w:tbl

Tables

Complete guide to OOXML tables - structure, properties, and implementation gotchas.

Tables in OOXML are built from rows (w:tr) and cells (w:tc). The spec dedicates 200+ pages to tables, but most implementations only need a subset.

Structure

w:tbl (table)
├── w:tblPr (table properties)
│   ├── w:tblW (table width)
│   └── w:tblBorders (borders)
├── w:tblGrid (column grid)
│   └── w:gridCol (column definition)
└── w:tr (table row)
    └── w:tc (table cell)
        ├── w:tcPr (cell properties)
        └── w:p (content)

Example

<w:tbl>
  <w:tblPr>
    <w:tblW w:w="5000" w:type="dxa"/>
    <w:tblBorders>
      <w:top w:val="single" w:sz="4" w:color="000000"/>
      <w:left w:val="single" w:sz="4" w:color="000000"/>
      <w:bottom w:val="single" w:sz="4" w:color="000000"/>
      <w:right w:val="single" w:sz="4" w:color="000000"/>
      <w:insideH w:val="single" w:sz="4" w:color="000000"/>
      <w:insideV w:val="single" w:sz="4" w:color="000000"/>
    </w:tblBorders>
  </w:tblPr>
  <w:tblGrid>
    <w:gridCol w:w="2500"/>
    <w:gridCol w:w="2500"/>
  </w:tblGrid>
  <w:tr>
    <w:tc>
      <w:p><w:r><w:t>Cell 1</w:t></w:r></w:p>
    </w:tc>
    <w:tc>
      <w:p><w:r><w:t>Cell 2</w:t></w:r></w:p>
    </w:tc>
  </w:tr>
</w:tbl>

Implementation Notes

tblGrid is required (Word)

The spec marks w:tblGrid as optional. Word crashes without it. Always include it.

Width calculation varies (Word, LibreOffice)

When w:gridCol elements have explicit widths, w:tblW may be ignored. The actual table width becomes the sum of column widths.

Nested tables

Tables can be nested inside w:tc elements. Each nested table is a complete w:tbl element with its own grid.

Schema

Element	Type	Description
`w:tblPr`	optional	Table properties (width, alignment, borders)
`w:tblGrid`	required*	Column grid definition
`w:tr`	1+	Table rows