How to use the Base-Ten Blocks
- Show a number. Type it in the box at the bottom, or just type the digits on the keyboard: 3 4 7 shows 347. Space picks a random number.
- Count up and down. Use − and + with the step you choose (1, 10 or 100). Watch ten ones turn into a ten, and a ten break apart when there are not enough ones to take away.
- Break and trade. Click a rod, flat or cube to break it into ten smaller blocks, or use Break and Trade 10 under each column. The number never changes, only how it is made.
- Look around. Drag to turn the table, scroll to zoom and double-click to go back to the front view. Settings has colors, hiding the number and the expanded form.
Classroom ideas
- What’s my number? Press H to hide the number, press Space for a random one and let the class read it from the blocks. Click the question mark to check.
- Many ways to make it: show 243, then break a hundred and a ten. Is “1 hundred, 13 tens and 13 ones” still 243? Ask pupils to find three more ways.
- Borrowing you can see: show 52 and take away 7 one at a time with −. When the ones run out, a ten breaks open by itself.
- Bridging a hundred: start at 95, set the step to 1 and count on to 105 with +, saying each number aloud as ten ones become a ten and ten tens become a hundred.
- Partner check: put the blocks next to the number line on the Classroom Board and ask where the number lives.
Keyboard shortcuts
| 0 – 9 | Type a number (it appears after a short pause) |
| + or = | Add one |
| − | Take away one (borrowing if needed) |
| B | Break a block into ten smaller ones |
| G | Group ten blocks into one bigger block |
| H | Hide or show the number |
| F | Present full screen |
Frequently asked questions
What are base-ten blocks?
Also called Dienes or MAB blocks, they model place value: a unit cube is 1, a rod is 10 units joined, a flat is 100 and a big cube is 1,000. Each block is exactly ten of the one before, which is what our number system is built on.
What do Break and Trade 10 do?
Break swaps one block for ten of the next smaller kind (a ten for 10 ones). Trade 10 does the opposite (10 ones for a ten). The value stays the same, so the expanded form shows non-standard partitions such as 1 hundred + 2 tens + 17 ones = 137.
Can I type numbers with the keyboard?
Yes. Type the digits anywhere on the page and the number appears after a short pause. + and − add or take away one; B breaks and G groups the smallest blocks that can be.
Why are some columns not shown?
Columns start from the biggest place the number uses, so 47 shows tens and ones only. Zeros in the middle, like the 0 tens in 307, keep their column and label.
What if my computer cannot show 3D?
The tool switches to flat drawings of the blocks with the same labels, breaking and trading.
Updated October 31, 2026 · Free to use in any classroom, no account needed.