How to Use the PRODUCT Function in Excel

The Excel PRODUCT function multiplies numbers, cell references, or ranges and returns their product. For example, =PRODUCT(A1:A3) produces the same result as =A1*A2*A3, but it is easier to extend when many cells are involved.

PRODUCT syntax

=PRODUCT(number1, [number2], ...)

• number1: the first number, cell, or range to multiply.
• number2, ...: optional additional numbers, cells, or ranges.

Excel supports up to 255 arguments. One argument can itself be a range containing many cells.

Multiply numbers directly

To multiply 5, 3, and 2, enter:

=PRODUCT(5,3,2)

The result is 30.

If any included number is zero, the product is zero.

Multiply all numeric values in a range

To multiply the values from B2 through B6, use:

=PRODUCT(B2:B6)

You can combine ranges and individual values in one formula:

=PRODUCT(B2:B6,D2,1.05)

This multiplies every numeric value in B2:B6 by the value in D2 and then by 1.05.

Calculate salary from rate and days worked

Suppose column C contains a daily rate and column D contains days worked. The result will be placed in column E.

Use the multiplication operator

For two cells, the clearest formula is often:

=C2*D2

Use PRODUCT

The equivalent formula is:

=PRODUCT(C2,D2)

Press Enter, then drag the fill handle down to copy the formula to the other employees.

PRODUCT versus the * operator

• Use * when multiplying two or three clearly named cells, such as =C2*D2.
• Use PRODUCT when multiplying a range or several separate ranges.
• Neither method calculates a factorial. For that task, use Excel's FACT function.

How blanks, text, and errors are handled

When a cell reference or range is supplied, PRODUCT ignores empty cells, text, and logical values in that reference. Numeric cells are multiplied. This differs from a chain such as =A1*A2*A3, which may return #VALUE! if a referenced cell contains text.

Text or logical values typed directly as function arguments are handled differently from values inside a reference. To avoid ambiguous results, keep the source range numeric and convert number-like text to real numbers before calculating.

If an included cell contains an Excel error such as #VALUE! or #N/A, the formula returns an error. Correct the source value or handle the error explicitly before multiplying.

Common mistakes

• Omitting the leading equals sign.
• Using a text-formatted number that was not converted to a numeric value.
• Including a subtotal in the same range as its underlying values, which multiplies the data twice.
• Expecting blank cells to act as zero; referenced blanks are ignored rather than multiplied as zero.