HLOOKUP function in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows products in the first row, their prices in the second row, and stock quantities in the third row.

Cell	Value
A1	Product
B1	Pen
C1	Pencil
D1	Eraser
A2	Price
B2	1.5
C2	0.5
D2	0.75
A3	Stock
B3	100
C3	200
D3	150

Formula Trace

=HLOOKUP("Pencil", A1:D3, 2, FALSE)

Step 1: HLOOKUP("Pencil", A1:D3, 2, FALSE)

Step 2: Search row 1: ["Product", "Pen", "Pencil", "Eraser"]

Step 3: Return value from row 2, column 3 (C2)

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C       D
1 |Product | Pen   | Pencil | Eraser
2 | Price  | 1.5   | 0.5    | 0.75
3 | Stock  | 100   | 200    | 150

HLOOKUP searches row 1 (A1:D1) for "Pencil" and returns value from row 2 in the same column.

The formula looks for "Pencil" in the first row (A1:D1) and returns the value from the second row of the same column.

Result

    A       B       C       D
1 |Product | Pen   | Pencil | Eraser
2 | Price  | 1.5   | 0.5    | 0.75
3 | Stock  | 100   | 200    | 150

Result of formula in cell E1: 0.5

The formula returns 0.5, which is the price of the Pencil found in cell C2.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the HLOOKUP function search for in the formula?

A "Pencil" in the first row

B Price in the second row

C Stock in the third row

D "Pencil" in the second row

Key Result

HLOOKUP looks for a value in the first row of a range and returns a value from a specified row in the same column.