Block Quote Chicago Style: Length Rule and Format

In Chicago style, a prose quotation of five or more lines, or of more than 100 words, is set off as a block quotation: it starts on a new line, is indented, carries no quotation marks, and is followed by its note. This guide gives the length test, the formatting steps, an annotated layout, the mistakes that most often break the rule and the thresholds other styles use.

Purpose of the section: when a quotation becomes a block quote

A block quote exists so that a long passage does not sit inside a paragraph wrapped in quotation marks. The sources agree on a two-part length test. Seattle University Library states: “A prose quotation of five or more lines, or more than 100 words, should be blocked.” Houston Community College Library gives the same threshold on its Chicago page, and Camosun College Library says quotations of five or more lines should be put into blocked formatting.

Does either test trigger blocking?

Yes. The rule is written with “or”: a passage that reaches five lines is blocked, and a passage of more than 100 words is blocked. A hypothetical 120-word passage therefore meets the word test whatever the line count of the document, and a passage of 60 words that fills five lines of your own layout meets the line test. Shorter quotations stay inside the paragraph, in quotation marks.

Poetry

Verse is treated separately. Seattle University Library notes that the Chicago Manual of Style recommends blocking two or more lines of poetry, and the Houston Community College guide gives the same two-line figure.

Structure: how to format a Chicago block quote

Introduce the passage in your own sentence. The lead-in belongs to the paragraph above; the quotation itself begins below it.
Start the quotation on a new line. Houston Community College Library: “A blocked quotation must always begin a new line.”
Indent it with the word processor’s indentation tool. Seattle University Library: “Blocked quotations should be indented with the word processor’s indention tool.” Camosun College Library specifies indenting each line half an inch from the left margin; the other guides cited here do not give a measurement, so treat the half-inch as one library’s instruction and check your own department’s requirements.
Leave off the quotation marks. “A blocked quotation does not get enclosed in quotation marks” (Seattle University Library).
Set the spacing. Purdue OWL and the TCU Adams Center for Writing handout both describe a document that is double-spaced “except for block quotations”, so the block is the one place that is not double-spaced. Camosun College Library is more specific: single-space the quotation and leave an extra line of space before and after it.
Add the note at the end of the quote. Camosun College Library: “Add the footnote at the end of the quote.” Purdue OWL gives the general placement for note numbers: at the end of the clause or sentence they refer to, after punctuation except a dash.
Return to normal paragraph formatting for the text that follows.

A short annotated example

The layout below uses placeholders in place of a real passage, so you can see where each rule applies. It describes formatting only and is not a quotation from any source.

Lead-in sentence in your own words, ending in a colon or a period, which introduces what the source says about the topic. (A) The lead-in sits in the normal double-spaced paragraph.

[First line of the quoted passage begins on its own line, indented, with no opening quotation mark. (B) The passage continues for five or more lines or more than 100 words, single-spaced if your guide asks for it, with an extra line of space above and below. (C) The passage ends exactly where the source ends, with no closing quotation mark.]¹ (D)

Your own text resumes here at the normal margin. (E)

(A) The lead-in is ordinary paragraph text.
(B) New line, indentation tool, no quotation marks.
(C) Spacing: single-spaced with space above and below, per Camosun College Library; Purdue OWL and TCU exempt block quotations from double-spacing.
(D) The note number closes the block, and the note itself goes in the footnote or endnote. For the note format, see Chicago footnote format, and for the matching bibliography entry, Chicago bibliography format.
(E) Your text returns to the normal margin and spacing.

Common mistakes

Keeping quotation marks around the block. The sources are explicit that a blocked quotation is not enclosed in quotation marks.
Running the passage into the lead-in line. A block must begin a new line.
Indenting with spaces or tabs. The library guides call for the word processor’s indentation tool.
Checking only one test. A passage under five lines can still run past 100 words; either test is enough to require a block.
Blocking a short quotation for emphasis. The length tests above decide when to block; a quotation that meets neither test stays in the paragraph.
Dropping the note. A blocked quotation still needs its citation, placed at the end of the quote.
Copying one library’s indent measure as if it were universal. Among the guides cited here, only Camosun College Library gives the half-inch figure.

Checklist

Is the passage five or more lines, or more than 100 words (prose), or two or more lines of poetry?
Does the block begin on a new line after your lead-in?
Is it indented with the indentation tool, with no quotation marks around it?
Is the spacing the one your instructor or publisher asks for (block quotations are the exception to double-spacing in the Purdue OWL and TCU guides)?
Does the note number sit at the end of the quote, with the full note in the footnotes or endnotes?
Does your reference list or bibliography include the source?

Block-quote thresholds: Chicago compared with MLA and APA

Writers who move between styles often carry the wrong threshold with them, so check the style you are actually using before you block a passage. The table sets out the Chicago tests as the library guides give them, beside the MLA and APA thresholds.

Passage type	Block when the passage is	Source and date checked
Prose	Five or more lines, or more than 100 words	Seattle University Library and Houston Community College Library, checked 2026-10-29
Poetry	Two or more lines	Seattle University Library and Houston Community College Library, checked 2026-10-29
Prose (MLA, for comparison)	More than four lines	MLA Handbook guidance as quoted on the MLA Style Center, checked 2026-10-29; see MLA block quote
Prose (APA, for comparison)	40 words or more	APA Style in-text citation checklist, checked 2026-10-29; see citing a quote

For the block-quote rules of other styles, see MLA block quote, MLA quotation format and citing a quote; for quoting rules that apply across styles, see quoting and citing sources correctly.

FAQ

What counts as a block quote in Chicago style?

A prose passage of five or more lines, or of more than 100 words, and two or more lines of poetry, according to the Seattle University and Houston Community College library guides.

Do you use quotation marks in a Chicago block quote?

No. A blocked quotation is not enclosed in quotation marks.

Is a Chicago block quote single- or double-spaced?

The Purdue OWL and TCU guides exempt block quotations from the double-spaced text, and Camosun College Library says to single-space the quotation with an extra line of space before and after. If your instructor or publisher gives a different instruction, follow it.

Where does the footnote go on a block quote?

At the end of the quote. Camosun College Library: “Add the footnote at the end of the quote.”

How do you indent a block quote in Chicago style?

Use the word processor’s indentation tool rather than spaces or tabs. Camosun College Library gives half an inch from the left margin; the other guides cited on this page do not state a measurement.

How do you format a block quote of poetry?

Block two or more lines of poetry, per Seattle University Library and Houston Community College Library, using the same new-line, indented, no-quotation-marks format.

Sources

Chicago-style guidance as given in the university library guides below; the pages label themselves as the 17th or 18th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style; all checked 2026-10-29.

Seattle University Library, Chicago/Turabian citation basics (page updated 18 February 2026; checked 2026-10-29).
Houston Community College Library, Chicago style: general (checked 2026-10-29).
Purdue Online Writing Lab, Chicago Manual of Style: general format (checked 2026-10-29).
Camosun College Library, Chicago 17th ed.: quotations (checked 2026-10-29).
TCU Adams Center for Writing, Chicago Style 18th Edition: General Formatting (PDF handout; checked 2026-10-29).
APA Style, In-Text Citation Checklist (40-word threshold; checked 2026-10-29).
MLA Style Center, MLA Style Center (long-quotation guidance, more than four lines; checked 2026-10-29).