w:tcMar (Table Cell Margins)

Overrides the default table cell margins for an individual cell, specifying padding on each side independently.

Parent elements

w:tcPr

Child elements

Description

w:tcMar sets cell-specific padding (the space between the cell border and the cell content). It overrides the table-level default cell margins (w:tblCellMar in w:tblPr) for the cell it belongs to.

It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.4.69.

Each side is specified by a child element with w:w (amount) and w:type (unit) attributes.

Child Elements

Element	Description
`w:top`	Top padding.
`w:left`	Left (leading) padding.
`w:bottom`	Bottom padding.
`w:right`	Right (trailing) padding.

Each child uses the same attribute set as w:tblCellMar children:

Attribute	Type	Description
`w:w`	`xsd:integer`	Amount of padding.
`w:type`	`ST_TblWidth`	`dxa` (twips), `nil` (no padding).

Examples

<!-- Uniform 0.1 inch (144 twips) padding on all sides -->
<w:tc>
  <w:tcPr>
    <w:tcMar>
      <w:top    w:w="144" w:type="dxa"/>
      <w:left   w:w="144" w:type="dxa"/>
      <w:bottom w:w="144" w:type="dxa"/>
      <w:right  w:w="144" w:type="dxa"/>
    </w:tcMar>
  </w:tcPr>
  <w:p><w:r><w:t>Padded cell</w:t></w:r></w:p>
</w:tc>

new TableCell(
  new TableCellProperties(
    new TableCellMargin(
      new TopMargin { Width = "144", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },
      new LeftMargin { Width = "144", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },
      new BottomMargin { Width = "144", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },
      new RightMargin { Width = "144", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa }
    )
  ),
  new Paragraph(new Run(new Text("Padded cell"))));

<!-- Asymmetric padding: more left/right, less top/bottom -->
<w:tcMar>
  <w:top    w:w="72" w:type="dxa"/>
  <w:left   w:w="216" w:type="dxa"/>
  <w:bottom w:w="72" w:type="dxa"/>
  <w:right  w:w="216" w:type="dxa"/>
</w:tcMar>

new TableCellMargin(
  new TopMargin { Width = "72", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },     // 0.05 in
  new LeftMargin { Width = "216", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },   // 0.15 in
  new BottomMargin { Width = "72", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },
  new RightMargin { Width = "216", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa }
);

Common Padding Values

Padding	Twips	Inches	mm
Minimal	36	0.025	0.64
Small	72	0.05	1.27
Default	144	0.1	2.54
Medium	216	0.15	3.81
Generous	288	0.2	5.08

Notes

Twips Conversion: 1440 twips = 1 inch; divide by 1440 to convert to inches.
Omitted Sides: Omitting a child element means that side inherits table default (w:tblCellMar).
Nil Type: Use w:type="nil" to set a side to zero padding (overrides table default).
Cell Override: Cell margins override table-level defaults from w:tblCellMar.
Content Spacing: Margins control space between cell border and content.
Text Direction: Works consistently with horizontal and vertical text.
Table Interaction: Does not affect table borders; only affects internal cell padding.
Asymmetric Padding: Common for data tables to pad left/right more than top/bottom.
RTL Tables: Left/right semantics apply to logical left/right, not screen left/right.
Compatibility: Cell margins render consistently across all Office versions.