A rigid area is an invisible component that is always the same size.
import java.awt.Dimension; import javax.swing.Box; import javax.swing.JButton; import javax.swing.JFrame; public class Main { public static void main(String[] args) { JFrame frame = new JFrame("FlowLayout Nesting"); frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); Box hBox = Box.createHorizontalBox(); hBox.add(new JButton("First")); //from w ww. ja v a2 s . com // Add a 10x5 rigid area to a horizontal box hBox.add(Box.createRigidArea(new Dimension(10, 5))); hBox.add(new JButton("Last")); // Add JPanel to the content pane frame.getContentPane().add(hBox); frame.pack(); frame.setVisible(true); } }