Header cells must be th elements

Rule ID Table 6
Definition Each data table header cell must use th elements rather than td element with a scope attribute.
Purpose
  • th element is the web standards way to identify header cells in a table, and makes the data table source code easier to read and debug for accessibility problems.
Required Yes for HTML5 and ARIA Techniques ruleset mapping
WCAG Success Criteria

1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, Primary Success Criterion)

Rule Category Tables
Scope Element
Target Resources th and td[scope] elements
Techniques
  • Use th elements in the first row or column to identify row and column headers in a simple data tables.
  • Use headers attribute on each td element to identify header information in complex data tables.
  • Use th element for cells used as header cells in the table.
Manual Checks
  • Verify the each data cell has header cells that clearly identify the meaning of the content of the data cell.
Informational Links