Why does a sum of hours reset after 24 hours?

Q: How do I show 43:30 instead of 43.5?

Keep =SUM(B2:B6) and apply the custom number format [h]:mm.

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=SUM(B2:B6)*24

The h:mm format shows only the part of the total under a day. Multiply by 24 for decimal hours, =SUM(B2:B6)*24, or format the total as [h]:mm.

Result on the example: 43.50 in D2
Works in: Every current version
Google Sheets: Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in D2. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

Times are fractions of a day, and the h:mm format shows only the part of the total that is less than a day: 43.5 hours displays as 19:30. Multiplying the sum by 24 turns days into hours, 43.5, which also works directly in pay calculations. To keep a time display instead, give the total the custom format [h]:mm; the brackets let hours run past 24.

=SUM(B2:B6)*24

Result43.5

B2:B65 rows × 1 col: 8:30, 9:15, 7:45, 8:00, …
A range: 5 cells in one column.
SUM(B2:B6)1.8125
SUM: Adds numbers and ranges. Skips text and blanks.
- number1B2:B65 rows × 1 col: 8:30, 9:15, 7:45, 8:00, …
SUM(B2:B6)*2443.5
The * operator multiplies.

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =SUM(B2:B6)*24. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns 43.50.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

Formula	Result	When to use it
=ROUND(SUM(B2:B6)*24,2)	43.50	Rounds away tiny floating-point leftovers, such as 43.4999999.

Common mistakes

Durations typed as text, like "8h30", are skipped by SUM.
Format the decimal result as a number, not a time, or 43.5 is shown as a time of day.

Try it yourself

Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.