<tbody>

<tbody> groups a table’s body rows. It separates data from heading and footer rows and gives CSS or scripts a clear place to target them.

Group the data

Only the two workshop rows are in <tbody>. Header and total rows remain in their own groups.

<table>
  <caption>
    Workshop registrations
  </caption>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th scope="col">Workshop</th>
      <th scope="col">Places booked</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <th scope="row">HTML basics</th>
      <td class="amount">12</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <th scope="row">CSS layout</th>
      <td class="amount">8</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
  <tfoot>
    <tr>
      <th scope="row">Total</th>
      <td class="amount">20</td>
    </tr>
  </tfoot>
</table>

/* Presentation: these styles make the table easier to read. */
table {
  border-collapse: collapse;
}
caption {
  text-align: left;
  font-weight: bold;
  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
}
th,
td {
  border: 1px solid #94a3b8;
  padding: 0.5rem 0.75rem;
  text-align: left;
}
.amount {
  text-align: right;
  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
}

Multiple groups and implicit markup

A table may contain several consecutive <tbody> groups, such as one per department. Each contains <tr> rows. Rowspans stay within a row group; do not attempt to span from one <tbody> into another.

If you write direct <tr> children in HTML source, the parser normally inserts <tbody> in the DOM. As a result, table > tr can fail even though the source looks like it should match. Write explicit groups and use tbody > tr when targeting body rows.

Accessibility and alternatives

A body group organizes rows, but it does not name every group or replace <th> associations. Use row headers, clear column headings, and a caption. Do not add redundant roles to native table structure.

Add tbody tr:hover { background: #eff6ff; } as a visual aid. Keep text and header structure readable without the hover color; touch and keyboard users may never see it.

Sources and browser support

MDN: tbody describes the syntax and links to the specification and compatibility data. Check individual values in that table when supporting older browsers.