diff --git a/layout/style/html.css b/layout/style/html.css
index 40da61812ec3..4d80617f2bbf 100644
--- a/layout/style/html.css
+++ b/layout/style/html.css
@@ -173,10 +173,6 @@ table {
   text-indent: 0;
 }
 
-table, td, th {
-  border-color: gray;
-}
-
 table[align="left"] {
   float: left;
 }
diff --git a/layout/style/quirk.css b/layout/style/quirk.css
index e2458fb7c715..efb37a8766e0 100644
--- a/layout/style/quirk.css
+++ b/layout/style/quirk.css
@@ -105,6 +105,14 @@ table {
   font-variant: -moz-initial;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Make table borders gray for compatibility with what other browsers do
+ * in all modes, rather than using the foreground color.
+ */
+table, td, th {
+  border-color: gray;
+}
+
 
 /* Quirk: collapse top margin of BODY and TD and bottom margin of TD */