diff --git a/css-cascade-3/Overview.bs b/css-cascade-3/Overview.bs
index 888f8b5c5ae..7e683c17c56 100644
--- a/css-cascade-3/Overview.bs
+++ b/css-cascade-3/Overview.bs
@@ -445,13 +445,41 @@ Used Values</h3>
 	If a property does not <dfn id="applies-to" lt="apply to | applies to">apply to</dfn>
 	this element or box type--
 	as noted in its “Applies to” line--
-	then it has no formatting effect on that type of box or element,
+	then it has no direct formatting effect on that type of box or element,
 	and therefore has no <a>used value</a> for that property.
 
 	<p class='example'>
 		For example, the 'flex' property has no <a>used value</a>
 		on elements that aren't <a>flex items</a>.
 
+	<div class=note>
+		Note: Some properties that do not apply to certain elements or boxes
+		may still have <em>indirect</em> formatting effects:
+		their computed value may be taken into account
+		in the computation of other properties or units
+		that do have an effect on the element or box;
+		inherited properties are also often set on elements
+		that they don't apply to
+		in order to get them to inherit into descendants to which they do apply,
+		including cases where these descendants are anonymous boxes.
+
+		<div class=example>
+			Even though 'writing-mode' and 'text-orientation' do not apply to table rows,
+			setting them on such boxes
+			will still affect the calculation of font relative units such as ''ch'',
+			and thus possibly any property that takes a <<length>>.
+		</div>
+		<div class=example>
+			Setting 'text-transform' on an HTML <{p}> element
+			(which is ''display: block'' by default)
+			will have an effect,
+			even though 'text-transform' only applies to [=inline boxes=],
+			because the property inherits
+			into the paragraph's anonymous [=root inline box=].
+		</div>
+	</div>
+
+
 	Note: A property defined to apply to “all elements”
 	applies to all elements and [=display types=],
 	but not necessarily to all [=pseudo-element=] types,