diff --git a/src/lib/import/CLAUDE.md b/src/lib/import/CLAUDE.md
index c1fd2c8..2638b33 100644
--- a/src/lib/import/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/src/lib/import/CLAUDE.md
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@ layer in Word's ascending precedence, over the table's borders and under the cel
 `w:tblLook` decides which areas apply at all — named flags where the file has them, the
 older `w:val` bitmask otherwise, and no element at all means none.
 
+**A table style's `w:pPr` ranks *below* the paragraph style**, so a cell's spacing layers
+docDefaults ← the table style ← the cell paragraph's own style chain ← direct `w:pPr`
+(`paragraphSpacing(id, under)`). The chain has to be baked in because a cell carries no
+style name; read as an override the way a table style zeroing `w:after` reads, every table
+loses the space after its cells' paragraphs and a long document comes out pages short.
+
 Body text with no resolved font falls back to the *document's own theme minor font*
 (`docx.ts` `runMarks`), not the editor default — Word's implicit body default. Headings don't
 (they keep the editor heading default); DOCX page margins default to Word's 2.54cm.
diff --git a/src/lib/import/docx.ts b/src/lib/import/docx.ts
index 6810a08..e6989c9 100644
--- a/src/lib/import/docx.ts
+++ b/src/lib/import/docx.ts
@@ -834,11 +834,12 @@ function convertParagraph(el: Element, ctx: Ctx, kind: BlockKind, boldByDefault:
   // paragraph style commonly carries justify), so style-level alignment isn't lost.
   const directJc = fc(ppr, 'jc');
   const jcVal = directJc ? wVal(directJc) : ctx.styles.paragraphAlign(pStyle ? wVal(pStyle) : null);
-  // Spacing/alignment from the style now live in the style registry, so only DIRECT
-  // w:pPr counts as formatting on the block — except in a cell, where the table style's
-  // w:pPr governs and no registry style reaches the cell's paragraphs.
-  const attrs = blockAttrs(ppr, kind, level, directJc ? jcVal : null, kind === 'cell' ? ctx.cellSpacing : {});
   const styleId = styleIdOf(ppr, ctx);
+  // Only DIRECT w:pPr counts as formatting on the block; the style's own lives in the
+  // registry — except in a cell, which carries no style name, so its chain is baked in
+  // over the table style's w:pPr (probed: that ranks *below* the paragraph style).
+  const attrs = blockAttrs(ppr, kind, level, directJc ? jcVal : null,
+    kind === 'cell' ? ctx.styles.paragraphSpacing(styleId, ctx.cellSpacing) : {});
   applyContextualSpacing(el, ppr, ctx, styleId, attrs);
   // Widow-orphan control has no registry home, so the resolved value rides the block.
   const directWc = fc(ppr, 'widowControl');
@@ -1847,12 +1848,12 @@ function bakeCellRuns(nodes: Node[], props: RunProps): void {
 }
 
 function convertTable(tbl: Element, ctx: Ctx): Node | null {
-  // The table style's own w:pPr/w:spacing governs its cells' paragraphs (Word's Table
-  // Grid zeroes the space after and the line spacing). Restored for a nested table.
+  // The table style's own w:pPr/w:spacing reaches its cells' paragraphs (Word's Table Grid
+  // zeroes the space after and the line spacing), under their own style chain. Restored
+  // for a nested table.
   const outerSpacing = ctx.cellSpacing;
   const tblStyleEl = fc(fc(tbl, 'tblPr'), 'tblStyle');
-  const tblStyleId = tblStyleEl ? wVal(tblStyleEl) : null;
-  if (tblStyleId) ctx.cellSpacing = ctx.styles.paragraphSpacing(tblStyleId);
+  ctx.cellSpacing = ctx.styles.tableSpacing(tblStyleEl ? wVal(tblStyleEl) : null);
   try {
     return buildTable(tbl, ctx);
   } finally {
diff --git a/src/lib/import/docxStyles.ts b/src/lib/import/docxStyles.ts
index de7ee01..3df4ea6 100644
--- a/src/lib/import/docxStyles.ts
+++ b/src/lib/import/docxStyles.ts
@@ -478,10 +478,16 @@ export class DocxStyles {
   }
 
   // Effective paragraph spacing from styles only (direct w:pPr/w:spacing wins in the caller):
-  // docDefaults ← the pStyle's basedOn chain, or the default paragraph style when there is no
-  // w:pStyle. An attribute no layer sets is Word's implied 0 (applied in blockAttrs).
-  paragraphSpacing(pStyleId: string | null | undefined): ParaSpacing {
-    return { ...this.defaultsSpacing, ...this.styleSpacing(pStyleId ?? this.defaultParaStyle) };
+  // docDefaults ← `under` ← the pStyle's basedOn chain, or the default paragraph style when
+  // there is no w:pStyle. An attribute no layer sets is Word's implied 0 (blockAttrs).
+  paragraphSpacing(pStyleId: string | null | undefined, under: ParaSpacing = {}): ParaSpacing {
+    return { ...this.defaultsSpacing, ...under, ...this.styleSpacing(pStyleId ?? this.defaultParaStyle) };
+  }
+
+  // A table style's own w:pPr/w:spacing along its w:basedOn chain. Word ranks it under
+  // the paragraph style, so it goes in as `under` above, never on top.
+  tableSpacing(styleId: string | null | undefined): ParaSpacing {
+    return this.styleSpacing(styleId);
   }
 
   // The table style's own w:tblCellMar along the w:basedOn chain (leaf wins). The
diff --git a/tests/unit/docx-table-style.test.ts b/tests/unit/docx-table-style.test.ts
index dbbb802..e01a030 100644
--- a/tests/unit/docx-table-style.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/docx-table-style.test.ts
@@ -117,3 +117,45 @@ describe('a Word table style paints its conditional areas', () => {
     expect(marksOf(again[1][0])).toEqual([{ type: 'bold' }]);
   });
 });
+
+// docDefaults ← the table style's w:pPr ← the paragraph style's chain ← direct w:pPr.
+// Probed against soffice: a table style zeroing the space after does not take it off a
+// Normal that declares one, but its line spacing does beat docDefaults'.
+const SPACING_STYLES = `<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<w:styles xmlns:w="${W}">
+  <w:docDefaults><w:pPrDefault><w:pPr>
+    <w:spacing w:after="200" w:line="276" w:lineRule="auto"/>
+  </w:pPr></w:pPrDefault></w:docDefaults>
+  <w:style w:type="paragraph" w:default="1" w:styleId="Normal"><w:name w:val="Normal"/>
+    <w:pPr><w:spacing w:after="160"/></w:pPr></w:style>
+  <w:style w:type="table" w:styleId="Tight"><w:name w:val="Tight"/>
+    <w:pPr><w:spacing w:after="0" w:line="240" w:lineRule="auto"/></w:pPr></w:style>
+</w:styles>`;
+
+const spacedTable = (cellPPr = '') =>
+  zipSync({
+    'word/document.xml': strToU8(`<?xml version="1.0"?><w:document xmlns:w="${W}"><w:body>` +
+      `<w:tbl><w:tblPr><w:tblStyle w:val="Tight"/></w:tblPr><w:tblGrid><w:gridCol w:w="4000"/></w:tblGrid>` +
+      `<w:tr><w:tc><w:p>${cellPPr}<w:r><w:t>cell</w:t></w:r></w:p></w:tc></w:tr></w:tbl>` +
+      `</w:body></w:document>`),
+    'word/styles.xml': strToU8(SPACING_STYLES),
+  });
+
+describe('a table style’s w:pPr ranks under the paragraph style', () => {
+  const attrsOf = (bytes: Uint8Array) => cellsOf(bytes)[0][0].content[0].attrs;
+
+  it('keeps the paragraph style’s space after and takes the table style’s line', () => {
+    expect(attrsOf(spacedTable())).toMatchObject({ spaceAfter: 8, lineHeight: '1' });
+  });
+
+  it('lets direct w:pPr beat both', () => {
+    const direct = spacedTable('<w:pPr><w:spacing w:after="480" w:line="480" w:lineRule="auto"/></w:pPr>');
+    expect(attrsOf(direct)).toMatchObject({ spaceAfter: 24, lineHeight: '2' });
+  });
+
+  it('round-trips the baked values', async () => {
+    const doc = { type: 'doc', content: importDocx(spacedTable()).content.content };
+    const bytes = await buildDocx(doc as N, { top: 2, bottom: 2, left: 2, right: 2 });
+    expect(attrsOf(bytes)).toMatchObject({ spaceAfter: 8, lineHeight: '1' });
+  });
+});