How to Make Bingo Cards: By Hand, in Excel or with a Free Tool, Printed with Card Numbers

Three things to decide before you start

Before making bingo cards, decide three things: the grid size, the range of numbers, and whether the center is FREE. Once those are settled, you can make cards by hand or in Excel without hesitation. The most common format at events in Japan is a 5×5 grid using the numbers 1–75 with a FREE center.

Each column gets its own range so drawn numbers are easier to find. Call out “B 12” and players only need to look down the B column. You can play with 1–75 scattered at random, but finding numbers takes longer and more get missed.

Making bingo cards by hand

Up to about 10 cards, handwriting is fine. For children’s groups or family games, you can also have players write their own numbers.

1. 1

   Draw the grid

   Use a ruler to draw a 5×5 grid on card stock or drawing paper. Squares of 2 cm or more make it easier to punch holes in or circle the numbers. Write B, I, N, G, O across the top.

2. 2

   Pick 5 numbers per column from its range

   Choose 5 numbers from each column’s range, such as 1–15 for B and 16–30 for I, and write them in. Just make sure you don’t repeat a number within a column.

3. 3

   Make the center FREE

   Leave the center of the N column (the third row) without a number and write FREE or draw a star there. It counts as marked from the start.

4. 4

   Number the cards

   Write a serial number such as 1, 2, 3 in a corner, for example the bottom right. That way you know who has which card and can check when someone calls bingo.

The most common mistake with handwritten cards is biased number choices. When people pick “at random”, round numbers like 1, 5, 10 and 15 and similar arrangements creep in. With many similar cards, several bingos happen on the same number. Choose numbers with dice or a lottery app, or draw slips numbered 1–75 from a bag, to avoid bias.

Making cards in Excel or Google Sheets

In a spreadsheet, formulas can place non-repeating numbers in each column. In Microsoft 365 or Excel 2021 and later, putting the following formula in the first row of the B column lists 5 numbers from 1–15 down the column.

SEQUENCE(15,1,start) creates the 15 numbers in the range, RANDARRAY’s random values shuffle them, and the first 5 are taken. Change only the start value for each column and you have one 5×5 card. For 4×4 with 1–60, use four columns with start values 1, 16, 31 and 46, and take 4 numbers instead.

1. 1

   Enter the formula for all 5 columns

   Put the formula in columns B to O with the start value changed. Five numbers appear down each column.

2. 2

   Paste as values

   Select the 25 squares, copy them, and use “Paste values” to fix the numbers. If you forget, the numbers change every time you reopen the file or edit another cell.

3. 3

   Replace the center with FREE

   Overwrite the third row of the N column with “FREE”.

4. 4

   Copy for as many cards as you need and number them

   Lay out one card’s block on the sheet and repeat the same steps for each. Add No. 1, No. 2 and so on to each card.

Excel gives you lots of freedom, but once you get to 30 or 50 cards it becomes laborious, and there’s no way to check that no two cards are the same. For larger numbers of cards, a dedicated card maker is faster and more reliable.

Making numbered cards with a free card maker

With the Bingo Card Maker, you just choose the grid size (5×5, 4×4 or 3×3), the numbers, whether there’s a FREE space, and how many cards, and it makes up to 300 cards at once. No two cards have the same arrangement, and each card carries a set number and a card number (No.).

1. 1

   Choose the type and grid size

   Select “Number Bingo” and pick the grid size. 1–75 is preset for 5×5, 1–60 for 4×4 and 1–30 for 3×3. You can also change the highest number used.

2. 2

   Enter the number of cards

   Enter the number of players plus a few spares. Card previews appear on screen.

3. 3

   Note down the set number

   The set number is like a password that determines the card arrangements. With the same set number and settings, the same cards are generated however many times you reopen it. Even after printing, entering a card number reproduces its contents so you can check a win.

4. 4

   Lay them out on A4 and print

   Choose 1, 2, 4 or 6 cards per page, pick a color and print.

Once the cards are made, you can draw numbers with the number caller on the same screen and also see how many of the cards you handed out have a bingo or are one away. How to run the draw and check wins is explained in detail in alternatives to a bingo cage and checking wins. If you want words instead of numbers, see how to make word bingo.

Tips for printing neatly on A4

How many cards you put on a page changes their size and how easy they are to use. Here are the grid sizes when printed from the tool.

• Set the scale to 100% in the print dialog: leaving it on “Fit to page” shrinks the cards, cutting off edges or making sizes uneven.
• Turn on background graphics: in some browsers, colored headings and the FREE square print as blank white.
• Choose slightly thicker paper: plain paper works, but if people will punch holes or hold cards standing up, heavier paper won’t wilt.
• Choose black to save ink: setting the color to “Black” prints without using color ink.
• Cut along the dotted lines: for 4 or 6 per page, a craft knife and ruler are quickest, and a paper cutter is even easier.

How many cards to make

Make 10–20% more cards than the number of players, not exactly the same. The extras cover last-minute arrivals, spoiled cards, and replacing cards that get soaked by spilled drinks.

If each person gets several cards, bingos come that much sooner. Giving everyone 2 cards is the same as doubling the number of cards, so expect 30 players to move at the same pace as a group of 60. How prize numbers relate to game length is in bingo prize budgets and how to choose them, and how to run the day is in how to run a bingo game at a party.

FAQ

How are the number ranges on a bingo card decided?

In the 5×5 bingo common in Japan, the numbers 1–75 are assigned 15 per column: B is 1–15, I is 16–30, N is 31–45, G is 46–60 and O is 61–75. Five are chosen from each column, and the center of the N column (third row) is FREE, so each card has 24 numbers.

Why do the numbers change when I print bingo cards made in Excel?

Random functions such as RANDARRAY and RAND return new values every time the sheet recalculates, and printing or previewing can trigger a recalculation. Once you’ve settled the numbers, copy the 25 squares, use “Paste values” and remove the formulas before printing.

How many more bingo cards than players should I make?

About 10–20% more. Preparing around 36 for 30 people or 60 for 50 covers last-minute arrivals, spoiled cards and replacing wet ones. If the cards are numbered, handing out spares only means noting down who has which number.

Are handwritten cards OK?

Yes. But when people pick numbers casually, round numbers and similar arrangements increase, making it more likely that several people get bingo on the same number. Choosing numbers with dice or a draw avoids bias. For larger numbers of cards, a card maker that never creates duplicate cards is the reliable option.

How many cards per A4 page do you recommend?

For a typical bingo game, 4 per page is a convenient size: each square is about 1.6 cm and the cards can be cut to postcard size. For large groups where you want to save paper, use 6 per page; for activities with older people or small children, 2 per page prints them larger and easier to see.