1
Split into tens and ones
36 is 30 and 6. Write the parts along the side of the grid and the other number along the top.
Years 3 to 5 · Free
Grid multiplication
The grid method splits a big multiplication into small ones you already know. Type in any sum to see it worked out, then practise filling in a grid yourself.
- 999 × 99biggest sum shown
- 10printable grids
- Freeno login needed
Up to 999 × 99.
| × | 40 | 7 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 800 | 140 |
| 3 | 120 | 21 |
800 + 140 + 120 + 21 = 1,081
so 23 × 47 = 1,081
Printable grids
Six grids for two-digit × one-digit sums and four for two-digit × two-digit. Write the sum above each one.
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How the grid method works
2
Times by the tens
30 × 4 is 3 × 4 = 12, made ten times bigger: 120. Times-table facts do the hard work.
3
Add the boxes
36 × 4 gives boxes of 120 and 24. Add them: 120 + 24 = 144.
4
Estimate first
36 × 4 is close to 40 × 4 = 160, so an answer of 144 makes sense and 1,440 does not.
A tip for parents
If the method looks different from how you learned, that's normal. Ask your child to talk you through one grid: explaining it out loud is good practice for them, and you'll see which step trips them up.
The grid needs times-table facts and multiplying by 10. If a box goes wrong, the times table behind it is usually the place to practise.
Trivela FC
Ready for the full match?
Every box in the grid is a times-table fact. Trivela FC turns times tables to 12 × 12 into a football game world, so children practise the facts the grid relies on, and parents see which are still shaky.
Grid multiplication questions parents ask
What is the grid method of multiplication?
A way to multiply by splitting each number into hundreds, tens and ones, multiplying every pair of parts in a grid, then adding the answers. It turns one hard sum into several easier ones.
How do you do 23 × 47 with the grid method?
Split 23 into 20 and 3, and 47 into 40 and 7. The four boxes are 20 × 40 = 800, 20 × 7 = 140, 3 × 40 = 120 and 3 × 7 = 21. Add them: 800 + 140 + 120 + 21 = 1,081.
When do children learn the grid method?
Many primary schools in England teach it in Year 3 and Year 4. The national curriculum expects the formal column method for multiplying by a one-digit number in Year 4, and long multiplication in Year 5.
What is the difference between the grid method and column multiplication?
They work out the same parts. The grid shows each one separately, which makes place value easy to see; the column method writes the same steps more compactly.