Math Drills · Grade 3 (Elementary School)
Column Subtraction
107 free maths worksheets for “Column Subtraction” in Grade 3 (Elementary School). Download the question and answer PDFs and print them, no sign-up needed.
WorksheetsWhat this unit covers
Subtraction with large numbers is built up according to how many borrows are required. For three digits and for four, no borrowing through three borrows is covered in column and horizontal form, and the work leads into Fill in the Blank and word problems on What Is Left and The Difference.
When the digit above is 0, borrowing from the neighbor stalls and forms such as 1000 - 234 bring the work to a halt. Flipping the digits to compute 7 - 3 because 7 will not come out of 3 is stubbornly persistent, and setting each digit of the answer against the digit above it exposes it on the spot.
Following on from Column Addition, the same procedure of lining digits up by place is applied here to subtraction, with practice at handling borrows. Writing digits lined up by place goes on living long after this, resurfacing as lining up decimal points once Decimals is studied.
Learning steps
- 3-Digit SubtractionNo Borrowing (Column Calculation)1 Borrow (Column Calculation)2 Borrows (Column Calculation)No Borrowing (Calculation)1 Borrow (Calculation)2 Borrows (Calculation)Fill in the Blank
- 4-Digit SubtractionNo Borrowing (Column Calculation)1 Borrow (Column Calculation)2 Borrows (Column Calculation)3 Borrows (Column Calculation)No Borrowing (Calculation)1 Borrow (Calculation)2 Borrows (Calculation)3 Borrows (Calculation)Fill in the Blank
- Subtraction Word ProblemsWhat Is LeftThe Difference
Worksheets
3-Digit Subtraction
4-Digit Subtraction
Summary Prints
Related study guides
- Column Addition and Subtraction — Why 23 + 4 Goes Wrong
Ask your child to write 23 + 4 in column form, and they write the 4 under the tens digit — the answer comes out 63. This is a new stumble that shows up in grade 2, right after a child has learned addition with carrying in grade 1. Here's how to explain what lining up place value means, and how to split practice into stages by the number of carries.
Frequently asked questions
- What do the “Column Subtraction” worksheets for Grade 3 (Elementary School) practice?
- They cover problems such as No Borrowing (Column Calculation), 1 Borrow (Column Calculation), 2 Borrows (Column Calculation), No Borrowing (Calculation), 1 Borrow (Calculation), 2 Borrows (Calculation), Fill in the Blank, 3 Borrows (Column Calculation).
- How many “Column Subtraction” worksheets are there for Grade 3 (Elementary School)?
- 107 worksheets are free to use. Every one is a printable PDF and comes with an answer key.