Times in LaTeX

The LaTeX command for times (×) is \times (cross product / multiplication).

\times

Binary Operators · Unicode × (U+00D7) · no package needed

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Which command should you use?

Command	Package	Use it when
`\times` recommended	none	Cross: dimensions, cross products, Cartesian products.
`\cdot`	none	Ordinary multiplication and dot products.
`\ast`	none	Convolution.
`\otimes`	none	Tensor product.

Table 1. Ways to write times in LaTeX. Every line was compiled with pdfLaTeX (TeX Live 2026) loading only the package shown.

Common mistake. The letter x is not a multiplication sign: in a formula it prints an italic variable. Type \times.

How to type Times

Write \times inside math mode, that is between $…$ for inline math or in a \[ … \] or equation block for display math. It is part of core LaTeX math, so no extra package is required.

Example

$A \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}$

A \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}

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Often confused with

Cdot \cdot (⋅): centered dot (scalar product)
Bullet \bullet (∙)

Related Binary Operators symbols

\triangleleft\triangleright\boxplus\boxtimes\boxminus+-\div\cdot\ast\star\circ\bullet\oplus

Binary operators in LaTeX: the full table or search all 350+ LaTeX symbols.

FAQ

How do you write times (×) in LaTeX?

Use \times in math mode; it needs no extra package. For example, $A \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}$.

Which package provides \times?

None: \times is built into LaTeX, so no extra package is required.

What is the most common mistake with times in LaTeX?

The letter x is not a multiplication sign: in a formula it prints an italic variable. Type \times.