2 / 7 / 3 / 13

Named areas. The CSS is a picture of the layout, and only the properties that actually change get repeated inside each media query.

.grid-12 {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr);
  grid-template-rows: auto auto auto;
  gap: 16px;
  grid-template-areas:
    "full   full   full   full"
    "half-a half-a half-a half-a"
    "half-b half-b half-b half-b";
}

.grid-12 > .full { grid-area: full; }
.grid-12 > .half-a { grid-area: half-a; }
.grid-12 > .half-b { grid-area: half-b; }

@media (min-width: 900px) {
  .grid-12 {
    grid-template-columns: minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 1fr);
    grid-template-rows: auto auto;
    gap: 24px;
    grid-template-areas:
      "full   full   full   full   full   full   full   full   full   full   full   full"
      "half-a half-a half-a half-a half-a half-a half-b half-b half-b half-b half-b half-b";
  }
}

How this layout works

Twelve columns divide cleanly by 2, 3, 4 and 6, which is the entire reason the number stuck. In CSS Grid you write it once as repeat(12, minmax(0, 1fr)) on the container and then place children by line number — no .row, no .col-md-6, no wrapper per row.

The generator prints each track separately so you can edit them individually; collapsing the identical tracks back to repeat(12, minmax(0, 1fr)) in your stylesheet produces exactly the same grid.

Spans are line numbers, and line 13 is the right edge of a twelve-column grid — grid-column: 1 / 13 is full width. grid-column: span 6 says the same thing without pinning a start, which is usually what you want inside a component.

Every property used here is listed in the CSS Grid cheat sheet, with the reason to reach for it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a 12 column grid in CSS?
One declaration: grid-template-columns: repeat(12, minmax(0, 1fr)). Children are then placed by line number — grid-column: span 6 for a half, span 4 for a third — with no row wrappers and no column classes.
What is the last line number in a 12 column grid?
Line 13. Twelve columns have thirteen lines, so full width is grid-column: 1 / 13, or 1 / -1 if you would rather not count.
How do I center a grid in CSS?
Use 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?
Set 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?
Use 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?
Use Grid when things must line up in two directions at once, and Flexbox when content flows along one axis. A page skeleton or dashboard is Grid; a navbar or row of buttons is Flexbox. They nest: Grid for the page, Flexbox inside the cells.

How to use it

  1. Open the pattern

    The 12 column grid loads into the editor already responsive, with every breakpoint set up.

  2. Change the tracks

    Edit the column and row sizes in the Tracks panel. Anything valid in a track list works.

  3. Redraw at another width

    Move the ruler past a breakpoint marker and rearrange. Only the placement changes.

  4. Copy the code

    Take CSS, HTML, Tailwind or a shadcn component. The media queries are already written.

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