Times Tables 13 to 20: Tricks and Who Needs Them

Times tables to 20 sound like a big jump: eight more tables and 96 more facts. But none of them needs learning from scratch. Every fact from 13 × 1 to 20 × 12 can be built from the 1 to 12 tables, and a few of them are surprisingly easy.

Does my child need to learn the 13 to 20 times tables?

For most children, no. What is expected depends on where you live:

• England: all tables to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4 (see times tables by year group). The Multiplication Tables Check stops at 12.
• United States: single-digit facts by the end of Grade 3 (see multiplication facts by grade).
• India: learning tables up to 20 is common, often by reciting them aloud.

The teen tables are a good challenge for a child who already knows 1 to 12 well and wants more. They build mental maths, and they help with bigger multiplication later. They are not a good use of time while the 7s or the 8s are still shaky.

Times tables 13 to 20 chart

Each table also has its own page with a chart, patterns and practice: the 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 times tables.

What is the main trick for times tables above 12?

Split the number into 10 and what's left, multiply both parts, then add. For 13 × 7, that's ten sevens plus three sevens:

• 13 × 7 → 70 + 21 = 91
• 16 × 9 → 90 + 54 = 144
• 18 × 6 → 60 + 48 = 108

This is the same idea as the 10 + 2 trick for the 12 times table, and the same splitting that schools teach in the grid method.

Is there a trick for each table from 13 to 20?

Table	Trick	Example
13	10 + 3	13 × 7 = 70 + 21 = 91
14	Double the 7s	7 × 6 = 42, so 14 × 6 = 84
15	Ten lots plus half again	15 × 6 = 60 + 30 = 90
16	Double the 8s	8 × 7 = 56, so 16 × 7 = 112
17	20 − 3	17 × 6 = 120 − 18 = 102
18	Double the 9s	9 × 7 = 63, so 18 × 7 = 126
19	20 − 1	19 × 8 = 160 − 8 = 152
20	Double the 10s	20 × 7 = 140

The 18s get an extra bonus: if your child knows the 9 times table finger trick, they can find any 9s fact and simply double it.

What order should children learn the 13 to 20 times tables in?

Start with the tables that lean hardest on facts your child already knows:

1. 20 and 15: doubling tens and "ten plus half" are quick wins. The 15s are also the quarter hours on a clock: 15, 30, 45, 60.
2. 14, 16 and 18: double the 7s, 8s and 9s.
3. 19 and 13: "20 take away one" and "10 plus 3".
4. 17: usually the last to stick, so it goes last.

Is there a trick for multiplying two teen numbers?

The tables above stop at × 12, but children who enjoy them often ask about teen × teen. There's a neat trick for any two numbers from 11 to 19:

1. Add the first number to the ones digit of the second: 13 × 14 → 13 + 4 = 17.
2. Multiply by 10: 170.
3. Add the two ones digits multiplied: 3 × 4 = 12, so 170 + 12 = 182.

It works because it's the grid method in disguise. Try it on 16 × 18: 16 + 8 = 24, so 240, plus 6 × 8 = 48, makes 288. The teen squares are worth knowing too: 13² = 169, 14² = 196, 15² = 225, 16² = 256, 17² = 289, 18² = 324, 19² = 361 and 20² = 400.

How can my child practise the 13 to 20 times tables here?

TimesTable.co keeps the 13 to 20 tables behind Challenge Mode, which is switched off by default so younger children aren't given facts they don't need yet. To turn it on:

1. Open times table practice from any of the 13 to 20 table pages, and choose Turn on Challenge Mode. Or find the Challenge Mode switch in My Player.
2. The ×13 to ×20 buttons then appear next to the usual tables, and a Challenge Tables row is added to My Progress.
3. Smart practice only adds teen facts once every 1 to 12 fact has been introduced, so the core tables always come first.

Challenge Mode can be switched off at any time, and progress on the teen tables is kept for when it's turned back on. The times table grid is a handy way to check the 1 to 12 facts are secure first.