Shadcn Syntax Table

shadcn ui : Table Syntax (HTML primitive)

Table is shadcn's STYLING PRIMITIVE for HTML tables. It is NOT a data grid. It does NOT sort, filter, paginate, or select rows. It is eight thin wrappers around <table>, <thead>, <tbody>, <tfoot>, <tr>, <th>, <td>, <caption> with cohesive Tailwind classes and data-slot attributes.

For anything that requires sorting, filtering, pagination, or selection, you ALWAYS use the TanStack Table v8 recipe documented in shadcn-impl-data-table. That recipe COMPOSES this primitive ; it does NOT replace it.

Quick Reference

Canonical call

import {
  Table,
  TableBody,
  TableCaption,
  TableCell,
  TableHead,
  TableHeader,
  TableRow,
} from "@/components/ui/table"

<Table>
  <TableCaption>A list of recent invoices.</TableCaption>
  <TableHeader>
    <TableRow>
      <TableHead>Invoice</TableHead>
      <TableHead>Status</TableHead>
      <TableHead className="text-right">Amount</TableHead>
    </TableRow>
  </TableHeader>
  <TableBody>
    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>INV001</TableCell>
      <TableCell>Paid</TableCell>
      <TableCell className="text-right">EUR 250.00</TableCell>
    </TableRow>
  </TableBody>
</Table>

Table wraps the native <table> element in a <div data-slot="table-container"> with overflow-x-auto, so horizontal scroll on narrow viewports is automatic. NEVER wrap Table in your own overflow container ; you will end up with two scrollbars.

The eight subcomponents

Five invariants

1. ALWAYS import from the local alias @/components/ui/table. NEVER from shadcn-ui or @shadcn/ui ; shadcn is copy-not-install (see shadcn-core-architecture).
2. ALWAYS use TableHead for column titles INSIDE TableHeader, and TableCell for data INSIDE TableBody. NEVER swap : putting TableHead inside TableBody produces invalid HTML and breaks screen-reader column-header announcement.
3. ALWAYS provide an accessible name : either TableCaption (visible) or aria-label on <Table> (invisible). NEVER ship a Table with no name ; screen readers announce only "table" with no purpose.
4. ALWAYS use this skill ONLY for static / read-only data. If the design needs sortable headers, search-filter, pagination, or row selection, STOP and switch to shadcn-impl-data-table (the TanStack Table v8 recipe).
5. ALWAYS keep TableFooter AFTER TableBody (the source order). The DOM order is <thead> -> <tbody> -> <tfoot>, even though <tfoot> is sometimes positioned visually at the bottom by default browser styling regardless.

Decision Tree 1 : Table primitive or DataTable recipe?

This is the single most important decision the skill makes. Get it wrong and you ship the wrong tool.

Q1. Do users need to SORT columns by clicking a header (asc / desc toggle)?
    yes -> shadcn-impl-data-table (TanStack getSortedRowModel)
    no  -> Q2

Q2. Do users need to FILTER rows via a search input or per-column filter UI?
    yes -> shadcn-impl-data-table (TanStack getFilteredRowModel)
    no  -> Q3

Q3. Does the data set exceed ~50 rows AND need pagination
    (prev / next, page-size selector, "1 of N" indicator)?
    yes -> shadcn-impl-data-table (TanStack getPaginationRowModel)
    no  -> Q4

Q4. Do users need to SELECT rows (checkboxes, bulk actions, selection state)?
    yes -> shadcn-impl-data-table (TanStack rowSelection)
    no  -> Q5

Q5. Do users need column-visibility toggles, column-resizing,
    or column-reordering?
    yes -> shadcn-impl-data-table (TanStack columnVisibility, etc.)
    no  -> shadcn-syntax-table (THIS skill) ; you have a static table

If even one of Q1 through Q5 is "yes", you ALWAYS use the DataTable recipe. The TanStack recipe COMPOSES this primitive ; you still write <Table>, <TableHeader>, <TableCell> etc., but the surrounding logic lives in the recipe. Mixing the two manually (e.g. hand-rolling sort chevrons on a Table primitive) is an anti-pattern (see references/anti-patterns.md AP-001).

Decision Tree 2 : TableCaption or aria-label?

Q1. Is the table embedded in a larger surface (Card, Dialog, Drawer, Sheet)
    that already names the data (CardTitle "Recent invoices",
    DialogTitle "Pending orders")?
    yes -> aria-labelledby on <Table> pointing to the existing title id
    no  -> Q2

Q2. Is a visible caption acceptable in the design
    (small muted text under the table)?
    yes -> <TableCaption>A list of recent invoices.</TableCaption>
    no  -> aria-label="Recent invoices" on <Table> (invisible but announced)

ALWAYS pick exactly one. NEVER use both TableCaption AND aria-label : screen readers announce both and the message becomes redundant.

Decision Tree 3 : Where does the caption visually sit?

The default v4 class on <table> is caption-bottom. The native <caption> defaults to top. shadcn flips it to bottom because the bottom position reads as "footnote" (less visually heavy than a heading-style top caption).

Q1. Do you want the caption at the bottom (shadcn default)?
    yes -> <Table><TableCaption>...</TableCaption>...</Table>
           (no overrides needed)
    no  -> Q2

Q2. Do you want the caption at the top (native HTML default)?
    yes -> <Table className="caption-top">
             <TableCaption>...</TableCaption>
             ...
           </Table>

The Tailwind caption-side utility (caption-top / caption-bottom) controls this. NEVER set caption-side on the <TableCaption> itself ; the utility belongs on the <table> (which is what <Table> renders). Routing className="caption-top" through <Table> passes the class through cn() and twMerge correctly overrides the default.

Section : The eight subcomponents in detail

Table

Wraps <table> in a scroll container. Verbatim v4 (apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/table.tsx) :

<div data-slot="table-container" className="relative w-full overflow-x-auto">
  <table data-slot="table" className={cn("w-full caption-bottom text-sm", className)} {...props} />
</div>

Two data-slot hooks (table-container and table) give you CSS handles without target-selector gymnastics. ALWAYS apply layout / overflow overrides to <Table> itself ; the wrapper <div> will inherit appropriately. NEVER target the wrapper <div> from outside ; it is an implementation detail.

v3 difference : the v3 source uses overflow-auto (both axes), the v4 source uses overflow-x-auto (horizontal only). v4 also has no forwardRef (React 19 forwards refs implicitly) ; v3 wraps in React.forwardRef<HTMLTableElement, ...>.

TableHeader

<thead data-slot="table-header" className={cn("[&_tr]:border-b", className)} {...props} />

A <thead>. Bottom border on every descendant <tr> for separation from the body. Position : direct child of <Table>, before <TableBody>.

TableBody

<tbody data-slot="table-body" className={cn("[&_tr:last-child]:border-0", className)} {...props} />

A <tbody>. Strips the bottom border on the LAST data row so the body does not double-border against the footer or page edge. Position : direct child of <Table>, after <TableHeader>.

TableFooter

<tfoot data-slot="table-footer" className={cn("border-t bg-muted/50 font-medium [&>tr]:last:border-b-0", className)} {...props} />

A <tfoot>. Muted background + medium font weight signals "summary row". Position : direct child of <Table>, after <TableBody> in source order.

ALWAYS use <TableFooter> for sum rows / total rows / status summaries. NEVER put a "Total" row inside <TableBody> ; the muted-background distinction is lost and semantics break.

TableRow

v4 source :

<tr data-slot="table-row" className={cn("border-b transition-colors hover:bg-muted/50 has-aria-expanded:bg-muted/50 data-[state=selected]:bg-muted", className)} {...props} />

Bottom border, hover background, has-aria-expanded background (when a descendant element has aria-expanded="true" , e.g. an expanded inline-edit menu), and data-state=selected background (the DataTable recipe sets this when a row is selected). v3 source is identical EXCEPT it lacks has-aria-expanded:bg-muted/50.

The data-state=selected selector exists in BOTH v3 and v4. This skill does NOT set data-state ; that is the DataTable recipe's job. The primitive merely exposes the styling hook.

TableHead

v4 source :

<th data-slot="table-head" className={cn("h-10 px-2 text-left align-middle font-medium whitespace-nowrap text-foreground [&:has([role=checkbox])]:pr-0 [&>[role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]", className)} {...props} />

v3 difference : h-12 px-4 (taller and wider) instead of v4's h-10 px-2, and text-muted-foreground instead of text-foreground (so v3 column titles are dimmer than v4). The [&:has([role=checkbox])]:pr-0 and [&>[role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px] selectors exist in BOTH, anticipating a Checkbox inside the header for "select all".

Position : ALWAYS inside a <TableRow> that is inside <TableHeader>. NEVER inside <TableBody>.

TableCell

v4 source :

<td data-slot="table-cell" className={cn("p-2 align-middle whitespace-nowrap [&:has([role=checkbox])]:pr-0 [&>[role=checkbox]]:translate-y-[2px]", className)} {...props} />

v3 difference : p-4 (much more padding) instead of v4's p-2. The checkbox selectors are identical to TableHead.

Position : ALWAYS inside a <TableRow> that is inside <TableBody> or <TableFooter>. NEVER inside <TableHeader> (use <TableHead> there).

TableCaption

<caption data-slot="table-caption" className={cn("mt-4 text-sm text-muted-foreground", className)} {...props} />

A <caption>. Small muted text positioned by the parent table's caption-side (default caption-bottom). Position : direct child of <Table>. Source order does not strictly matter for HTML caption, but place it first for readability.

Section : Accessibility

Tables MUST have an accessible name. Without one, screen readers announce only "table" and the user has no idea what they are reading.

The two valid approaches :

// Approach A : visible caption (preferred when caption-as-footnote suits the design)
<Table>
  <TableCaption>Recent invoices, March 2026.</TableCaption>
  <TableHeader>...</TableHeader>
  <TableBody>...</TableBody>
</Table>

// Approach B : invisible label (preferred when surrounding chrome already names the data)
<Table aria-label="Recent invoices">
  <TableHeader>...</TableHeader>
  <TableBody>...</TableBody>
</Table>

// Approach C : referenced label (preferred when a CardTitle / DialogTitle already exists)
<Card>
  <CardHeader>
    <CardTitle id="recent-invoices-title">Recent invoices</CardTitle>
  </CardHeader>
  <CardContent>
    <Table aria-labelledby="recent-invoices-title">
      <TableHeader>...</TableHeader>
      <TableBody>...</TableBody>
    </Table>
  </CardContent>
</Card>

ALWAYS pick exactly one of A, B, or C. NEVER combine them ; redundancy clutters the announcement.

TableHeader <th> cells are AUTOMATICALLY announced as column headers by screen readers (that is the entire point of <th> vs <td>). The skill does NOT need to add explicit scope="col" for a simple single-row header ; the native <th> inside <thead> is sufficient. For more complex header structures (multi-row headers, row-group headers), add scope="col" / scope="row" / scope="colgroup" / scope="rowgroup" as needed ; native HTML semantics, not a shadcn concern.

Section : RSC compatibility (the v4 quirk)

The v4 source file ships with a "use client" directive on line 1 (verified at https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/blob/main/apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/table.tsx). This is unusual : the file has no hooks, no event handlers, no client-only React features. Why does it carry the directive?

Because shadcn ships a SINGLE source file for both server and client use, and the "use client" directive provides a safe upper bound : you can ALWAYS import Table into a client component, and importing into a server component still works (RSC simply treats the Table chunk as a client chunk).

Implication : in a Next.js App Router project, importing <Table> into a server-only file causes the Table primitive to be bundled in the client chunk. For static content (a marketing-page invoice table) this is wasted bytes. ALWAYS-allowed workaround : copy the source into your project and DELETE the "use client" line. The component still works in both contexts (it has nothing client-only inside), and you save the client-chunk allocation.

NEVER edit node_modules to remove the directive ; shadcn is copy-not-install precisely so you can edit the file. Edit components/ui/table.tsx in your repo.

v3 difference : the v3 source has NO "use client" directive. v3 Table is unambiguously RSC-safe.

Section : Common compositions

Table inside Card

<Card>
  <CardHeader>
    <CardTitle>Recent invoices</CardTitle>
    <CardDescription>Last 7 days.</CardDescription>
  </CardHeader>
  <CardContent className="p-0">
    <Table aria-labelledby="...">
      <TableHeader>...</TableHeader>
      <TableBody>...</TableBody>
    </Table>
  </CardContent>
</Card>

ALWAYS set className="p-0" on <CardContent> when embedding a Table : default CardContent padding combines with Table padding and the result is over-padded. The Table's internal p-2 (v4) or p-4 (v3) cell padding is sufficient.

Table with TableFooter sum row

<Table>
  <TableHeader>
    <TableRow>
      <TableHead>Line</TableHead>
      <TableHead className="text-right">Amount</TableHead>
    </TableRow>
  </TableHeader>
  <TableBody>
    <TableRow><TableCell>Item A</TableCell><TableCell className="text-right">100</TableCell></TableRow>
    <TableRow><TableCell>Item B</TableCell><TableCell className="text-right">250</TableCell></TableRow>
  </TableBody>
  <TableFooter>
    <TableRow>
      <TableCell>Total</TableCell>
      <TableCell className="text-right">350</TableCell>
    </TableRow>
  </TableFooter>
</Table>

The TableFooter class bg-muted/50 font-medium automatically visually distinguishes the row. NEVER add a manual font-bold to compete with the cva-style class ; the medium weight is the design choice.

Anti-patterns (summary ; full catalogue in references/anti-patterns.md)

NEVER do these :

1. NEVER use this primitive for sortable / filterable / paginated / selectable tables. ALWAYS switch to shadcn-impl-data-table (TanStack Table v8 recipe). The primitive has no sort, no filter, no paginate, no select.
2. NEVER ship a Table with no TableCaption and no aria-label / aria-labelledby. Screen readers announce only "table" and the user has no clue what they are reading.
3. NEVER put <TableHead> inside <TableBody> (or <TableCell> inside <TableHeader>). Cells in the head are <th> ; cells in the body are <td>. Swapping breaks header semantics for screen readers and invalidates the HTML.
4. NEVER hand-roll a sort header (a <TableHead><Button => sort('name')}><ChevronUpDown /></Button></TableHead> pattern) on this primitive. You will reinvent half of TanStack Table v8 incorrectly. ALWAYS use the DataTable recipe ; its column.getCanSort() + column.getToggleSortingHandler() API is the documented contract.
5. NEVER store pagination state (page index, page size, current rows) inside the primitive. The primitive is presentational. Pagination is a recipe concern ; if you need it, you do NOT need this skill.
6. NEVER wrap <Table> in your own <div className="overflow-auto">. The primitive already wraps <table> in <div data-slot="table-container" className="relative w-full overflow-x-auto">. You will end up with nested scrollbars.

See references/anti-patterns.md for the full WHY and FIX of each.

Companion Skills

• shadcn-impl-data-table : the TanStack Table v8 recipe that COMPOSES this primitive. ALWAYS read this if the table needs sort / filter / paginate / select. (B9 in the masterplan.)
• shadcn-core-architecture : copy-not-install paradigm ; explains why the primitive lives at components/ui/table.tsx in your repo and is freely editable.
• shadcn-core-stack : Tailwind utilities, cn() helper, twMerge ; explains how the verbatim cn() calls in the Table source merge caller classes.
• shadcn-impl-rsc-vs-client-boundaries : why the v4 Table file carries "use client" even with no hooks, and the safe edit to remove it.
• shadcn-errors-tailwind-v3-v4-migration : v3 -> v4 source-shape differences (forwardRef removal, data-slot additions, padding shifts in TableHead / TableCell).

Reference Links

• references/methods.md : the eight subcomponent signatures verbatim from the v4 registry source, with v3 deltas annotated.
• references/examples.md : five canonical recipes : static product table, sum-row footer table, table-with-caption, header-less data-only table, Table inside Card composition.
• references/anti-patterns.md : six anti-patterns with WHY and FIX.

Sources

All claims in this skill trace to URLs in SOURCES.md :

• https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/radix/table (canonical Table docs page, subcomponent list, caption-bottom default)
• https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/blob/main/apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/table.tsx (verbatim v4 source : function components, data-slot, has-aria-expanded, "use client")
• https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui/blob/main/apps/v4/public/r/styles/default/table.json (verbatim v3 source : forwardRef components, no data-slot, no "use client", h-12 / p-4 sizing)
• https://tanstack.com/table/latest/docs (TanStack Table v8 : the recipe that composes this primitive, covered in shadcn-impl-data-table)
• https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/tables/ (WAI accessibility tutorial : caption vs aria-label, when to use which)

Verified 2026-05-19.