Java Program to Print the Multiplication Table of a Number

A multiplication table lists the results of multiplying a number by 1, 2, 3 and so on, usually up to 10. For 5 it starts 5 × 1 = 5, 5 × 2 = 10, 5 × 3 = 15.

Printing a table is a classic loop exercise: the loop counter goes from 1 to 10 and each step prints one line.

1. Print a Table Using a for Loop

The for loop keeps the counter, the condition and the increment in one line, which suits a loop that runs a known number of times. printf() formats each line; %d is replaced by a whole number and %2d pads it to two characters so the columns line up.

import java.util.Scanner;

public class MultiplicationTable {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a number: ");
        int number = scanner.nextInt();
        scanner.close();

        for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
            System.out.printf("%d x %2d = %d%n", number, i, number * i);
        }
    }
}

Enter a number: 5
5 x  1 = 5
5 x  2 = 10
5 x  3 = 15
5 x  4 = 20
5 x  5 = 25
5 x  6 = 30
5 x  7 = 35
5 x  8 = 40
5 x  9 = 45
5 x 10 = 50

2. Print a Table Using a while Loop

With a while loop, the counter is declared before the loop and increased inside it. This program also lets the user choose how far the table goes.

import java.util.Scanner;

public class MultiplicationTableWhile {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a number: ");
        int number = scanner.nextInt();
        System.out.print("Print the table up to: ");
        int limit = scanner.nextInt();
        scanner.close();

        int i = 1;
        while (i <= limit) {
            System.out.println(number + " x " + i + " = " + (number * i));
            i++;
        }
    }
}

Enter a number: 8
Print the table up to: 12
8 x 1 = 8
8 x 2 = 16
8 x 3 = 24
8 x 4 = 32
8 x 5 = 40
8 x 6 = 48
8 x 7 = 56
8 x 8 = 64
8 x 9 = 72
8 x 10 = 80
8 x 11 = 88
8 x 12 = 96

3. Print Tables from 1 to 5 Using Nested Loops

A loop inside another loop prints a grid. The outer loop picks the row (1 to 10), and the inner loop prints that row for each number from 1 to 5. %4d gives every value a width of four characters.

public class MultiplicationGrid {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        for (int row = 1; row <= 10; row++) {
            for (int number = 1; number <= 5; number++) {
                System.out.printf("%4d", number * row);
            }
            System.out.println();
        }
    }
}

   1   2   3   4   5
   2   4   6   8  10
   3   6   9  12  15
   4   8  12  16  20
   5  10  15  20  25
   6  12  18  24  30
   7  14  21  28  35
   8  16  24  32  40
   9  18  27  36  45
  10  20  30  40  50

4. Summary

• A multiplication table is a loop from 1 to 10 that prints number * i on each step.
• Use a for loop when the number of steps is known; a while loop works the same way with the counter managed by hand.
• printf() with widths such as %2d or %4d keeps the columns aligned.
• Nested loops print a full grid of several tables at once.

Related Programs

• Java Program to Find the Factorial of a Number
• Java Program to Multiply Two Numbers
• Java Program to Print the Fibonacci Series
• All Java Programs for Beginners