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Common Core Math4th GradeNumbers in Base Ten

4.NBT.5: Multiply Multi-Digit Numbers

Also written as 4.NBT.B.5 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.5 · Cluster: Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

Make a 4.NBT.5 WorksheetAll 28 4th Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 4.NBT.5 Means in Plain English

Fourth graders multiply a number with up to four digits by a one-digit number, like 3,264 × 4, and multiply two two-digit numbers, like 23 × 14.

They do it by breaking the numbers apart by place value and multiplying the parts, then show their thinking with an equation, an array or an area model. The standard algorithm isn’t expected until 5th grade (5.NBT.5), so the focus is on strategies students can explain.

4.NBT.5 I Can Statements

  • I can multiply a number with up to four digits by a one-digit number.
  • I can multiply two two-digit numbers.
  • I can show how I multiplied with an area model, an array or equations.

4.NBT.5 Worked Example

Two problems, worked the way the standard asks: by place value, with the thinking shown.

23 × 14 with an area model
2031020020 × 10303 × 1048020 × 4123 × 4
Split 23 into 20 + 3 and 14 into 10 + 4. Each box is one partial product. Add them: 200 + 30 + 80 + 12 = 322.
3,264 × 4 with partial products
3,000 × 412,000
200 × 4800
60 × 4240
4 × 416
Add them13,056

Estimate first: 3,264 is close to 3,000, and 3,000 × 4 = 12,000. An answer near 13,000 makes sense.

Common Mistakes with 4.NBT.5

Losing the place value

20 × 10 = 20, so 23 × 14 = 142

Try this: Say the values out loud: “twenty times ten is two hundred.” An estimate (20 × 15 = 300) shows 142 is too small.

Skipping the middle boxes

23 × 14 = 200 + 12 = 212

Try this: Draw the area model every time at first. Four boxes means four partial products, and each one gets filled in.

Adding partial products out of line

12,000 + 800 + 240 + 16 added from the left

Try this: Line the partial products up by the ones place, or write them in a place-value chart before adding.

Where 4.NBT.5 Fits

Comes Before3.NBT.3Multiply one-digit numbers by multiples of 10, like 9 × 80.3.OA.5Use properties of operations, including the distributive property.4.NBT.1A digit is worth ten times the same digit to its right.
Alongside4.NBT.6Divide with the same place-value strategies.4.OA.3Solve multi-step word problems with all four operations.
Comes Next5.NBT.5Multiply multi-digit numbers with the standard algorithm.

Practice 4.NBT.5

Multiplication Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolOpens already set up for 4.NBT.5, with an answer key. Change the numbers as often as you like.4-digit × 1-digit2-digit × 2-digitAnswer key
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Word Problem GeneratorFree ToolMultiplication story problems at the same size, for the “explain the calculation” part.MultiplicationUp to 4 digits
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Quick Check

  1. 4,317 × 6
  2. 36 × 47
  3. A school orders 24 boxes of pencils. Each box holds 36 pencils. How many pencils is that?

4.NBT.5: Other Names

4.NBT.54.NBT.B.5CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.B.5

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.