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Common Core Math5th GradeNumbers in Base Ten

5.NBT.5: Multiply with the Standard Algorithm

Also written as 5.NBT.B.5 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.B.5 · Cluster: Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths.

Make a 5.NBT.5 WorksheetAll 26 5th Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 5, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 5.NBT.5 Means in Plain English

Fifth graders multiply 346 × 27 with the standard algorithm: multiply by the 7 ones to get 2,422, multiply by the 2 tens to get 6,920, and add to 9,342. Fluently means reliably and without an area model, while still knowing what each partial product stands for.

This is the capstone of whole-number multiplication. The area models and partial products of 4.NBT.5 become the two rows of the algorithm, and the skill carries straight into decimal multiplication (5.NBT.7) and, in 6th grade, into fluent multi-digit division and decimal computation (6.NS.2, 6.NS.3).

5.NBT.5 I Can Statements

  • I can multiply a three-digit number by a two-digit number with the standard algorithm.
  • I can explain what each row of partial products stands for.
  • I can estimate first to check that my product is reasonable.

5.NBT.5 Worked Example

A three-digit by two-digit product in the standard algorithm, with the place value of every row said out loud.

Problem

Multiply 528 × 46.

528 × 46 with the standard algorithm
  1. Estimate first so there is something to check against: 500 × 50 is 25,000.500 × 50 = 25,000
  2. Multiply 528 by the 6 ones. 6 × 8 = 48, write 8 carry 4. 6 × 2 = 12, plus 4 is 16, write 6 carry 1. 6 × 5 = 30, plus 1 is 31.528 × 6 = 3,168
  3. Multiply 528 by the 4 tens. Write a 0 in the ones place first, because this row is really 528 × 40. Then 4 × 528 = 2,112.528 × 40 = 21,120
  4. Add the two rows, lining up the ones.3,168 + 21,120 = 24,288
Answer24,288

Check it: The estimate was 25,000, and 24,288 is close. For an exact check, go the other way round: 46 × 528 = 46 × 500 + 46 × 28 = 23,000 + 1,288 = 24,288.

Common Mistakes with 5.NBT.5

Forgetting the zero on the tens row

528 × 46 = 3,168 + 2,112 = 5,280

Try this: Say the second row as “528 times 40, not 4” and write the placeholder 0 before multiplying a single digit.

Adding the carry before multiplying

6 × 2 with a carried 4 done as 6 × (2 + 4) = 36

Try this: Multiply first, then add the carry: 6 × 2 is 12, then 12 + 4 is 16. Write the carry small above the next digit.

Skipping the estimate

An answer of 5,280 for 528 × 46 handed in without a second look

Try this: Round both factors and multiply before starting: 500 × 50 = 25,000. An answer of 5,280 is nowhere near it, so something is off.

Where 5.NBT.5 Fits

Comes Before4.NBT.5Multiply up to four digits by one digit, and two-digit by two-digit, with area models and partial products.3.OA.7Fluently multiply within 100, knowing all products of two one-digit numbers.
Alongside5.NBT.6Divide up to four-digit numbers by two-digit divisors.5.NBT.2Explain the zeros when multiplying by powers of 10.
Comes Next5.NBT.7Multiply decimals to hundredths with place-value strategies.6.NS.2Fluently divide multi-digit numbers with the standard algorithm.6.NS.3Fluently add, subtract, multiply and divide multi-digit decimals.

Practice 5.NBT.5

Multiplication Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolThree-digit by two-digit and four-digit by two-digit products in columns, with an answer key, for the daily fluency run.3-digit × 2-digit4-digit × 2-digitAnswer key
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. 637 × 24
  2. 1,205 × 38
  3. A stadium has 56 rows of 324 seats. How many seats are there?

5.NBT.5: Other Names

5.NBT.55.NBT.B.5CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.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.