multirow

Multirow is a feature provided by the LaTeX package named multirow that enables a single table cell to span multiple consecutive rows. This is useful for labeling a group of rows or displaying a heading that applies to several entries without repeating the same text in every row.

To use it, the package must be loaded in the document preamble with \usepackage{multirow}. The primary command is \multirow{nrows}{width}{content}, where nrows is the number of rows to span, width specifies the width of the spanning cell (you can use * for natural width), and content is the text or material to display in the first row of the span. In the following nrows-1 rows, the corresponding cells in that column are left empty so the vertical span remains visually continuous.

Multirow works alongside other table formatting commands, such as \multicolumn for horizontal spanning. When combined, careful handling of borders and alignment is required, since spanning can affect row heights and line rules. A common pattern is to place the multirow cell in the first of the spanned rows and leave the other spanned rows’ cells in that column empty.

Limitations include that multirow does not automatically break across page boundaries; for long tables, packages like longtable may be used in conjunction with multirow, though compatibility can vary by document class and table structure. For horizontal spanning, \multicolumn remains the standard tool, and together these commands enable flexible table layouts.

See also LaTeX, table, longtable, multicolumn.