CSS Line-Clamp Generator

Clamping text to a fixed number of lines keeps cards, list items, and previews tidy. The CSS line-clamp pattern handles the visual cut, but it leaves one question unanswered: will my text actually be truncated, or does it already fit? That depends on the font and the exact container width — and guessing wrong means either a missing ellipsis or a clipped word.

This CSS line clamp generator gives you both halves: the production CSS to paste, and a real measurement of how many lines your sample text wraps to at the chosen width, so you can see whether the clamp engages.

CSS line-clamp limits a block of text to a fixed number of lines and appends an ellipsis when the text is longer. The line-clamp effect is achieved with the legacy flexbox box model: display: -webkit-box plus -webkit-box-orient: vertical tells the browser to lay the text out as vertical lines, and -webkit-line-clamp caps how many of those lines are shown. The CSS line clamp generator above writes this block for you so you never have to remember the exact incantation.

For a single line you do not need line-clamp at all — the older text-overflow: ellipsis pattern is simpler. This CSS line clamp generator automatically switches to that single-line pattern when you set the clamp to one line, and uses the multi-line line-clamp block for two or more.

A standard, unprefixed line-clamp property is also shipping in browsers, but the prefixed line-clamp form remains the most compatible today, which is why this CSS line clamp generator outputs it.

Line-clamp has a few sharp edges. The element must remain a -webkit-box, so applying padding or changing the display type can break the line-clamp. The ellipsis only appears when the content genuinely overflows the clamped line count — if the text already fits, no ellipsis shows, which is why this CSS line clamp generator also tells you whether your sample text overflows.

Line-clamp also clamps purely visually: it does not expose, in JavaScript, where the cut happened. If you need the exact truncation point for a tooltip or a “read more” toggle, CSS line-clamp alone is not enough. Pair the line-clamp CSS from this generator with Pretext.js, which measures the real wrapped line boundaries so you know precisely where the line-clamp will cut. That combination — line-clamp for the paint, Pretext for the math — gives you a robust truncation system.

Finally, line-clamp respects the element's line height, so set a predictable line height when you copy the line-clamp CSS. The generator includes a matching max-height as a safety net so the line-clamp degrades gracefully in older engines.

Most of what a CSS line clamp generator does is print the boilerplate. This one goes further: it also measures your text, so you know whether the clamp will actually engage. Choose a line count, copy the CSS it produces, and preview the result live.

A measurement-aware CSS line clamp generator removes the guesswork from truncation. Bookmark it for cards, feeds, and tables, and pair it with Pretext.js when you need the exact cut point in code — the fastest way to ship clean, clamped text.