3 Times Table
Every fact in the 3 times table, the patterns that make it easier, and practice that keeps coming back to the ones you miss.
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Answers
3 × 8
24
3 rows of 8, or 8 rows of 3: both make 24.
- Turned round
- 8 × 3 = 24
- As division
- 24 ÷ 3 = 8
How this works: Method, 4 sources,
How this works
Method
Three lots of a number is double it, plus one more lot. For 3 × 8, double 8 is 16, and 16 + 8 = 24. For 3 × 12, double 12 is 24, and 24 + 12 = 36. Full method
Sources
- Department for Education, National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (2013)
- Wikipedia, Divisibility rule
- Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Grade 3 (3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.C.7) (2010)
- Standards and Testing Agency, Multiplication tables check assessment framework (updated March 2022, 2018)
Changes
- First published: the chart from 1–10 to 1–20, practice with progress for each person, printable charts and sheets, the 2 to 12 tables and check practice.
Patterns and tricks in the 3 times table
Three lots of a number is double it, plus one more lot. For 3 × 8, double 8 is 16, and 16 + 8 = 24. For 3 × 12, double 12 is 24, and 24 + 12 = 36.
Add up the digits of any answer in the 3 table and you get 3, 6 or 9, after adding again if needed: 3 × 7 = 21 gives 2 + 1 = 3, and 3 × 9 = 27 gives 2 + 7 = 9. The same test works the other way, telling you whether any number divides by 3: 1,236 does, because 1 + 2 + 3 + 6 = 12.
The last digits of 3 × 1 to 3 × 10 are 3, 6, 9, 2, 5, 8, 1, 4, 7, 0, every digit once. On a phone keypad (1 2 3 along the top) they run down the right-hand column, then the middle, then the left, which some people find easier to picture than to memorise.
3 × n = 2 × n + n
- In England, the 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables come in year 3, when pupils also connect the 2, 4 and 8 tables to each other by doubling. Source: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study (2013).
- A number divides exactly by 3 when the sum of its digits does, which is why the digits of every 3-table answer add up to a multiple of 3. Source: Wikipedia, Divisibility rule.
The 3 times table, × 1 to × 20
Every answer’s digits add up to 3, 6 or 9 (adding again for two-digit sums).
| Fact | Answer | Turned round | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 1 | 3 | 1 × 3 | 3 ÷ 3 = 1 |
| 3 × 2 | 6 | 2 × 3 | 6 ÷ 3 = 2 |
| 3 × 3 | 9 | 3 × 3 | 9 ÷ 3 = 3 |
| 3 × 4 | 12 | 4 × 3 | 12 ÷ 3 = 4 |
| 3 × 5 | 15 | 5 × 3 | 15 ÷ 3 = 5 |
| 3 × 6 | 18 | 6 × 3 | 18 ÷ 3 = 6 |
| 3 × 7 | 21 | 7 × 3 | 21 ÷ 3 = 7 |
| 3 × 8 | 24 | 8 × 3 | 24 ÷ 3 = 8 |
| 3 × 9 | 27 | 9 × 3 | 27 ÷ 3 = 9 |
| 3 × 10 | 30 | 10 × 3 | 30 ÷ 3 = 10 |
Show all 20 rowsShow fewer
| 3 × 11 | 33 | 11 × 3 | 33 ÷ 3 = 11 |
| 3 × 12 | 36 | 12 × 3 | 36 ÷ 3 = 12 |
| 3 × 13 | 39 | 13 × 3 | 39 ÷ 3 = 13 |
| 3 × 14 | 42 | 14 × 3 | 42 ÷ 3 = 14 |
| 3 × 15 | 45 | 15 × 3 | 45 ÷ 3 = 15 |
| 3 × 16 | 48 | 16 × 3 | 48 ÷ 3 = 16 |
| 3 × 17 | 51 | 17 × 3 | 51 ÷ 3 = 17 |
| 3 × 18 | 54 | 18 × 3 | 54 ÷ 3 = 18 |
| 3 × 19 | 57 | 19 × 3 | 57 ÷ 3 = 19 |
| 3 × 20 | 60 | 20 × 3 | 60 ÷ 3 = 20 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 3 times table up to 12?
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33 and 36. Each answer is the one before plus 3.
How can I tell if a number is in the 3 times table?
Add its digits. If the total divides by 3 (keep adding the digits of the total until it is one digit, which must then be 3, 6 or 9), the number is a multiple of 3. 51 is: 5 + 1 = 6, and 51 = 3 × 17.
Which 3 times table facts are the hardest?
Usually 3 × 7 = 21, 3 × 8 = 24 and 3 × 12 = 36, where the answer crosses into the twenties or thirties. Double and add one more lot gets there in two small steps.