Sum time with SUMIFS

Excel times are numbers and can be summed like other numeric values. In this example, F4:G7 is a summary table, showing the total time logged in each of three states: Standby, Run, and Offline. These values are hardcoded in the range F5:F7.

To sum time conditionally by each state, we are using the SUMIFS function in G5:

=SUMIFS(times,states,F5)

1. The sum_range is the named range times (C5:C15), entered in hh:mm format
2. Criteria_range1 is the named range states (D5:D15)
3. Criteria1 is entered as F5

The reference to F5 is relative. When the formula is copied down the column, F5 changes at each new row. The two named ranges, times and states, are fixed and do not change. In each row, SUMIFS correctly shows the total hours logged for a given state. Note when time exceeds 24 hours, you will need to use a custom time format as explained below.

Duration over 24 hours

With normal time formats like hh:mm, hours will "reset" to zero every 24 hours. This makes sense when the intent is to display an actual time, but it can be confusing when the total time exceeds 1 day because hours appear to be lost.

To display time durations of more than 24 hours use a custom number format with hours in square brackets, as shown below:

[h]:mm

For a more detailed explanation, see Sum time in Excel.

Without names ranges

The named ranges in this formula are used for convenience only. Named ranges are automatically absolute, so there is no need to lock references manually. However, the named ranges are entirely optional. Without named ranges, the equivalent formula is:

=SUMIFS($D$5:$D$15,$C$5:$C$15,F5)