3rd grade · 12 facts · multiplication

12 times table

The 12 times table is the last on most charts, and it is where the earlier tables pay off most. 12 is 10 + 2, so 12 × 7 is 10 × 7 = 70 plus 2 × 7 = 14, and 70 + 14 = 84. A child who knows the 10s and the 2s can work out every 12s fact.

Twelve has plenty of everyday uses: a dozen eggs, months in a year, inches in a foot, the hours on a clock face. That gives you real questions to ask, and the inches come back in measurement lessons.

As with the 11s, the 3rd grade standard asks for products of one-digit numbers, so the 12s are often learned a little later. Many charts and schools still include them.

All 12 facts of the 12 times table

  • 12 × 1 = 12
  • 12 × 2 = 24
  • 12 × 3 = 36
  • 12 × 4 = 48
  • 12 × 5 = 60
  • 12 × 6 = 72
  • 12 × 7 = 84
  • 12 × 8 = 96
  • 12 × 9 = 108
  • 12 × 10 = 120
  • 12 × 11 = 132
  • 12 × 12 = 144

Printable practice sheet (PDF) — 24 problems: the 12 facts in order, then the same facts mixed up. The answer key is on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.

Timed drill: the 12 times table

12 facts in a random order. A right answer within 3 seconds counts as by heart. Free, no sign-up, and nothing is saved: it all happens on this screen.

Type with the keypad or your keyboard, then press Check or Enter.

What to notice

Every answer in the 12s is even, and every one is also in the 3s, 4s and 6s, because 12 is 3 × 4 and also 2 × 6. The ones digits run 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 and then repeat, like the 2s.

Some 12s facts are already known from other tables: 12 × 2 = 24, 12 × 5 = 60, 12 × 10 = 120. The newest ones are 12 × 7, 12 × 8, 12 × 9, 12 × 11 and 12 × 12, and the tens-and-twos split handles all of them.

12 × 12 = 144 is the last square on the chart, in the bottom right corner of most multiplication charts. It even has an old name, a gross: a dozen dozens.

How to practise at home

  • Practise the split aloud: “12 × 6: 60 and 12, 72.” Once it is quick, ask for the answer only.
  • Use months: “How many months in 3 years?” is 12 × 3.
  • Use a ruler marked in inches: “How many inches in 4 feet?” is 12 × 4.
  • Pick out the 12s that are slow in the drill on this page and practise only those. They are often the 7, 8 and 9 facts.
  • Learn 12 × 12 = 144 as a landmark, then step down: 12 × 11 is 144 take away 12, which is 132. Working down from a fact your child is sure of can be quicker than building up from 12 × 1.

Slips to watch for

  • Splitting 12 into 1 and 2 instead of 10 and 2, and answering 21 for 12 × 7. Point at the tens digit: the 1 in 12 stands for one ten.
  • Mixing up 12 × 8 = 96 and 12 × 9 = 108 near the end. 12 × 9 is 12 × 10 = 120 take away 12, which is 108.
  • Losing the carry in 12 × 12. Split it: 10 × 12 = 120 and 2 × 12 = 24, and 120 + 24 = 144.

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