Basic Multiplication - Required. Use * operator between numbers or cell references (e.g., =A1*B1, =10*25, =A1*5).
PRODUCT Function - Optional. Use =PRODUCT(range) to multiply all numbers in a range (e.g., =PRODUCT(A1:A5)).
| A | B | C | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product | Quantity | Unit Price | Total |
| 2 | Laptop | 15 | 1200 | |
| 3 | =B2*C2 18000 |
Multiply values in cells A1 and B1
If A1=25 and B1=4, result is 100
Multiply all values in range A1 to A5
=PRODUCT(2,3,4,5,6) → 720
Multiply each cell by a fixed number
If A1=20, result is 100
Multiply by (1 + percentage) for growth
If A1=1000 and B1=15%, result is 1150
The most common use case for the multiplication formula in Excel is calculating total price by multiplying quantity times unit price in sales orders, invoices, and purchase orders. The Excel multiplication formula is essential for e-commerce businesses, retailers, wholesalers, and procurement teams who need to calculate order totals, line item amounts, and extended prices across multiple products. This multiplication pattern in Excel works perfectly for sales analysis, revenue calculations, cost estimations, and pricing tables where you need to multiply two columns together to get totals for inventory management and financial reporting.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product | Quantity | Unit Price | Total |
| 2 | Laptops | 15 | $1,200 | |
| 3 | Total: | =B2*C2 $18,000 |
Use the multiplication formula in Excel to apply growth rates and forecast future revenue by multiplying current values by growth factors like (1 + growth percentage). The Excel multiplication formula is critical for financial analysts, CFOs, and business planners building revenue projections, sales forecasts, and multi-year financial models. This multiplication technique in Excel handles compound growth calculations, year-over-year increases, market expansion scenarios, and what-if analyses where you model different growth assumptions to predict future business performance and make strategic investment decisions.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Year | Revenue | Growth Rate | Next Year |
| 2 | 2025 | $500,000 | 15% | |
| 3 | Projection: | =B2*(1+C2) $575,000 |
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=A1*3Use the multiplication operator (*) instead of repeated addition in Excel. The multiplication formula in Excel is more efficient, cleaner, and works with any multiplier including decimals. The Excel multiplication formula scales to any calculation complexity and maintains clarity in your spreadsheet models.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=PRODUCT(A1:E1)Use the PRODUCT function for multiplying multiple cells or ranges in Excel. The PRODUCT function handles any number of cells efficiently, maintains cleaner formulas, and automatically adjusts when you insert or delete cells in the range. The Excel multiplication formula with PRODUCT is the best practice for range-based multiplication operations.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=IF(OR(A1="",B1=""),"",A1*B1)Wrap the multiplication formula in Excel with IF to check for blank cells before multiplying. This prevents misleading zero results when data is missing and keeps your spreadsheet data quality high. The Excel multiplication formula combined with conditional logic ensures accurate reporting and prevents calculation errors in business-critical spreadsheets. Use <Link href="/formulas/if">IF</Link> with <Link href="/formulas/or">OR</Link> for robust error handling.
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